Analysis and design of customer experiences in an omnichannel context using customer digital twins

The convergence of physical and virtual shopping environments has increased the complexity of the retailing landscape and raised customer expectations for seamless, personalized omnichannel experiences, calling for innovative technical solutions in omnichannel management. This dissertation introduces Customer Digital Twins (CDTs)—virtual representations of individual customers that are continuously synchronized with their interactions across physical and virtual channels—as a solution to manage and enhance the customer journey. Using an iterative design science research approach, this research develops a comprehensive understanding of the concept, potentials, and design of CDTs to support integrated omnichannel experiences. Our findings reveal that CDTs can transform customer experience by mirroring and analyzing customer behavior, predicting and addressing customer needs, embodying customers in virtual environments, and seamlessly bridging interactions across physical and virtual channels. While these capabilities can strengthen customer experience and customer–brand relationships, they also may raise psychological tensions and barriers to adoption from the customer perspective. Based on these insights, this dissertation develops and evaluates design principles for CDTs to fully leverage their potential for seamless omnichannel experiences. Overall, this dissertation contributes to research by advancing the conceptual and design understanding of CDTs and provides retailers practical guidance for their effective design and use to manage seamless customer journeys in omnichannel contexts.