Multi-stakeholder perspective of courier service quality in B2C e-commerce

Area of Science:

• Business and Management
• E-commerce Logistics
• Service Quality Research

Background:

• The rapid growth of e-commerce, accelerated by the pandemic, highlights the critical need for high-quality courier services.
• Existing literature lacks a comprehensive view integrating client and organizational perspectives on courier service quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors influencing courier service quality in business-to-customer (B2C) e-commerce.
• To develop a relational model encompassing multiple stakeholder viewpoints (online shop, courier company, e-customer).
• To provide practical recommendations for the e-commerce and courier service sectors.

Main Methods:

• Employed a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative electronic surveys with e-shops and e-clients.
• Utilized qualitative in-depth interviews with courier enterprises.
• Applied structural analysis to empirical data for model development.

Main Results:

• Developed an original relational model for courier service quality.
• Identified and categorized factors influencing service quality into crucial, determinant, result, autonomous, and external groups.
• Established interrelationships between these factors from a multi-stakeholder perspective.

Conclusions:

• The proposed relational model offers a holistic understanding of courier service quality in B2C e-commerce.
• The identified factors and their relationships provide a framework for improving service quality.
• The model serves as a valuable tool for both academic research and managerial decision-making in the e-commerce logistics sector.