A Scale for B2B eCommerce Website Customer Satisfaction

Business to Business (B2B) e-commerce has become increasingly important in e-commerce. However there is little research on the definition and evaluation of user satisfaction with B2B website. Traditional scales, like User Information Satisfaction (UIS), End-User Computer Satisfaction (EUCS) and Customer Information Satisfaction (CIS) focus on the individual users of Information System (IS) and are not suitable to the B2B business environment. In this article, we establishe a scale of B2B Ecommerce Website Customer Satisfaction (B2B-ECWCS) with five dimensions and highlight the significant factors in the B2B-ECWCS scale. We then present the results of testing and validating the scale with customer data of Alibaba, the largest B2B business in China

E-Commerce Applications Ranking

The paper presents the cycle of development of e-Commerce applications. The e-commerce applications are analyzed being considered to be a subject for complex evaluations. A set of criteria and factors are presented being considered relevant for e-commerce applications used in complex assessments. A ranking algorithm is proposed based on the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) process, which was implemented and tested with online application IAID. The objective of this paper is to build, implement and test this algorithm with the online application IAID.E-Commerce, Hierarchy, Evaluation Criteria, Analyses, Ranking Algorithm

Redesign and Content Creation for the New Lightsource Website — Internship Report

Every year the number of Internet users expands, and consequently, eCommerce has become part of our daily life. As a result, companies have held the digital transformation as an opportunity to gain visibility, credibility and approach targets that, without the magnitude of the online, couldn't be reached. And the United Kingdom is an impressive example of how online shopping has become a buying phenomenon, being named the most advanced eCommerce market in Europe. And to be successful in this highly competitive digital world, a humanised website that gathers valuable and relevant content for the user is imperative. The present report describes the six-month curricular internship performed at Lightsource, a lighting company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. This project aimed to assist in the development of the new Lightsource website, focusing on the redesign and content creation for the new eCommerce platform. This involved using a combination of human-centred design methods to study the users' requirements, needs and obstacles that needed improvement in this new eCommerce solution. In line with the redesign process, new content was created for the platform to push the Content Marketing and SEO strategies of the website, always supported by the best practices described in the literature. The final result is a clear improvement on the Lightsource digital presence that integrates informed decisions and outputs compiled from exploring the users' needs.Todos os anos o número de utilizadores de Internet atinge consecutivamente novos valores recordes, fazendo, consequentemente, que fenómenos como o eCommerce se tornem hábitos cada vez mais comuns. Como resultado, as empresas têm vindo a agarrar a transformação digital como uma oportunidade para ganhar visibilidade e credibilidade, com a vantagem de alcançar mercados que sem a magnitude do digital seriam inalcançáveis. O Reino Unido é um exemplo prático de como as compras online são um fenómeno em expansão, sendo considerado o mais avançado mercado eCommerce na Europa. E para atingir o sucesso neste mundo digital incrivelmente competitivo, um website focado nas necessidades do utilizador que reúne conteúdo valioso e relevante é imperativo. O presente relatório descreve as atividades realizadas durante o estágio curricular de seis meses realizado na Lightsource, uma empresa do setor da iluminação sediada em Belfast, Irlanda do Norte. O projeto conduzido durante o estágio teve como objetivo a prestação de suporte no desenvolvimento do novo website da Lightsource, com especial foco no redesign e na criação de conteúdo para a nova plataforma de eCommerce da marca. Para isso, envolveu a aplicação de uma combinação de metodologias de design centrado no humano para identificação de requisitos, necessidades e obstáculos que exigiram melhoria nesta nova solução digital. Paralelamente, foi criado novo conteúdo para o website de forma a otimizar as estratégias de Marketing de Conteúdos e SEO, sempre suportado por aquilo que são as boas práticas salientadas pela literatura. O resultado final revela uma melhoria na presença digital da Lightsource que integra decisões informadas e validadas pelas conclusões obtidas no estudo conduzido sobre as necessidades do utilizador

eEnabled internet distribution for small and medium sized hotels: the case of hospitality SMEs in Athens

