Logistics Service Quality (Lsq) and Customer Satisfaction in Social Commerce :

Abstract

The introduction of social commerce (SC) has completely changed how companies interact with customers in the dynamic world of e-commerce. SC leverages social networks to increase sales and improve consumer engagement by fusing social media platforms with traditional online retail. Friend-to-friend (Fr2Fr) SC has caught the interest of e-tailers and consumers in recent times. Fr2Fr SC offers the convenience of online shopping and the real-time trust-based shopping experience with the seller. Logistics service quality (LSQ) is critical for Fr2Fr SC sellers to meet customer expectations and satisfaction. More precisely, in Fr2Fr SC, there will be a strong 'relational' aspect of LSQ along with the 'operational' aspect that was absent in the earlier version of online commerce and SC. Fr2Fr SC is rapidly growing due to increased penetration of the internet and smart mobile phones, high adoption of social networking sites (SNS), ultra-high shopping convenience, improved information technology, infrastructure for logistics and better e-fulfilment services. In developing countries like India, Fr2Fr SC has established a significant presence in the overall online retail market, and it is ready to expand even further. Fr2Fr SC offer a high level of real-time peer-to peer interaction, making online shopping lively and fun. Furthermore, typical e-commerce features like easy returns and replacement policies, free and rapid order fulfilments and flash discount sales to acquire the customers are also observed in Fr2Fr SC. This study examines Fr2Fr SC’s essential part, i.e., logistics service quality (LSQ). It explores the critical LSQ aspects, operational and relational LSQ and their impact on customer satisfaction. Further, this study proposed a framework to determine the relationships between the LSQ dimensions, Operational (availability, timeliness, condition), Relational (Assurance, vi responsiveness and empathy) and customer experience, trust and customer satisfaction in the Fr2Fr SC context and validates it empirically. The relationship between LSQ and Fr2Fr SC is significant and multi-faceted, with LSQ playing a crucial role in shaping customer satisfaction and loyalty in the Fr2Fr SC context. LSQ, encompassing both OLSQ and RLSQ, directly influences how customers perceive the reliability and effectiveness of logistics services, which is essential in a socially-driven commerce environment. In Fr2Fr SC, where consumers rely on their social networks for shopping decisions, the timeliness, product availability, and condition of the product—key components of OLSQ—are critical for providing good customer experience and ensuring repeat purchases. Any delay or inconsistency can quickly erode the experience, which is amplified in a network where personal recommendations and social proof are significant drivers of purchasing behavior. RLSQ, which includes responsiveness, assurance, and empathy, further enhances customer satisfaction by addressing the relational aspects of service interactions. Responsiveness ensures that customer inquiries and issues are addressed promptly, assurance builds confidence in the service provider's competence, and empathy demonstrates that the service provider values and understands customer needs. In Fr2Fr SC, where personal relationships are leveraged for commerce, these relational qualities help foster a sense of reliability and personalized service, enhancing overall customer satisfaction and loyalty. Based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model, this study investigates the impact of operational LSQ and relational LSQ on customer experience, trust and satisfaction. This study conducted a survey to collect data from Fr2Fr SC users and analyzed the data using SPSS and AMOS software. The results show that operational LSQ (condition, timeliness and availability) and relational LSQ (assurance, responsiveness and empathy) positively relate to customer vii experience, trust respectively and ultimately influencing customer satisfaction in Fr2Fr SC. Finally, this study also explored the moderating role of critical variables, namely, gender, product type and return/replacement experience discovered in the literature to enhance the prediction power of the proposed model. This study may help SC firms and their logistics service providers to focus on designing customer centric e-fulfilment architecture. The study's findings may enable SC firms to differentiate themselves well in a highly competitive online shopping market by excelling on one or more e fulfilment dimensions. This research also contributes to academic writing in the Fr2Fr SC context by merging service operations and LSQ. The inclusion of relational aspects and their impact on customer satisfaction will advance the e-fulfilment literature. Furthermore, exploring the catalytic role of trust, customer experience, gender, product type and return/replacement experience will enrich the Fr2Fr SC e-fulfilment literature.