IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/joreco/v85y2025ics0969698925000463.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

E-commerce enterprise flexibility leading to better customer perception

Author

Listed:
  • Urban, Wieslaw
  • BuraczyÅ„ska, Barbara

Abstract

This study aims to assess the level of organizational flexibility in e-commerce enterprises and to develop a structural model that identifies the key factors contributing to flexibility and their impact on customer service perception. The importance of customer perception in e-commerce is undeniable; however, the intra-organizational factors that contribute to it remain unclear. One such factor is flexibility, which has not yet been thoroughly researched. The survey was conducted on a random sample of 213 e-commerce companies of different sizes. The structural equation modelling (SEM) revealed that two factors significantly influence customer perception: assortment flexibility along with price and margin flexibility. Additionally, it was found that management's openness to change and the type of software utilized affect the degree of these flexibilities. This indicates that e-commerce companies should implement strategies to enhance flexibility in shaping their offerings to improve customers' perception of the services provided. It is recommended to foster management's openness to change in order to respond swiftly to evolving customer expectations. Furthermore, software functionalities that facilitate greater organizational flexibility are highly valued.

Suggested Citation

  • Urban, Wieslaw & BuraczyÅ„ska, Barbara, 2025. "E-commerce enterprise flexibility leading to better customer perception," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:85:y:2025:i:c:s0969698925000463
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104267
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698925000463
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104267?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Coenen, Marja & Kok, Robert A.W., 2014. "Workplace flexibility and new product development performance: The role of telework and flexible work schedules," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 564-576.
    2. Zhang, Danni & Frei, Regina & Senyo, P.K. & Bayer, Steffen & Gerding, Enrico & Wills, Gary & Beck, Adrian, 2023. "Understanding fraudulent returns and mitigation strategies in multichannel retailing," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    3. YU, Jie & Subramanian, Nachiappan & Ning, Kun & Edwards, David, 2015. "Product delivery service provider selection and customer satisfaction in the era of internet of things: A Chinese e-retailers’ perspective," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 104-116.
    4. Swafford, Patricia M. & Ghosh, Soumen & Murthy, Nagesh, 2008. "Achieving supply chain agility through IT integration and flexibility," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(2), pages 288-297, December.
    5. Agag, Gomaa & Durrani, Baseer Ali & Shehawy, Yasser Moustafa & Alharthi, Majed & Alamoudi, Hawazen & El-Halaby, Sherif & Hassanein, Ahmed & Abdelmoety, Ziad H., 2023. "Understanding the link between customer feedback metrics and firm performance," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    6. Hempell, Thomas & Zwick, Thomas, 2005. "Technology Use, Organisational Flexibility and Innovation: Evidence for Germany," ZEW Discussion Papers 05-57, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    7. Salminen, Joni & Kandpal, Chandrashekhar & Kamel, Ahmed Mohamed & Jung, Soon-gyo & Jansen, Bernard J., 2022. "Creating and detecting fake reviews of online products," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    8. Phillips, Paul A. & Wright, Claire, 2009. "E-business's impact on organizational flexibility," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 62(11), pages 1071-1080, November.
    9. Yan Jin & Ngozi Oriaku, 2013. "E-service flexibility: meeting new customer demands online," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 36(11), pages 1123-1136, October.
    10. Bernardo Gala-Velásquez & Américo Hurtado-Palomino & Angela Y. Arredondo-Salas, 2023. "Organisational Flexibility and Innovation Performance: The Moderating Role of Management Support," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 24(2), pages 219-234, June.
    11. Shiwangi Singh & Sanjay Dhir & Stuart Evans & Sushil, 2021. "The Trajectory of Two Decades of Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management and Flexibility Research: A Bibliometric Analysis," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 22(4), pages 377-401, December.
    12. Molinillo, Sebastian & Aguilar-Illescas, Rocío & Anaya-Sánchez, Rafael & Carvajal-Trujillo, Elena, 2022. "The customer retail app experience: Implications for customer loyalty," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    13. Rosillo-Díaz, Elena & Muñoz-Rosas, Juan Francisco & Blanco-Encomienda, Francisco Javier, 2024. "Impact of heuristic–systematic cues on the purchase intention of the electronic commerce consumer through the perception of product quality," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    14. Ravi Srinivasan & Morgan Swink, 2018. "An Investigation of Visibility and Flexibility as Complements to Supply Chain Analytics: An Organizational Information Processing Theory Perspective," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 27(10), pages 1849-1867, October.
