Product delivery service provider selection and customer satisfaction in the era of internet of things: A Chinese e-retailers’ perspective

Abstract

In this study we focus on how e-retailers who deal with innovative products in the era of the Internet of Things (IoT) select product delivery service providers to ensure timely and efficient delivery to customers. Based on the Asset-Process-Performance framework, we propose a triadic model that includes e-retailers, delivery service providers and customers to achieve synergy and customer satisfaction in the era of the IoT. We find that substantive selective criteria should include consideration of service provider's hard and soft infrastructure. In addition, flexibility is a key criterion that will strengthen the relationship between e-retailers and delivery service providers to improve the competitiveness of e-retailers as well as to satisfy the customers. We validate the model using data from 148 Taobao e-retailers. Our results indicate that both hard and soft infrastructures have positive influence on flexibility which in turn has a positive impact on customer satisfaction. Indeed, flexibility fully mediates the relationship between hard and soft infrastructures and customer satisfaction. Our theoretical triadic model is one of the first attempts in providing product delivery service provider selection criteria for e-retailers selling innovative products and its influence on customer satisfaction. Our findings provide guidelines for both e-retailers and product delivery service providers to improve their competitiveness.

Internet of things and supply chain management: a literature review

“…One interesting idea that was proposed is to allow for product differentiation to be postponed until after delivery to the customer. Yu et al (2015) studied the impact of IoT on supplier selection. They recommend the adoption of IoT technologies that would offer higher flexibility.…”

Exploring regulations and scope of the Internet of Things in contemporary companies: a first literature analysis

“…Source: our elaboration -Implications for logistics (product delivery). Some authors have analysed the application of the IoT to logistics, such as product traceability (Pye 2014) or in product delivery services to ensure timely and efficient delivery to customers (Yu et al 2015). Others discussed the characteristics of logistics in the IoT framework (Bollo and Stumm 1998) or the impact of the IoT on logistic efficiency (Shah 2008).…”

The Study of Customer Experience Design and Optimization of Shopping Website: Case Analysis of Amazon in China

“…Online customer service staff not only communicates with the customer to conduct the commodity trading, return and exchange. A professional customer-service staff that has knowledge and satisfactory communication skills can provide additional shopping advice to customers, as well as provide more accurate answers to customer's question, more quickly provide feedback to customer's after-sales issues, and become a customer's shopping adviser (Jie et al, 2015). Consequently, while satisfactory customer service has a great influence on the online shopping experience, customer service staff is also an important part of the online shopping experience.…”