Cross-channel cooperation: on the collaborativeintegration of online and offline business modelsof e-entrepreneurs and traditional SMEs

Owing to the rapid growth of the internet, the corresponding NetEconomy has evolved into an established trade level. It is characterised bynumerous entrepreneurial firms equipped with innovative online businessmodels. Also, traditional firms increasingly utilise the internet in order tooptimise business processes and reach customer segments. Technologicaladvances and changes in customer behaviour imply that the physical and theelectronic trade levels are increasingly used complementarily. In order to besuccessful on both trade levels, Real and Net Economy firms inevitably need toapproach each other. In this article, we argue that for e-entrepreneurs andtraditional SMEs, collaborative concepts represent an ideal way of meeting theresulting requirements. Cross-channel cooperation enables firms to integrateonline and offline business models without extending themselves beyondtheir means or competencies. Drawing on market- and resource-basedconsiderations, we examine the rationale behind collaborative cross-channelstrategies, propose a classification of cooperation forms and give implicationsfor e-entrepreneurs and managers of traditional SMEs....