    15. Ozer, Muammer, 2002. "The role of flexibility in online business," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 61-69.
    16. Stefan Ambec & Michel Poitevin, 2016. "Decision-making in organizations: when to delegate and whom to delegate," Review of Economic Design, Springer;Society for Economic Design, vol. 20(2), pages 115-143, June.
    17. Zielke, Stephan & Komor, Marcin, 2025. "Why do customers choose online or offline channels? A framework of motives and its application in an international context," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    18. Timothy F. Bresnahan & Erik Brynjolfsson & Lorin M. Hitt, 2002. "Information Technology, Workplace Organization, and the Demand for Skilled Labor: Firm-Level Evidence," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 117(1), pages 339-376.
    19. Nikunj Kumar Jain & Abinash Panda & Piyush Choudhary, 2020. "Institutional pressures and circular economy performance: The role of environmental management system and organizational flexibility in oil and gas sector," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3509-3525, December.
    20. Gonzalo Maldonado-Guzman & Sandra Yesenia Pinzón-Castro & Heira Georgina Valdez-Bocanegra, 2017. "Logistics Flexibility and Customer Satisfaction in Spain’s Furniture Industry," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 10(8), pages 161-172, August.
    21. Lenka Štofejová & Štefan Kráľ & Richard Fedorko & Radovan Bačík & Mária Tomášová, 2023. "Sustainability and Consumer Behavior in Electronic Commerce," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-16, November.
    22. Fatos Xhafa & Natalia Kryvinska & Michal Gregus, 2017. "Models and Management of Elasticity and Openness: Towards Flexible Organizations," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 18(1), pages 1-2, March.
    23. van der Rhee, Bo & Verma, Rohit & Plaschka, Gerhard, 2009. "Understanding trade-offs in the supplier selection process: The role of flexibility, delivery, and value-added services/support," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(1), pages 30-41, July.
    24. Sanjai Kumar Shukla & Sushil & Manoj Kumar Sharma, 2019. "Managerial Paradox Toward Flexibility: Emergent Views Using Thematic Analysis of Literature," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 20(4), pages 349-370, December.
    25. Yan Jin & Ngozi Oriaku, 2013. "E-service flexibility: meeting new customer demands online," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 36(11), pages 1123-1136, October.
    26. Maroufkhani, Parisa & Tseng, Ming-Lang & Iranmanesh, Mohammad & Ismail, Wan Khairuzzaman Wan & Khalid, Haliyana, 2020. "Big data analytics adoption: Determinants and performances among small to medium-sized enterprises," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    27. Sricharan Chirra & Dinesh Kumar, 2018. "Analysis of SCF under sales promotional schemes: an application of interpretive structural modelling approach," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(18), pages 6015-6033, September.
    28. Dominik Eckstein & Matthias Goellner & Constantin Blome & Michael Henke, 2015. "The performance impact of supply chain agility and supply chain adaptability: the moderating effect of product complexity," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(10), pages 3028-3046, May.
    29. Yan Jin & Ngozi Oriaku, 2013. "E-service flexibility: meeting new customer demands online," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 36(11), pages 1123-1136, October.
    30. Barta, Sergio & Gurrea, Raquel & Flavián, Carlos, 2023. "Consequences of consumer regret with online shopping," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    31. Guillermo Carrasco & Adrianela Angeles & Edmundo Marroquin-Tovar, 2016. "Inflexibility in organizational decision-making," Journal of Business Economics and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(4), pages 564-579, July.
    32. Barbara Urszula Buraczyńska & Anna Elżbieta Żelazna & Agnieszka Barbara Bojanowska, 2022. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Behaviours of Polish Consumers in the Organic Products Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-12, September.
    33. Zhang, Ziyi, 2025. "E-commerce logistics performance and resilience: The influence of inter-organizational trust and organizational flexibility," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    34. Rui, Mingze & Sparacino, Antonina & Merlino, Valentina Maria & Brun, Filippo & Massaglia, Stefano & Blanc, Simone, 2025. "Exploring consumer sentiments and opinions in wine E-commerce: A cross-country comparative study," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bernardo Gala-Velásquez & Américo Hurtado-Palomino & Angela Y. Arredondo-Salas, 2023. "Organisational Flexibility and Innovation Performance: The Moderating Role of Management Support," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 24(2), pages 219-234, June.
    2. Jiang, Yi & Lai, Po-Lin & Yang, Ching-Chiao & Wang, Xinchen, 2023. "Exploring the factors that drive consumers to use contactless delivery services in the context of the continued COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    3. Barbara Buraczyńska & Dariusz Majerek, 2021. "E-Commerce Flexibility Measurement Model Based on Empirical Research of Polish Enterprises," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(Special 1), pages 112-126.
