Cross-channel cooperation: a collaborative approach of integrating online and offline business models

Abstract: Due to the increasing use of e-business technologies, the corresponding Net Economy has evolved into an established trade level. It is characterized by numerous entrepreneurial ventures equipped with innovative online business models. Technological advance and changes in customer behaviour implicate that the physical and the electronic trade level are increasingly used complementarily. In order to be successful on both trade levels, traditional firms and Internet-based ventures inevitably need to approach each other. In this paper, we argue that collaborative concepts represent a promising way of meeting the resulting requirements. Cross-channel cooperation enables firms to integrate online and offline business models without extending themselves beyond their own means or competencies. Building upon market- and resource-based considerations, we argue why and how cross-channel cooperation contributes to competitive advantage and propose a classification of the resulting forms of collaboration.