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This paper considers an e‐tailing supply chain for fresh produce (E‐FSC) composed of a supplier investing in freshness‐keeping effort and an e‐retailer providing value‐added service. We study the e‐retailer's information sharing strategy with supplier encroachment. First, we discuss the supplier's encroachment strategy without or with information sharing and indicate that the e‐retailer may profit more from encroachment. Second, we explore the e‐retailer's information sharing strategy under two scenarios. Under the independent scenario, the e‐retailer may share information when the freshness sensitivity is comparatively high, which cannot affect the supplier's encroachment strategy. Under the interactive scenario, the e‐retailer influences the supplier's encroachment strategy through an information sharing strategy. The e‐retailer may share (withhold) information to induce (deter) encroachment when the competition intensity is comparatively low or high (moderate). Finally, we discuss the influence of the entry cost on E‐FSC members' profits, which finds that increasing entry cost may improve the supplier's profit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to establish the impact of online deception and e-security on behavioural intentions towards e-retailers in Saudi Arabia, as well as highlight the mediating effects of online shopping's perceived value and e-trust. An electronic survey was distributed through email and social media to Saudi consumers, resulting in 216 valid responses from e-shopping adopters. The emergent relationships between the variables were identified, and some managerial implications were proposed. The originality of this work stems from how it tests the impact of perceived online deception and e-security on e-trust, online shopping value, and behavioural intentions. E-trust and online shopping value were positioned, and subsequently verified, as mediators between the proposed dependent and independent variables. The results reveal that trust towards e-retailers plays a mediating role in the relationship between online deception and perceived online shopping value. Furthermore, the indirect impact of trust towards an e-retailer on behavioural intentions is also partially mediated by online shopping's perceived value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a three-phase robust approach to the problem of designing a supply chain in an e-tailing environment considering the resilience strategies such as fortification, backup suppliers, and transshipment. First, the scores of potential suppliers are obtained using several resilience criteria. Then, a scenario-based stochastic network design model is proposed which considers operational (demand and transfer cost) and disruption (a natural disaster) risks. Finally, an order transfer problem is solved. The results prove the effectiveness of the framework for a case study. A preferred Pareto optimal solution of the robust optimization model is selected such that its cost is only 0.15% worse than its neighbour while its score of suppliers is 2.46% greater than the mentioned point. In addition, the results of the sensitivity analysis show that although the suppliers with higher scores costs more, they have a smaller cost range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resource and environmental problems caused by excessive packaging of e-tailing goods have attracted widespread attention, and its management has become an urgent task. To this end, we establish a tripartite game model of merchants, logistics enterprises and consumers to analyze the dynamic evolution process of behavioral choices. The results show that (1) the stage of environmental pollution positively promotes the behavioral choices of merchants, logistics enterprises and consumers. (2) Cost expenditures have a greater impact on the evolutionary path of merchants than the benefits generated by excessive packaging of e-tailing goods. (3) Penalties from online platforms have a greater impact on merchants’ evolutionary paths than rewards. This study provides a new perspective for the study of recycling of excessive packaging of e-tailing goods, and the conclusions of the study can provide a reference for governments to formulate effective policies on the management of excessive packaging of goods.

