Omnichannel Management in B2B. Complexity-based model. Empirical evidence from a panel of experts based on Fuzzy Cognitive Maps

Abstract

In recent years, academics and professionals have proposed omnichannel management as the best approach to offering multiple channels to end customers. This approach has been reinforced by the recent crisis caused by Covid-19 and the consequent demand for digital channels. In the current literature there is an evident gap in the study of omnichannel management for manufacturing or wholesale companies and their relationships with other companies, which typically use B2B models. This article includes a model that permits the identification of causal characteristics in omnichannel management based on fuzzy cognitive maps (FCM), the simulation of possible scenarios and the impact that changes in the environment or in the organization's internal activities may have on omnichannel management. From the results of a Delphi process based on an international Panel of Experts and using complexity theory, a Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) was built that can serve as a reference for B2B omnichannel management. The main value of the research is provided by the practical model that allows simulating what-if scenarios, that is, with the modification of the input conditions with respect to a base scenario and thus favors directing the omnichannel strategy to be followed in a B2B field.