Advances in information and communications technologies (ICTs) have strategic implications for a wide range of industries. Tourism and hospitality have dramatically changed by the ICTs and the Internet and gradually emerge as the leading industry on online expenditure. The Internet revolutionised traditional distribution models, enabled new entries propelled both disintermediation and reintermediation and altered the sources of competitive advantage. This paper explores the strategic implications of ICTs and the perceived advantages and disadvantages of Internet distribution for small and medium-sized hospitality enterprises (SMEs). Primary research in Athens hotels demonstrates the effects of the Internet and ICTs for secondary markets, where there is lower penetration and ICT adoption. Interviews and questionnaires identified a number of strategies in order to optimise distribution. The analysis illustrates the strategic role of ICTs and the Internet for hospitality organisations and Small and Medium-sized organisations in general. Most hotels employ a distribution mix that determines the level and employment of the Internet. The paper demonstrates that only organisations that use ICTs strategically will be able to develop their electronic distribution and achieve competitive advantages in the future

Examining the Nonlinear Effects in Satisfaction-Loyalty-Behavioral Intentions Model

Extant research has widely investigated linear functional forms in satisfaction and loyalty models. Though complex nonlinear nature of satisfaction loyalty link is suggested by several researchers, few attempts have been made to empirically examine nonlinearity. Moreover, researchers have used divergent functional forms to model nonlinearity and their findings are often inconclusive. In this study we use nonlinear form to describe the relationship between satisfaction, attitudinal loyalty, purchase loyalty and customer behavioral intentions such as willingness to pay more and external and internal complaining responses in the context of business-to-consumer ecommerce. We find modest empirical support for nonlinear effects in the relationship. Results support nonlinearity only in the case of attitudinal loyalty to internal complaining response link. Results also present evidence about the mediating role of attitudinal loyalty in the relationship between satisfaction, purchase loyalty, willingness to pay more and internal complaining responses.

The First 25 Years of the Bled eConference: Themes and Impacts

The Bled eConference is the longest-running themed conference associated with the Information Systems discipline. The focus throughout its first quarter-century has been the application of electronic tools, migrating progressively from Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) via Inter-Organisational Systems (IOS) and eCommerce to encompass all aspects of the use of networking facilities in industry and government, and more recently by individuals, groups and society as a whole. This paper reports on an examination of the conference titles and of the titles and abstracts of the 773 refereed papers published in the Proceedings since 1995. This identified a long and strong focus on categories of electronic business and corporate perspectives, which has broadened in recent years to encompass the democratic, the social and the personal. The conference\u27s extend well beyond the papers and their thousands of citations and tens of thousands of downloads. Other impacts have included innovative forms of support for the development of large numbers of graduate students, and the many international research collaborations that have been conceived and developed in a beautiful lake-side setting in Slovenia

Utilising the Surging Potential of E-commerce: A Case of Hour Glass Supply Chain

Decade of nineties saw two significant developments with far reaching implications; bringing down of iron curtain and the exponential growth of “Internet”. However, the impact of the latter has been phenomenal. It would not be wrong to say that Internet has redesigned the way we live and undertake economic activities. Ever since the launch of Windows 95 and Intel Pentium chip, the Internet has grown at an exponential rate, never witnessed before in any industry. At the turn of the century as many as 387 million people were hooked to Internet [UNCTAD (2003), p. 2]. As this bubble of Internet expanded, it started engulfing every aspect of life and business. The sheer difference of processes on Internet resulted in new terms as e-commerce and e-business to be coined up. In five years since 1995, Internet grew from simple information searching to controlling under sea robots. The biggest market penetration however, has been online retail stores and business to business (B2B) commerce. Online shopping has its potential because of its easy access by the customers and B2B commerce has its attraction in the savings achieved by implementing e-processes. Another advantage of doing business on Internet is the audit trail, with which any dubious transactions, from anywhere in the world could be traced back to its originator. In the beginning of this decade, the e-commerce was estimated to the tune of US$354 billion. This is slated to expand to US$ 9 trillion in just five years and continuing at the same pace through this decade, see Figure 1. This paper looks into the exponential growth of e-commerce, different sectors and e-supply chains. It develops a new concept in e-supply chain—Hour Glass Supply Chain (HGSC); detailing how this e-supply chain can help in the transition of Pakistan’s economy into e-economy. In this context this paper also elaborates as how

Consumer-to-Consumer Ecommerce: Acceptance and Intended Behavior

Consumer-to-consumer ecommerce is used by individuals who come together to buy and sell products. With the widespread use of this commerce environment comes the need to explore potential influences on its acceptance or one’s intention to use it. Using the technology acceptance model, the theory of planned behavior, and ecommerce success theory, a research model is proposed. After collecting 94 survey responses, the model is examined using regression analysis. The findings indicate that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude, and satisfaction influence one’s acceptance of or intention to use consumer-to-consumer ecommerce. A discussion of the study findings is provided