E-tailers often use different types of promotions to increase consumers' willingness to buy. However, little research has been done to explore how to reduce inaction inertia caused by online promotions. Inaction inertia refers to the condition in which people who have missed a previously attractive opportunity are less likely to accept the current less attractive opportunity. This study explores how uncertainty, in combination with monetary and nonmonetary promotion types, impacts inaction inertia. The effect of the best possible outcome in an uncertain promotion is also examined. Two experiments are conducted in the context of online shopping to test the effects. The research findings can help e-tailers devise effective promotion strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous growth of information and technology has resulted in considerable changes in the retailing environment, with a restriction on brick-and-mortar retailing and a push toward online retailing. The purpose of this study is to map the available literature on e-tailing in order to forecast where the field might be headed in the coming years and to identify the key features that contribute to e-tailing businesses. The paper employs an integrative review methodology and bibliometric method as a computational tool, and selected Web of Science and SCOPUS database(s), to identify the most productive research disciplines and countries that conduct the majority of e-tailing research. The study examines major themes such as consumer behavior and perception, technology and media, pricing strategies, channel integration, cognitive impact, business strategies, and models, and channel strategies to provide a comprehensive framework of e-tailing. This is the first study to present a thorough picture of e-tailing by identifying topics, research evolution, annual publishing trends, and the most relevant journals. The study offers future research areas in the form of thematic propositions and advocates greater research into upcoming trends such as voice assistants, chatbots, AI, and direct-to- consumer markets while adding relevant concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South African retail apparel industry has and continues to undergo major digitisation. This movement better known as e-tailing has pioneered over the years and proven to be a lucrative way of trading. As a developing market, e-tailing has seen increased growth with great potential for new entrants to thrive. Only a small number of e-tailers were dominating the South African online apparel industry. In order to understand and further promote success in e-tailing, the researchers identified the need to determine the critical success factors of leading apparel e-tailers in South Africa. Identifying the CSFs proved to be an integral part of successful e-tailer survival. The objective of this study was, therefore, to establish and delve into the CSFs of both leading pure-play online apparel e-tailers and omnichannel or hybrid retailers based in Cape Town, South Africa. The study adopted a multiple case study approach and a qualitative methodology was used by employing an interpretive philosophical perspective. An exploratory design was appropriate for the study and an Inductive reasoning is a theory-building method which best explained the phenomena that are the subject of this study. The research paper further incorporated an empirical approach and the data comprised of four organisations primarily collected through semi-structured interviews from individuals that were connected to the organisations. The findings of the study revealed the most fundamental CSFs which consisted of five CSF groups, namely, 1) Business Intelligence, 2) Operations, 3) Organisational culture, 4) Business model and 5) Strategic modelling. Ultimately, the study recommended an effective growth and development framework for apparel e-tailers in Cape Town.

This paper presents a case study of Pantala, a fashion start-up, intending to operationalise a circular supply of luxury womenswear through a monthly subscription-fee model. To optimize the company's cashflow and ensure success, the operational flows were modelled and analysed through discrete-event simulation techniques, with a focus on inventory management and minimizing operational costs. Simulation results demonstrated a high level of accuracy in predicting system performance, with an average relative error of less than 5% for most performance indicators. Insights are provided into the benefits of using simulation modelling for operational planning and optimization of complex systems, especially in the case of start-ups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we develop a basic regional e-tailing adoption model based on the “diffusion of innovations” (DOI) theory and the “ability-motivation-opportunity” (AMO) framework. We empirically test the model using ordinary least squares and Poisson regression on district-level e-tailing packages data collected from India Post. Further, we use a neural network model to classify districts into high/low e-tailing potential with 78% accuracy. Apart from its theoretical contribution, the adoption model can also be used by e-tailers to support their regional targeting decisions.

Global e-tailers face product returns from across the world, but research on service strategies for successful product return handling in culturally diverse markets is virtually nonexistent. This study examines the drivers of product return–related customer behavior across Western and Eastern cultures. Using a multimethod approach comprising two surveys and one experiment, results from the major Western (United States) and Eastern (China) retail markets show varying patterns for product return behavior and a uniform pattern for repurchase intention. Specifically, return policies that imply high effort restrictiveness decrease product returns in Western but not Eastern cultures, while the perceived customer-oriented institutional environment increases product returns in Eastern but not Western cultures. For repurchase intention, we find that effort restrictiveness in both cultures decreases repurchase intention, while the perceived customer-oriented institutional environment increases repurchase intention. We also find self-interest and legitimacy as the mechanisms responsible for the effect of perceived institutional environment, an important context variable in international marketing that has been neglected in the product return context. These findings enhance our understanding of product returns in different cultural environments and offer valuable insights for an adequate service strategy in product return management by global e-tailers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic, business and a numerous technological advancements have altered the life style in many ways