Phygital: a systematic literature review

This systematic literature review consolidates knowledge on phygital—the fusion of physical and digital—customer experiences in management and marketing, and investigates how these experiences create consumer value using Batat’s phygital customer experience framework. Employing PRISMA 2020 protocols, a Scopus search covering 2014–2023 yielded 81 records, which were refined through five screening stages to 46 peer-reviewed articles. Deductive coding against the phygital customer experience framework, enriched by iterative thematic analysis, empirically supported the framework’s three components—driving forces, connectors, and pillars—while inductively revealing 14 subdimensions, including omnichannel integration, proactive storytelling, inclusivity, and co-creation. The evidence is predominantly qualitative, centered in European contexts, and focused on retail and tourism, exposing gaps in quantitative inquiry and in healthcare and education. The review advances understanding of phygital value creation by offering a richer, consumer-centered map for empirical testing and highlights agenda-setting questions around sectoral diversity, demographic variation, and dark-side risks. For managers, it outlines eight actionable principles—from frictionless channel integration to ethically grounded experiential design—that can help orchestrate seamless, emotionally resonant phygital journeys and translate technological investment into sustained competitive advantage.