E-commerce - Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Chapter 4: Data analysis and interpretation
RQ 2: Can e-retailers easily overcome the challenges of e-retailing?
Page 67
The e-retail businesses interviewed stated that improving customer
loyalty and satisfaction, improving product and service quality,
increasing profitability are the reasons for their move into e-retailing..
The key role players admitted that it is very difficult, practically to
implement quality of service and product maintenance. However, the
only way the company can foresee achieving an efficient quality of
service, is by being "picky" in measuring how close the company is, as
opposed to whether the company is actually achieving that is the way
forward. In as much as companies focus on service quality, giving
customer's value for their money so that they can come back was also
identified as important. The key role players mentioned that since they
are all in the same industry going for the same customers, studying the
market reaction and frequent checking of the market share helped
them in ensuring that their market share does not drop. One ofthe key
e-retail business respondent mentioned that they had to go back and
re-look at their business processes, change them if necessary, re­
learn, re-motivate and re-teach them to staff. To ensure customer
retention and loyalty, this e-retailer believes that a service provider
must "educate" its own users about the potential benefits resulting from
the supplied service.
E-retail businesses that also have traditional shops acknowledged that
the business is working towards providing their online customers with
variety of products and services offered on the traditional shop
(integration). Out of stock and delivery problems are issues these e­
retailers stated they also need to overcome to enhance the retention of
their existing customers and help attract new ones. (Hence, research
question 1 is answered.)