E-commerce and E-supply Chain Resources and Capabilities in the Fashion Industry: A Dynamic View

Abstract

This exploratory and longitudinal research has been developed from the perspectives of the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Dynamic Capabilities (DC) theories to address how fashion companies configure their supply chain e-business models and which are their distinctive resources and capabilities, focusing particularly on the e-commerce network configuration. A longitudinal multiple case study, based on a pilot test and in-depth interviews with 35 interviewees collected over 2011–2019 at four Italian fashion companies, is used to explore the evolution of the pathways of supply chain e-business models, e- commerce and core capabilities. Results indicate that these evolutions were driven by the optimization of a mix of six core capabilities and dimensions: network structure and flows, relationship governance capabilities, exploitation of information asymmetry, service architecture, core logistics capabilities, Customer Relationship Management capabilities and digital capabilities. Three evolution pathways have been identified —“abandon,” “vertical integration,” and “supply chain orchestration”— driven by product or brand. Given the results of this exploratory study, a framework has been developed, providing an initial study for investigating the evolution of e-commerce using the lens of the RBV and DC theories.