and one among them is conversion from brick and mortar stores to online shopping platforms for their needs and requirements. This shift in the process has instigated the need for research on understanding the factors that influence and build E-Loyalty among consumers of online shopping platforms. Although, there are a numerous factors contributing to E-Loyalty, factors such as E-Service Quality, E-Trust and E-Satisfaction play a major role. This research paper aims to study the factors in detail and understand the relationship between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the internationalization of Turkish apparel retailers, with this study it is aimed to comparatively analyze the motivations underlying the internationalization of Turkish multi-channel retailers and e-tailers in Turkish apparel industry in terms of internationalization process, management of foreign operations, critical success factors and international e-commerce activities. Holistic multiple case study method was adopted in the research and the cases were determined through purposive sampling. The data gathered by semistructured interviews, were analyzed with thematic-constructive content analysis method. The findings obtained from the research revealed that multi-channel apparel retailers and e-tailers have gone through different internationalization processes as a result of their internationalization motivations, market entry modes, and the size of their organizational structures due to the business model they have adopted. In addition, the management of operations in foreign markets, success factors in foreign markets were found to be similar. The study contributes to the practitioners as a guide at the point of defining internationalization strategies, managing international operations, using online channels in international markets, identifying the factors that they should prioritize for success in the international markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to develop a multi-item scale to measure the online consumption emotion (OCE) to facilitate understanding of relationship marketing. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed, and psychometric procedures were followed for the scale development. The initial pool of scale items was tested using EFA with SPSS (v. 21.0), and CFA with AMOS (v. 18.0) to confirm the dimensionality of OCE scale. The EFA results revealed that OCE is a five-dimensional construct which consisted of 39 items. The scale includes excitement, comfort, ecstasy, annoyance and romance. The adequacy of employing a categorical approach to assess online shoppers' emotional experiences in terms of positive/negative responses is required for online relationship marketing orientation. The online consumption emotion scale can be used to understand individual's online shopping behavior. The findings can help online marketers to envisage relationship marketing strategies to increase their retail customer base, retain customers, improve positive word-of-mouth, and to improve relationship marketing for long-term profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The burgeoning electronic commerce has contributed to enormous demand for developing new logistics facilities dedicated to processing online shopping orders. However, how logistics land uses have been reshaped to accommodate the e-tailing demand has not been adequately studied. By examining the trajectory of logistics space development during the last decade in Shenzhen, an e-tailing hub in China, this study reveals a less common trend of logistics space restructuring that has been identified in a series of existing studies. Results from spatial data analysis indicate a more clustered logistics space across the city, in spite of a slight decrease in the total number of facilities. We argue that e-tailing has acted as a catalyst for determining how logistics facilities are designed, redeveloped, relocated, and utilized to match with changing requirements in supply chain management. Development of new multi-story facilities, renovation of obsolete facilities, and reorganization of existing facilities at regional level, are the major types of land-use efforts to fill in the supply-demand gap in logistics space in this rapidly-urbanizing city with shrinking land availability. The findings could help the governments reconsider the interactions between e-tailing, logistics demand, and sustainable land use patterns in policymaking.

This study analyzes the strategic decisions of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to determine their optimal timing for introducing an Internet-based online channel when faced with uncertain operating costs. Introductory threshold, option value of waiting, and expected waiting time are derived by constructing value functions for SMEs who consider introducing an Internet-based online channel in addition to a traditional brick-and-mortar channel when faced with uncertain operating costs through traditional net present value method and real options approach. In order to facilitate the use of the proposed models in practice, we propose a parameter estimation method for the uncertain operating costs according to historical data of the actual operating costs, and explain the procedures involved in the whole process of how our models can be used in practical applications. Furthermore, we examine the effect of various parameters, such as awareness of consumer consumption on the Internet, irreversible sunk investment cost, cost efficiency coefficient, risk-free interest rate, mean drift rate and uncertainty rate of the uncertain operating costs, on the optimal timing for the introduction of an Internet-based online channel. In this study, the strategic decision-making of optimal timing for introducing an Internet-based online channel under uncertain operating costs is investigated from a new perspective by seeing the introduction of an Internet-based online channel under uncertain operating costs as a real option. This paper is part of a growing literature in the field of distribution channel management at the intersection of operations and finance. This study enriches the research stream of dual-channel sales mode and expands the scope of application of the real options approach. The models and findings presented in this study can provide theoretical support and practical guidance for SMEs to decide whether and when to introduce an Internet-based online channel when faced with uncertain operating costs in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic Retailing (E-tailing) is one of the most impactful technology trends of recent times. This industry has dramatically enhanced the quality of human lives allowing people to shop online while having the comfort of their homes. In developing countries like Bangladesh, this industry is still rising and creating a