Does delivery service differentiation matter? Comparing rural to urban e-consumer satisfaction and retention
Yulia Vakulenko, Jasenko Arsenovic, Daniel Hellström, Poja Shams
Abstract
In the context of continuously growing e-commerce and the rising global count of e-consumers, e-retailers and logistics service providers need to differentiate and tailor their offerings to refine their operations and meet e-consumers' needs. This study investigates how e-consumers' residential-area type affects the satisfaction with delivery services and reuse intentions in relation to e-consumers' ability to choose between delivery options. The aim was to explore and compare rural e-consumers to urban ones and conclude whether the service fitting can be performed without satisfaction loss. The results showed that for e-consumers from rural residential areas, the availability of different delivery options did not translate into greater satisfaction with the delivery service and reuse intention, while for urban residents, service diversity was linked to greater satisfaction.