Online Business Capabilities and Online Business Performance in the Malaysian Fashion Industry

Abstract

Objective - The digital economy is believed to be one of Malaysia's largest sectors as online businesses are expected to exhibit an increase of 10% in the near future. This factor eventually prompted subsequent studies on online business models. This study aims to discover the types of online business capabilities that could enhance the firm competitiveness of online business in the Malaysian fashion industry. Methodology/Technique - A questionnaire was developed and distributed by hand to a number of Malaysian online business owners in the fashion industry. The data was analysed using SPSS version 26 and SmartPLS 3.0. Finding - The findings indicated that digital marketing capability and CRM capability were significantly correlated to firm competitiveness, which in turn, also showed a significant and positive relationship with online business performance. Nevertheless, IT capability was an insignificant factor of firm competitiveness. Novelty - This study concluded the importance of CRM capability and digital marketing capability for online business owners to enhance firm competitiveness. The results also implied the importance of firm competitiveness for online businesses to perform in Malaysian fashion industry. Type of Paper - Empirical. Keywords: Online Business Performance, Online Business Capabilities, Digital Marketing Capability, CRM Capability, IT Capability, Firm Competitiveness, Fashion Industry JEL Classification: L20, L25 URI: http://gatrenterprise.com/GATRJournals/GJBSSR/vol9.2_2.html DOI: https://doi.org/10.35609/gjbssr.2021.9.2(2) Pages 114 – 127