Factors That Impact the Logistics Service Performance in Online Marketplaces

Öz

This study aims to reveal factors that impact the logistics service performance of sellers in online marketplaces. The convenience of online shopping is changing the shopping habits and steering consumers towards online channels. This situation compels retailing firms to be visible online. However, unlike big retailing firms, smaller firms (especially SMEs) find it very difficult to sell their products on their proprietary websites due to high marketing, technical, and marketing costs. For this reason, many of them choose to sell their products in online marketplaces, but price-based competition among sellers in these marketplaces increases the importance of logistics service performance for competitiveness. Therefore, there is a need to reveal factors that impact the sellers’ logistics service performance in online marketplaces. To this end, this study examines the sellers on a Turkish online shopping site GittiGidiyor, using a multi-group structural equational modelling. As a result of this examination, the factors found to affect logistics service performance are as follows: i) the number of different product categories offered by sellers, ii) selling items within particular product categories,  iii) the 3PL company choice, iv) free shipping policy, v) the city from which products are shipped. These findings provide both theoretical and managerial insights. They not only enhance the understanding on the determinants of logistics service quality in an online marketplace context, but also provide guidance to e-tailers in elevating their logistics service performance in online marketplaces.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Logistics Service Quality,E-Fulfilment,Online Marketplaces,E-tailing,Group Code Analysis,Structural Equational Modelling

Online Pazaryerlerinde Lojistik Hizmet Performansını Etkileyen Faktörler

Öz

Bu çalışma, online pazaryeri satıcılarının lojistik hizmet performanslarını etkileyen faktörleri ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır. Online alışverişin getirdiği kolaylıklar alışveriş alışkanlıklarını değiştirerek tüketicileri online kanallara yöneltmiştir. Bu durum perakende firmalarının online ortamda da görünür olmalarını zorunlu kılmaktadır. Fakat büyük perakende firmaları haricindeki firmaların (özellikle orta ve küçük boyutlu firmaların) ürünlerini kendi web sitelerinde satabilmeleri yüksek pazarlama, teknik ve finans maliyetlerinden ötürü oldukça zordur. Bu sebeple, birçok firma ürünlerini online pazaryeri platformlarında satmayı tercih etmektedir fakat bu platformlarda yaşanan fiyat rekabeti lojistik hizmet kalitesinin rekabetçilik açısından önemini arttırmaktadır. Bu yüzden, online pazaryeri satıcılarının lojistik hizmet performansını etkileyen faktörlerin ortaya konması önem arz etmektedir. Bu faktörlerin ortaya çıkarılması için bu çalışma, Türkiye’nin online alışveriş platformu GittiGidiyor’da ürünlerini satan satıcıları çok gruplu yapısal eşitlik modellemesi yöntemini kullanarak incelemiştir. Bu incelemenin sonucunda, online pazaryerlerinde lojistik hizmet kalitesini etkileyen faktörler şu şekilde tespit edilmiştir: i) satılan ürünlerin ilişkili olduğu ürün kategorisi sayısı, ii) belirli ürün kategorilerinde satış yapılması, iii) kargo firması seçimi, iv) ücretsiz kargo gönderim politikası ve v) ürünlerin gönderildiği şehir. Elde edilen bu bulgular hem teorik hem de yönetimsel birçok çıkarım yapmaya imkân vermektedir. Bu çalışma teorik olarak lojistik hizmet kalitesinin online pazaryeri bağlamında belirleyicilerini ortaya koyarken, online pazaryerlerinde faaliyet gösteren internet perakendecilerine de lojistik hizmet kalitelerini nasıl arttırabilecekleri konusunda yol göstermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Lojistik Hizmet Kalitesi,E-Siparişlerin Karşılanması,Online Pazaryerleri,İnternet Perakendeciliği,Grup Kodu Analizi,Yapısal Eşitlik Modellemesi

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