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1. Introduction
In the digital era with intense competition, the banking sector is facing unpredicted challenges. The market and consumer behavior are rapidly changing (Mainardes Emerson et al., 2020). The difference between brands is gradually being blurred by the advances in technology. Consumers are further empowered with more information and purchasing choices across various service platforms (Islam Jamid et al., 2020; Mbama and Ezepue, 2018). The complication is strengthened by the invisible state of financial products that require creative marketing strategies to create competitive advantages (Demangeot and Broderick, 2016). Creating a favorable experience to attract and retain customers is not a simple duty (Islam et al., 2020).
In this context, an omnichannel strategy has emerged to bring different values to clients, especially in creating rich experiences (Hickman et al., 2020; Straker et al., 2015). Customers nowadays no longer make a transaction across a certain channel; instead, they would like to undergo various channels such as ATMs, branches, apps or websites (Lee et al., 2019). Omnichannel service enables customers to use not only an available channel but also numerous channels simultaneously (Mainandes et al., 2020), and this interaction with integrated channels creates a seamless experience for customers. The opportunities offered by this hybrid distribution system could establish different advantages due to extending market coverage, increasing sales volume, lowering relevant costs and satisfying customers' diversified needs (Seck et al., 2013).
Creating a seamless experience and engaging customers across various channels are the top priorities when developing an omnichannel business, but it would be a challenge for service providers to make their clients more engaged in a multichannel environment like banking (Lee et al., 2019). According to Zendesk's (2013) study on omnichannel customer service, 73% of the respondents thought that brands should improve the capability of engaging customers across channels, and only 7% of them were satisfied with the current service experience. Service providers with high customer engagement might attract approximately 89% of their customers, conversely, only got 33% (Saleh, 2015). Customer engagement is defined as the extent to which customers interact and connect with a brand (Hollebeek et al., 2014). When customers are engaged, they tend to further enjoy the banking transactions, act beneficially and result in...