Analysis of Implementation Barriers to Logistics Systems Integration for Omni-Channel Retailing using an Integrated ISM-Fuzzy MICMAC Approach

Abstract

Integrating logistics across channels is crucial to omni-channel (OC) retailing success. OC retailers need to re-examine current logistics strategies to adapt them to OC systems. Implementing OC logistics in retail necessitates the integration of various sub-dimensions within the logistics domain while considering technical, managerial, behavioural, and infrastructure restrictions. Logistics integration is challenging in the OC retailing environment due to the unstructured approach. The purpose of this study is to identify and prioritise barriers to OC logistics in retail, as well as to provide a framework for managing their systematic elimination. A review of the literature and expert opinion revealed twenty-six impediments. Using Fuzzy Interpretative Structural Modelling (FISM), the researchers developed a hierarchical model of the barriers. Following that, a Fuzzy Matrice d’Impacts croises-multiplication applique (FMICMAC) analysis of the barriers helped determine the relative efficacy of the barriers in causing impediment. The study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on OC retailing by resolving the logistics integration issues that impede effective OC logistics implementation. The article fills a substantial void in the literature by developing a structured framework for comprehending and prioritising the logistical problems associated with OC logistics deployment. Modelling the OC logistical barriers' interrelation offers a better understanding of their relationship dynamics, hence easing their gradual eradication. The findings contribute to OC literature by examining the critical logistics resources required for establishing OC logistics, an area of OC retailing literature that has received disproportionate attention. The study contributes to the OC literature by identifying ‘soft’ resources that contribute to the development of logistics capabilities. The findings fill a significant vacuum in the literature on OC logistics by examining the intricate link between the tangible and intangible logistics resources required for improving logistics capabilities.