significant economic impact. However, there exist a lot of challenges such as the return of orders that affects the growth of an E-tailer and causes revenue losses. This study addresses this most common business challenge in the E-tail industry and performs predictive modeling using 4 different state-of-the-art data mining techniques to help the industry smoothen its curve of growth. Along with predictive modeling, this study also aims to find out the most important features that influence the return of orders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We built an e-tailing service recovery research framework to explore the effect of online service recovery on postrecovery customer satisfaction and loyalty after service failure. We also investigated the mediating role of customer perceived distributive justice in the relationship between service recovery and recovery effects. We conducted a survey with 330 undergraduate students in Beijing. The results showed that both psychological and tangible recovery were significantly related to customer perceived distributive justice. Psychological recovery and distributive justice also positively influenced postrecovery customer satisfaction. The positive impact of tangible recovery on postrecovery satisfaction was not significant. Psychological and tangible recovery and distributive justice all positively affected customer loyalty. The mediating role of distributive justice in the relationship between online service recovery and recovery effects was also confirmed. These findings show that e-tailers should pay more attention to both psychological and tangible recovery after service failure to retain customer satisfaction and loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian retail industry has emerged as one of the most dynamic and fast-paced industries due to the entry of several new players. Total consumption expenditure is expected to reach nearly US$ 3,600 billion by 2020 from US$ 1,824 billion in 2017. It accounts for over 10 per cent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and around 8 per cent of the employment. India is the world's fifth-largest global destination in the retail space. The Indian retail industry is divided into organized and unorganized sectors. The organized retail however is at a very nascent stage, though attempts are being made to increase its proportion bringing in a huge opportunity for prospective new players. According to the 8th annual Global Retail Development Index (GRDI) of A.T. Kearney, Indian retail industry is the most promising emerging market for investment. In 2007, the retail trade in India had a share of 8-10% in the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the country. In 2009, it rose to 12%. It is also expected to reach 22% by 2010. With over 1,000 hypermarkets and 3,000 supermarkets projected to come up by 2021, India will need additional retail space of 700,000,000 sq ft. (65,000,000 m2) as compared to previous year. India has been ranked as the third most attractive nation for retail investment among 30 emerging markets by the US-based global management consulting firm, A.T. Kearney in its 9th annual Global Retail Development Index (GRDI) 2012. The state of Jharkhand has witnessed a paradigm shift from unorganized retailing to organized retailing over past few years. This has been possible due to digital revolution, increase in awareness, improvement in infrastructural facilities and increase in disposable income. Organised retail sector is likely to become one of the most prominent sectors that generate gainful employment opportunities for the Indian masses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to evaluate online product categories (electronics, apparels, personal care, kitchen appliances and stationery & school/offices supplies) association with key purchase criteria to illustrate the relative positioning of five product categories across specific purchase criteria. The study includes a sample of 600 respondents from three tier 2 cities of north India-Kota, Agra, and Jalandhar. Correspondence analysis was used to depict purchase criteria based comparative analysis of the top selling online product categories. The findings of the paper helps to reflect on three aspects - (i) similarity in the positioning of product categories, (ii) specific purchase criteria association with product categories and (iii) dominant purchase criteria. This study provides meaningful insights for multi-category players and market space aggregator to create an efficient/effective marketing programs for obtaining sustainable competitive advantage. The study also presents an opportunity to reflect on the efficacy of its current strategy and optimally reposition itself. Also, the study presents a meaningful ground for future researchers who wish to investigate the growing potential of e-tailing in small town India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Customer loyalty is fundamental to the profitability and survival of e-tailers. Yet research on antecedents of e-loyalty is relatively limited. This study contributes to the literature by investigating the effect of motives for online shopping on e-satisfaction and e-loyalty. A structural equations model is developed and tested through data from an online survey involving 797 customers of two UK-based e-tailers focussing on hedonic products. The results suggest that convenience, variety seeking, and social interaction help predict e-satisfaction, and that social interaction is the only shopping motive examined with a direct relationship to e-loyalty. Data also show that e-satisfaction is a strong determinant of e-loyalty. These findings are discussed in the light of previous research and avenues of future research are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of electronic commerce has been constrained by the inability of online consumers to feel, touch, and sample products through Web interfaces, as they are able to do in conventional in-store shopping. Previous academic studies have argued that this limitation could be partly alleviated by providing consumers with virtual product experience (VPE) to enable potential customers to experience products virtually. This paper discusses virtual control, a specific type of VPE implementation, and identifies its two dimensions: visual control and functional control. Visual control enables consumers to manipulate Web product images, to view products from various angles and distances; functional control enables consumers to explore and experience different features and functions of products. The individual and joint effects of visual and functional control were investigated in a laboratory experiment, the results of which indicated that visual and functional control increased the perceived diagnostic (i.e., the extent to which a consumer believes the