Effect of online–offline informational integration on customer patronage: the mediating roles of customer satisfaction and perceived deception

With the increasing implementation of information and communication technologies in the retail industry, a growing number of companies integrate information between online and offline channels, including integrated information access (IIA) and integrated transaction information (ITI) to harvest omnichannel customers. However, whether and how informational integration can guide customer patronage remains unclear. Drawing on equity theory, this study examines how two types of online-offline informational integration (OOII) affect customer patronage through customer satisfaction and perceived deception. Based on data from 307 American and 197 Chinese customers, the results showed that perceived deception and customer satisfaction mediate the effect of OOII on customer patronage. Moreover, one interesting finding is that the relationship between integrated transaction information and perceived deception is negative in the Chinese sample yet positive in the American sample. These findings have theoretical implications for the research about OOII and customer patronage and practical implications for omnichannel retailers.