The impact of product variety on LSQ in e-marketplaces

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reveal the impact of the e-tailers’ product variety decisions on their logistics service quality (LSQ) in B2C e-marketplaces. Furthermore, it investigates the mediation of transaction intensity and the moderation of the perceived technical quality in this relationship. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected from one of Turkey’s biggest e-marketplace firms, N11.com. Consumer evaluations and the e-tailers’ product offers were used to operationalize research variables. Structural equation modeling was used to test the research hypotheses. Findings Product variety increases the sales of e-tailers but negatively affects their LSQ. This negative effect does not stem from the operational complexity resulting from increased sales; on the contrary, transaction intensity actually suppresses the negative effect of product variety on LSQ. This study additionally reveals that the perceived technical quality weakens the negative impact of product variety on LSQ. Originality/value The intense competition in e-marketplaces makes LSQ a key competitive factor, highlighting the importance of revealing its determinants. Although the negative effect of product variety on operational performance has been revealed in manufacturing and physical retailing environments, it has been under-investigated in online retailing. Drawing on a knowledge-based view, this study reveals how product variety decreases LSQ in the online context despite its unique features (i.e. temporal and spatial separation). Moreover, by demonstrating that the delivered product’s instrumental performance affects the perceived LSQ, it reveals that technical quality and functional quality are not disjoint components in online purchases.

A further approach in omnichannel LSQ, satisfaction and customer loyalty

“…Murfield et al (2017) identified LSQ components in the OC context as timeliness, availability and condition. However, easiness of return must also be considered as another important dimension of the LSQ in online sales since the possibility of returning a product is much higher in online sales than in physical sales; this is due to the customer's inability of physically inspecting and trying on products before purchase (Sorkun, 2019).…”

The Determinants of Online Purchasing Satisfaction: From University Students Perspective

“…Sellers must provide product heterogeneity to consumers (Um, Lyons, Lam, Cheng and Dominguez-Pery, 2017) since it offers decision flexibility, giving them freedom of choice (Amanah and Harahap, 2018). Sorkun (2019) stated that online stores could offer various products due to the virtually unlimited shelf space. Consequently, increasing product variety create extensive inventory levels, enhancing competitiveness and sales within the online marketplace (Wan and Sanders, 2017).…”

Proposta de indicadores de melhoria a partir da avaliação da qualidade de serviços em uma empresa de pequeno porte

“…Gandhi et al (2018b) relacionam-se pois são trabalhos que envolvem a elaboração e aplicação de um modelo de avaliação da qualidade de serviço promovidas pelos funcionários. Dentre os artigos selecionados no portfólio final, destacou-se a presença dos grupos de tecnologia (AKMAN;DAGDEVIREN, 2018;CHEN;JAW;WU, 2016;KHAYER et al, 2020), negócios digitais (GHOBAKHLOO;HONG;STANDING, 2015;SORKUN, 2019;SURYANI;FAUZI;NURHADI, 2020;VONGSRALUANG;BHATIASEVI, 2017), desempenho dos funcionários (GANDHI; SACHDEVA; GUPTA, 2018b, 2018a; GHANI; YASIN; ALI, 2019) e aplicações em restaurantes (KUKANJA; PLANINC, 2018PLANINC, , 2019. Além disso, percebeu-se a presença de aplicação de pesquisas em outras vertentes, como turismo (CARLSEN, 2011), lealdade dos consumidores (SARAPAIVANICH; PATTERSON, 2015), desenvolvimento de modelo baseado nos constructos da avaliação da qualidade de serviços (OWUSU-FRIMPONG; NWANKWO, 2012), cadeia de suprimentos (NAOUI, 2014) e relacionamento com fornecedores (GANDHI; SACHDEVA; GUPTA, 2019).…”

“…De maneira geral, identificou-se que diversas pesquisas utilizaram diferentes ferramentas para a coleta de dados, como: entrevistas (CHEN; JAW; WU, 2016; NAOUI, 2014; OWUSU-FRIMPONG; NWANKWO, 2012), grupos focais com profissionais experientes na área para a validação dos modelos (AKMAN; DAGDEVIREN, 2018; GHOBAKHLOO; HONG; STANDING, 2015) e aplicação de questionários (KHAYER et al, 2020;SARAPAIVANICH;PATTERSON, 2015;SORKUN, 2019).…”

“…Ainda, identificou-se que o volume de vendas de PMEs está relacionado com a diversidade de ofertas de produtos em seu portfólio. No entanto, salienta-se que este fato pode afetar negativamente a avaliação da qualidade do serviço relacionado ao desempenho operacional, já que cada produto apresenta diferentes formas de manuseio, embalagens e políticas de retorno (SORKUN, 2019).…”