The Mediating Role of Customer Experience Management in the Relationship Between E-Commerce and Supply Chain Management Practices

Abstract

AbstractAs markets become more and more connected on a global scale, the manner customer demands are being fulfilled is getting redefined. Labor, raw materials, and production can be acquired from a dynamic range of sources as big and small businesses look for the lowest cost. This is why supply chain management is extremely important to the growing e-commerce sector. E-commerce is prospering with the development of new business model and will be continuously developed in the following years. E-commerce is considered one of the main factors in economy development. E-commerce becomes a worldwide phenomenon that affords flexibility, convenience, and accessibility. E-commerce affords many benefits to customers like lower cost, availability, and reduce time. The impact of e-commerce appears in various business aspects from customer service to product design and delivery. A growing number of customers order products through the internet because of low prices, a wider range of products, convenience, etc. They assume these products will arrive at their destination, as soon as possible, with the potentiality of various forms of payment, free returns. Survival in today’s economic competitive climate requires more than just price discount and innovative products. To achieve competitive advantage, companies must focus and understand customer experience. We are living in the age where fulfilling customer’s needs is the main differentiator between Companies. Hence, companies need to switch their focus to customer experience management (CEM). It includes all touchpoints customers interact with the company, its products, and service while customer experience management represents the strategy followed by the company to manage the customer experience. This paper analyses the interaction of two topics: Supply Chain Management practices (SCMP) and e-commerce This paper will address the concepts related to impact of e-commerce on supply chain and future impact of e-commerce by answering different questions. And due to the vital role customer experience management play in differentiating between companies, the researcher introduces conceptually customer experience management as a mediator that impacts the relationship between e-commerce and supply chain management practices.KeywordsE-commerceSupply chain management practicesCustomer experience management