Buyers-sellers’ value of courier services: assessment in the Indonesian C2C e-commerce

Abstract

Purpose

The quality of service provided by a courier service plays an essential role in the success of online shopping. Meanwhile, buyers and sellers tend to choose a vendor that meets their expectations. This study aims to show how buyers and sellers value the decision to select a courier service based on online shopping experiences.

Design/methodology/approach

A focus group discussion involving eight participants was used to gather consumer preferences and seller perspectives. Kansei Engineering principles were applied to organize these variables into a priority-scaled survey question. Furthermore, 200 respondents were simple-randomly selected and categorized based on age, gender, transaction frequency, average monthly transaction value and their role in online transactions.

Findings

This study found that buyers and sellers do not consider the delivery costs when the courier service guarantees the service quality. In contrast, the service quality offered is determined by problem-solving responsiveness, delivery accuracy and tracking systems. They also consider the short delivery time, wide delivery coverage area, couriers' attitude and scattered pick-up/drop point services. However, the order of priority is different for specific demographics.

Practical implications

In the rapid development of the online shopping trend, courier services are urgent to reconstruct their business model and maintain the quality of service. The proper understanding of online consumer preferences and seller perspectives will form the basis of appropriate strategies.

Originality/value

The role of a courier service is significant in the supply chain of online shopping transactions that connect buyers and sellers. The differences in consumer preferences and seller perspectives are attributed to the diverse objectives, even though they are still related to the service quality of the courier service.

Citation

Timotius, E., Sunardi, O., Soenandi, I.A., Ginting, M., Sabini, B. and Sutikno, Y. (2023), "Buyers-sellers’ value of courier services: assessment in the Indonesian C2C e-commerce", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 51 No. 4, pp. 503-522. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-09-2021-0414