CLICKS VS. BRICKS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RETAIL SEGMENTATION STRATEGIES IN OMNICHANNEL CONTEXTS
Keywords:
Consumer segmentation, Online (clicks) retail, Offline (bricks) retail, Omnichannel strategy, Personalization, Dual-channel marketing.Abstract
Retailers face increasing difficulty in aligning segmentation strategies across online and offline
environments amid rapid technological change. This study adopts a qualitative design using PRISMA
guidelines, reviewing 46 peer-reviewed articles (2015–2024) from an initial pool of 68. Findings
show that online segmentation is driven by real-time behavioral data and AI-based personalization,
while offline segmentation remains largely demographic and geographic. However, cross-channel
consumer behavior is creating overlap, with emerging technologies such as IoT, edge computing, and
federated learning narrowing the data gap between both environments. The paper also revealed
several major obstacles, including data silos, excessive personalization, and privacy threats, as well
as potential convergence in the form of unified CRM platforms. The implication of this results is that
both theory and practice must shift toward holistic, cross-channel frameworks that better capture
dynamic consumer behavior and support more effective strategic decision-making. It was therefore
concluded that retail segmentation is evolving from distinct online and offline approaches toward
integrated, data-driven strategies shaped by omnichannel behavior. Hence, retailers should invest in
unified data systems, advanced analytics, and context-sensitive models. The originality of this study
lies in its contribution towards clarifying the evolving divide in retail segmentation and identifying
pathways toward integrated, technology-driven segmentation frameworks.
