Consumer purchase process improvements in e-tailing operations: A case study

摘要

Purpose - The advent of the internet has dramatically changed the retail landscape. Onlinernpurchases have been increasing annually for the past several years, yet only account for 6 percent ofrntotal purchases. With the potential for growth being relatively unlimited, many online businesses havernbeen created, and conventional stores are questioning whether their current brick and mortar businessrnmodel will continue to be successful. The operational processes of online companies are difficult tornformulate, as evidenced by their high failure rates. The purpose of this paper is to examine one onlinernbusiness, Bellacor, to determine whether there are operational efficiencies to be gained, that errors canrnbe reduced and whether they are operating in conjunction with customers' expectations.rnDesign/methodology/approach - The design methodology used involved an examination ofrnBellacor's service blueprint, implementing the Six Sigma DMAIC cycle, developing cause-and-effectrndiagrams and creating poka-yokes to modify the existing service blueprint to improve the operationalrnprocess.rnFindings - The "improve" phase of the DMAIC cycle produced several poka-yokes to overcomernnumerous failures in the current service blueprint. It is the authors' opinions that implementing thernnew proposed blueprint will likely result in improved customer service, improved delivery tracking,rnfewer errors and a better overall experience for the customer.rnResearch limitations/implications - The main limitations of the survey surrounded the timernframe allotted to complete the study. Had more time and resources been available, a more robustrnsurvey could have been created and additional order data could have been gathered.rnPractical implications - With a better experience for the customer and improved accuracyrnthroughout the process, profits will improve. There is considerable market share available for arnsuccessful operation and management needs to continually revisit the current process to ensure that itrnis as efficient and customer-friendly as possible.rnOriginality/value - The value of the study goes beyond Bellacor as a successful online business.rnThe study attempts to lay the groundwork for what is successful and needed by today's consumer.rnLessons and procedures learned in the paper can be translated to any company with a similar businessrnmodel.