The Drivers and Challenges for Customer Satisfaction in E-commerce Industry for Urban and Rural India: A Key Stakeholders’ Perspectives

Abstract

The Indian e-commerce market is one of the fastest-growing segments and is yet to achieve its full potential, with customer satisfaction being the prime focus for e-commerce firms. The purpose of this paper is firstly to provide a thorough understanding of customer satisfaction in the Indian e-commerce industry both in urban and rural areas and thereby determine the key parameters which are crucial for providing top-class customer satisfaction. Secondly, evolve the interrelationship among these parameters and identify the difference of opinion between consumers and professionals working in e-commerce firms. We intend to address this gap toward improving customer satisfaction from rural and urban perspectives. The Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM)-based approach has been employed to analyze parameter relationships. Using fuzzy MICMAC analysis, these parameters’ driving and dependent power have been identified to shed light on correlation with customer satisfaction. The main finding of this research is the identification of key drivers affecting each other and thus implicitly affecting customer satisfaction. The study also highlights the preferences of rural and urban customers and how they differ. Results for improvement in customer satisfaction measures are stated concerning overall improvement in trust, on-time delivery, reliability, competitive price, and quality.