Hasmukh Gajjar

Bio: Hasmukh Gajjar is an academic researcher from Indian Institute of Management Indore. The author has contributed to research in topics: Service system & Heuristic (computer science). The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 9 publications receiving 89 citations.

E-fulfillment dimensions and its influence on customers in e-tailing: a critical review

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the dimensions of the e-fulfillment process and its influence on customers in pure e-tailing; to classify the pertinent literature that has evolved over time addressing relevant managerial issues; and to identify the gaps between the practices prevalent in the e-fulfillment and those suggested by academicians to develop insights for future research. Design/methodology/approach A critical systemic literature review approach was used for the study with quantitative and qualitative analysis. Findings The authors identified seven dimensions of e-fulfillment in the literature on pure e-tailing: e-business quality, product quality, pricing, availability, timeliness, condition and ease of return and explored its linkages with shopping satisfaction and repurchase intention of customers in e-tailing. Research limitations/implications The study was skewed toward an empirical approach. The study does not include many of the analytical models in this space. Practical implications This study helps e-tailers, academicians and practitioners understand critical dimensions of e-fulfillment and its influence on customers in the pure e-tailing setting in order to design customer-centric e-fulfillment architecture. Originality/value The study identified seven dimensions of e-fulfillment in the literature and explored its influence on shopping satisfaction and repurchase intention of customers in pure e-tailing. This is the first compilation of standalone/isolated studies available in the literature to provide e-tailers and academicians meaningful insights into e-fulfillment in the pure e-tailing setting.

A fuzzy goal programming approach for selecting sustainable suppliers

Abstract: Purpose Due to the ever increasing concern toward sustainability, suppliers nowadays are evaluated on the basis of environmental performances The data on supplier’s performance are not always available in quantitative form and evaluating supplier on the basis of qualitative data is a challenging task The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for the selection of suppliers by evaluating them on the basis of both quantitative and qualitative data Design/methodology/approach Literature on sustainability, green supply chain and lean practices related to supplier selection is critically reviewed Based on this, a two phase fuzzy goal programming approach integrating hyperbolic membership function is proposed to solve the complex supplier selection problem Findings Results obtained through the proposed approach are compared to the traditional models (Jadidi et al, 2014; Ozkok and Tiryaki, 2011; Zimmermann, 1978) of supplier selection and were found to be optimal as it achieves higher aspiration level Practical implications The proposed model is adaptive to solve real world problems of supplier selection as all criteria do not possess the same weights, so the managers can change the criteria and their weights according to their requirement Originality/value This paper provides the decision makers a robust framework to evaluate and select sustainable supplier based on both quantitative and qualitative data The results obtained through the proposed model achieve greater satisfaction level as compared to those achieved by traditional methods

A Conceptual Framework for Measuring E-fulfillment Dimensions: A Consumer Perspective

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to propose a conceptual framework for measuring the key dimensions of the e-fulfillment process and its relationship with online shopping satisfaction in pure e-tailing. The key dimensions relevant to the e-fulfillment process are explored in the literature during the first part of the study. These dimensions are categorized into three distinct processes of e-fulfillment: order procurement, order fulfillment, and product returns. In the second part of the study, the authors propose a conceptual framework and develop hypotheses to understand the relationship between the key dimensions of the e-fulfillment process, including e-business quality, product quality, availability, timeliness, condition, billing accuracy, ease of return, and online shopping satisfaction. Furthermore, the constructs in the proposed framework were empirically tested. This study will help e-tailers, academicians, and practitioners understand the consumers’ expectations regarding the key dimensions of the ...