shopping experience is helpful to evaluate a product) of their corresponding attribute factors, and that both visual and functional control increased consumer overall perceived diagnosticity and flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A feature central to the success of e-commerce Web sites is the design of an effective interface to present product information. However, the suitability of the prevalent information formats in supporting various online shopping tasks is not known. Using the cognitive fit theory as the theoretical framework, we developed a research model to investigate the fit between information format and shopping task, and examine its influence on consumers' online shopping performance and perceptions of shopping experience. The competition for attention theory from the marketing literature and the scanpath theory from vision research were employed to support the analyses. An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of two types of information formats (list versus matrix) in the context of two types of shopping tasks (searching versus browsing). The results show that when there is a match between the information format and the shopping task, consumers can search the information space more efficiently and have better recall of product information. Specifically, the list format better supports browsing tasks, and the matrix format facilitates searching tasks. However, a match between the information format and the shopping task has no effect on cognitive effort or attitude toward using the Web site. Overall, this research supports the application of the cognitive fit theory to the study of Web interface design. It also demonstrates the value in integrating findings from cognitive science and vision research to understand the processes involved. As the information format has been shown to affect consumers' online shopping behavior, even when the information content is held constant, the practical implications for Web site designers include providing both types of information format on their Web sites and matching the appropriate information format to the individual consumer's task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this volatile post-COVID environment where customers look for ways to order products online using personal computers and mobile devices, a traditional sale/delivery of products via single distribution channel needs to be reassessed. As a revolutionary alternative to a conventional distribution channel, this paper proposes an omni-channel strategy. The omni-channel aims to maximize the customer shopping experience by diversifying and integrating the product purchase and delivery media through customer engagement. The omni-channel also facilitates the sales of products by allowing customers to seamlessly interact with retailers across the multiple channels such as websites, social media, brick-and-mortar stores, kiosks, call centers, and the like. Since the transformation of product sale, purchase, and delivery processes requires a new business mindset and innovative strategic initiatives, this paper sheds light on potential challenges and opportunities of implementing the omni-channel strategy, while identifying key success factors for the application of the omni-channel concept to e-tailing.

In this article, we study the order fulfillment problem, which integrates order allocation and order routing decisions of an online retailer. Our problem is to find the best way to fulfill each customer's order to minimize the transportation cost. We first present a mixed-integer programming formulation to help online retailers optimally fulfill customers' order. We then introduce an adaptive large neighborhood search-based approach for this problem. With extensive computational experiments, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, by benchmarking its performance against a leading commercial solver and a greedy heuristic. Our approach can produce high-quality solutions in short computing times. We also experimentally show that products overlap among different fulfillment centers does affect the operation expense of e-tailers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to reveal factors that impact the logistics service performance of sellers in online marketplaces. The convenience of online shopping is changing the shopping habits and steering consumers towards online channels. This situation compels retailing firms to be visible online. However, unlike big retailing firms, smaller firms (especially SMEs) find it very difficult to sell their products on their proprietary websites due to high marketing, technical, and marketing costs. For this reason, many of them choose to sell their products in online marketplaces, but price-based competition among sellers in these marketplaces increases the importance of logistics service performance for competitiveness. Therefore, there is a need to reveal factors that impact the sellers' logistics service performance in online marketplaces. To this end, this study examines the sellers on a Turkish online shopping site GittiGidiyor, using a multi-group structural equational modelling. As a result of this examination, the factors found to affect logistics service performance are as follows: i) the number of different product categories offered by sellers, ii) selling items within particular product categories, iii) the 3PL company choice, iv) free shipping policy, v) the city from which products are shipped. These findings provide both theoretical and managerial insights. They not only enhance the understanding on the determinants of logistics service quality in an online marketplace context, but also provide guidance to e-tailers in elevating their logistics service performance in online marketplaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A new e-tail order fulfilment problem is studied. • A MIP formulation is developed and its computational complexity is analyzed. • A Benders decomposition algorithm is proposed for solving the problem. • Test instances are generated from the logistic network of JD.com. Abstract This paper studies an order fulfilment problem in an e-tailing environment, where the e-tailer fulfills orders by assigning orders to its fulfilment centers and routing the shipments from the fulfilment centers to its delivery stations. We develop a mixed integer program for the problem, analyze its computational complexity, and propose a Benders decomposition algorithm for solving the problem. Computational performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated on problem instances generated based on the logistics network of JD.com in Shanghai. Computational results show that the Benders decomposition algorithm is able to achieve satisfactory performance within reasonable computation time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]