E-commerce Utility and Service Quality Enablers: A TISM Approach

Consumer demand for e-commerce services has skyrocketed due to the introduction of social distancing standards and lockdown measures that countries have taken to combat the pandemic. There has been a notable surge in the popularity of on-demand delivery services, with a significant influx of new users turning to the e-platform for assistance. This research paper tries to identify the enablers of E-commerce Utility and Service Quality and establish a connection using total interpretive structural modelling (TISM). Enablers are the building blocks for providing customers with an enhanced and more consistent service experience contributing to service quality. The enablers and the linkages thus established hold valuable insights for e-commerce marketers, aiding them in effectively reaching their customers, and achieving desired growth outcomes. The TISM- based model and the MICMAC analysis identified two barriers; website design and personalization as the decisive attributes of e-commerce service quality, possessing strong driving power and weak dependence. Furthermore, the factors of reliability, responsiveness, information, and ease of use form the linkage zone, indicating that any action taken on these factors would not only influence other factors but also have a reciprocal effect on them.