    4. Adrian Tootell & Leanne Treadwell & Rebekah Schulz & Belinda Margetts & Jessica Grozdanov & Geoff Spinks, 2023. "Developing Flexible Risk Management Systems for Resilience in a Post-pandemic World: Can Lessons from a Makerspace Case Study Support Pacific Island Communities?," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 24(1), pages 101-118, December.
    5. Wamba, Samuel Fosso & Dubey, Rameshwar & Gunasekaran, Angappa & Akter, Shahriar, 2020. "The performance effects of big data analytics and supply chain ambidexterity: The moderating effect of environmental dynamism," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 222(C).
    6. Sujan Piya & Ahm Shamsuzzoha & Mohammad Khadem & Nasr Al-Hinai, 2020. "Identification of Critical Factors and Their Interrelationships to Design Agile Supply Chain: Special Focus to Oil and Gas Industries," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 21(3), pages 263-281, September.
    7. Muhammad Irfan & Mingzheng Wang & Naeem Akhtar, 2019. "Impact of IT capabilities on supply chain capabilities and organizational agility: a dynamic capability view," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 12(3), pages 113-128, December.
    8. Oesterreich, Thuy Duong & Anton, Eduard & Teuteberg, Frank & Dwivedi, Yogesh K, 2022. "The role of the social and technical factors in creating business value from big data analytics: A meta-analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 128-149.
    9. Sabeen Hussain Bhatti & Wan Mohd Hirwani Wan Hussain & Jabran Khan & Shahbaz Sultan & Alberto Ferraris, 2024. "Exploring data-driven innovation: What’s missing in the relationship between big data analytics capabilities and supply chain innovation?," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 333(2), pages 799-824, February.
    10. Rodríguez-Espíndola, Oscar & Cuevas-Romo, Ana & Chowdhury, Soumyadeb & Díaz-Acevedo, Natalie & Albores, Pavel & Despoudi, Stella & Malesios, Chrisovalantis & Dey, Prasanta, 2022. "The role of circular economy principles and sustainable-oriented innovation to enhance social, economic and environmental performance: Evidence from Mexican SMEs," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 248(C).
    11. Pinho, Celso R.A. & Pinho, Maria Luiza C.A. & Deligonul, Seyda Z. & Tamer Cavusgil, S., 2022. "The agility construct in the literature: Conceptualization and bibliometric assessment," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 517-532.
    12. Yu, Kangkang & Cadeaux, Jack & Luo, Ben Nanfeng, 2015. "Operational flexibility: Review and meta-analysis," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 190-202.
    13. Shi, Xuanyi & Prajogo, Daniel & Fan, Di & Oke, Adegoke, 2025. "Is operational flexibility a viable strategy during major supply chain disruptions? Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    14. Tiwari, Manisha & Bryde, David J. & Stavropoulou, Foteini & Dubey, Rameshwar & Kumari, Sushma & Foropon, Cyril, 2024. "Modelling supply chain Visibility, digital Technologies, environmental dynamism and healthcare supply chain Resilience: An organisation information processing theory perspective," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    15. Bag, Surajit & Dhamija, Pavitra & Bryde, David J. & Singh, Rajesh Kumar, 2022. "Effect of eco-innovation on green supply chain management, circular economy capability, and performance of small and medium enterprises," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 60-72.
    16. Sanjai Kumar Shukla & Sushil & Manoj Kumar Sharma, 2019. "Managerial Paradox Toward Flexibility: Emergent Views Using Thematic Analysis of Literature," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 20(4), pages 349-370, December.
    17. Mehrbakhsh Nilashi & Abdullah M. Baabdullah & Rabab Ali Abumalloh & Keng-Boon Ooi & Garry Wei-Han Tan & Mihalis Giannakis & Yogesh K. Dwivedi, 2025. "How can big data and predictive analytics impact the performance and competitive advantage of the food waste and recycling industry?," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 348(3), pages 1649-1690, May.
    18. Wong, David T.W. & Ngai, Eric W.T., 2023. "The impact of advanced manufacturing technology, sensing and analytics capabilities, and planning comprehensiveness on sustained competitive advantage: The moderating role of environmental uncertainty," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    19. Kirti Nayal & Rakesh D. Raut & Vinay Surendra Yadav & Pragati Priyadarshinee & Balkrishna E. Narkhede, 2022. "RETRACTED: The impact of sustainable development strategy on sustainable supply chain firm performance in the digital transformation era," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 845-859, March.
    20. Arsalan Zahid Piprani & Noor Ismawati Jaafar & Suhana Mohezar Ali & Muhammad Shujaat Mubarik & Muhammad Shahbaz, 2022. "Multi-dimensional supply chain flexibility and supply chain resilience: the role of supply chain risks exposure," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 307-325, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:85:y:2025:i:c:s0969698925000463. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-retailing-and-consumer-services .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.