Building a customer experience strategy in phygital retail: the role of digital platforms

Frame of the research: As customer experience becomes increasingly central to brand differentiation and digitalization reshapes retail, brands must engage consumers across both physical and digital channels. This convergence has accelerated the need for ‘phygital’ strategies-integrated approaches that deliver seamless, contextually relevant experiences across touchpoints. Purpose of the paper: This paper explores how digital platforms are transforming the nature and delivery of customer experience in retail. By focusing on the fashion industry, it investigates how platforms reshape traditional experiential components and purpose-and enable the integration of these elements into a cohesive phygital customer journey. Methodology: The study employs a qualitative approach, combining semistructured interviews and case analyses based on press and media sources. This methodology highlights the critical elements necessary for effective customer experience in phygital retail. Results: The research identifies five key elements essential to delivering effective customer experiences in phygital retail: (1) a core digital platform, (2) a shared brand purpose, (3) experience customization, (4) strong brand positioning, and (5) a dynamic partnership ecosystem. The digital platform emerges as the central enabler, integrating these elements and allowing brands to mediate relationships and deliver a cohesive, customer-centric phygital journey. Research limitations: This study faced limitations due to the inability to conduct in-store visits and the fact that interviews were conducted online, which limited control over contextual factors. However, triangulation of multiple data sources and interview prompts shared in advance helped enhance the reliability of findings. Practical implications: With expanding digitalization, brands are increasingly omnipresent in customers’ lives, requiring coherent phygital strategies. This research offers guidance to managers on developing a consistent customer experience across phygital touchpoints by integrating the five identified elements.