Online food delivery research: a systematic literature review

Abstract: Purpose Online food delivery (OFD) has witnessed momentous consumer adoption in the past few years, and COVID-19, if anything, is only accelerating its growth. This paper captures numerous intricate issues arising from the complex relationship among the stakeholders because of the enhanced scale of the OFD business. The purpose of this paper is to highlight publication trends in OFD and identify potential future research themes. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a tri-method study – systematic literature review, bibliometric and thematic content analysis – of 43 articles on OFD published in 24 journals from 2015 to 2021 (March). The authors used VOSviewer to perform citation analysis. Findings Systematic literature review of the existing OFD research resulted in six potential research themes. Further, thematic content analysis synthesized and categorized the literature into four knowledge clusters, namely, (i) digital mediation in OFD, (ii) dynamic OFD operations, (iii) OFD adoption by consumers and (iv) risk and trust issues in OFD. The authors also present the emerging trends in terms of the most influential articles, authors and journals. Practical implications This paper captures the different facets of interactions among various OFD stakeholders and highlights the intricate issues and challenges that require immediate attention from researchers and practitioners. Originality/value This is one of the few studies to synthesize OFD literature that sheds light on unexplored aspects of complex relationships among OFD stakeholders through four clusters and six research themes through a conceptual framework.

Post-purchase shipping and customer service experiences in online shopping and their impact on customer satisfaction: An empirical study with comparison

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the role of post-purchase logistic services on customer satisfaction and future purchase decision, to reveal any differences across China and Taiwan, to fill in a gap in the literature focused on post-purchase logistic activities related to shipping, return, and tracking, to provide managerial guidance in logistics for e-commerce, and to develop insights on logistic services for future research. Design/methodology/approach Using a validated survey instrument, 384 respondents in China and 145 respondents in Taiwan are collected. The research model is analyzed using component-based estimation approach to structural equation modeling. Findings The structural equation analysis of the study found that post-purchase shipping and tracking have an impact on customer satisfaction in both China and Taiwan. It also found that customer service is the most significant factor among the examined antecedents for online shoppers in China. While, return service is more important for shoppers in Taiwan. Finally, customer satisfaction played a stronger positive role for online shoppers in Taiwan as compared to their counterparts in China. Research limitations/implications This research extended the current literature about post-purchase logistic services in an online shopping environment with a literature-based research model and good empirical data support. However, one limitation of the study is that the data collected represents a cross-sectional sample; future research should examine longitudinal sample to study customers’ purchase intentions over time. Practical implications This study can help both scholars and practitioners understand the importance of tracking, return, shipping, and customer service in an online shopping environment and across countries. It provides insights on designing e-commerce relevant shipping services to satisfy and attract customers across countries. Originality/value The study investigated how post-purchase activities contributed to customer satisfaction in online shopping and explored the influence of customer satisfaction on future purchase intention in China and Taiwan. This is one of the first studies available in the literature to provide empirical support and managerial insights about post-purchase activities related to shipping, tracking, and returns for e-commerce with cross-regional comparison.

Customer Satisfaction with Electronic Service Encounters.

Abstract: Customer relationship management is an integral component of business strategy for on-line service providers. This paper investigates the aspects of on-line transactions in electronic retailing that are most likely to satisfy or dissatisfy customers, thereby increasing or decreasing the likelihood of building and maintaining relationships with them. For this study, 513 respondents reported behaviors, perceptions, beliefs, events, features, characteristics, attributes, and situations that expressed their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with electronic service encounters. Content analysis of these encounters yielded three meta-categories, six categories, and 33 subcategories of customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction with on-line service providers. The findings suggested that three major categories are robust even in the electronic context of the Internet. The antecedents identified were relevant both to product-related services (e.g., books, apparel) and to pure services (e.g., on-line banking, on-line stock trading). The study found that the characteristics and behaviors of customer-contact employees play an important role in on-line service encounters. It also revealed a percentage decrease in satisfactory incidents, a percentage increase in unsatisfactory incidents, and a percentage increase in unsatisfactory incidents involving employee characteristics and behaviors as service encounters move from a bricks-and-mortar environment to an electronic context. This suggests that customer-contact employees may not be well equipped to deal with on-line customers.