Why does omni-channel allow retailers to foster supply chain resilience? Evidence from sequential mixed methods research

The omni-channel (OC) approach improves efficiency under normal conditions and fosters resilience when a crisis hits, e.g. COVID-19. Weadopt the sequential mixed methods research to conduct a two-stageinvestigation to explore how OC retailers achieve supply chainresilience (SCR). In stage 1, three key capabilities of OC retailers to fosterSCR are identified qualitatively, i.e. collaboration,flexibility, andredundancy, as well as the conceptual model is developed based onthe dynamic capabilities view. In stage 2, the roles of key capabilities in fostering SCR in three phases, i.e.preparedness, responsiveness, andrecovery, is quantitatively examined, by using partial least squares structural equation modelling to test the hypotheses based on a sampleof 225 Chinese OC retailers. The findings indicate that flexibility and redundancy are more significant for responsiveness, whilst collaboration is more crucial for recovery, offering valuable insights for supporting retailers in OC transformation and in setting a capabilities portfolio to withstand supply chain disruptions.