Prioritizing big data applications in E-commerce considering sustainable development indicators

Abstract

During the Covid-19 pandemic, when strict restrictions were imposed to protect public health, e-commerce played a significant role in providing products on time. E-commerce technology and big data analytics enable companies to gain competitive advantages and respond to customers more efficiently. To make e-commerce more sustainable, the three dimensions of sustainability must be met, otherwise it can have negative consequences that lead to ecosystem destruction. Thus, e-commerce must learn how to effectively manage certain aspects of sustainability and adapt its operations to achieve balance. E-commerce's impact on sustainability can be measured in three pillars: economic, social and environmental and achieving a balance among these is the ultimate goal of sustainable development. Although the sustainability issue and big data analytics have gained increasing popularity in recent years, there is still a gap in evaluating applications of big data based on sustainable development indicators. In this study, we used a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making technique combining fuzzy TOPSIS and BWM to assess big data applications in e-commerce considering sustainable development indicators. The results showed environmental sustainability and energy consumption efficiency received the highest weight for the main pillars and sub criteria of sustainability indicators. Coordinating and monitoring supply chain processes, innovating product, process and business models, and creating new products and services are the top three applications of big data in e-commerce considering sustainable development indicators. E-commerce managers and experts can make better decisions about sustainable approaches by prioritizing big data applications based on sustainable development indicators. In addition, the proposed approach can also be used to evaluate big data analytics in other industries that consider sustainable development indicators.