Electronicretailingand
distributionofservices:
cyberintermediaries
thatservecustomers
andserviceproviders
KhanhV.Laand
JayKandampully
Introduction
Theimpactoftechnologyispervasivein
today'smarketplace.Inmanufacturing
industries,technologyhasgonebeyondits
roleasasubstituteformanpowertobecomea
value-addingcomponentofproducts.Inthe
servicesector,technologyhasassumeda
differentrole.Itservesasauniquetoolto
improvetheefficiencyandeffectivenessof
firms,aswellastoenhancetheirservices.
Technologyassistsaserviceorganisationinall
aspectsofitsendeavours,whetherthesebe
operations,marketing,orhumanresources.
Technologyinservicesisnotintendedto
replacelabourinput,buttosupportit.
Indeed,technologyelevatesthecompetitive
advantageofaserviceorganisationonlyifit
cansupporttheemployees,andenhancetheir
capacitytooffersuperiorservicetothe
customer.Thus,technologyassistsservice
organisationstoimproveproductivityand
conveniencefortheiremployeesand
customers.AsBerry(1995)argues,
technologyshouldbetheservantnotthe
master,andshouldthereforeempowerits
userswithgreatercontrolinachievingtheir
aims.Thus,thefocusisnotontechnology
persebutonthefirm'screativeadoptionof
technologytoenhancethevalueofits
offerings.
Inthemodernmarketplace,theinfusionof
technologyhasledtoconsiderablechangesin
businesspractices,particularlythosethat
relatetomarketing,communication,and
distribution(MoncriefandCravens,1999).
Inparticular,theuseoftheInternetwithin
thebusinesscontexthasofferedorganisations
anewglobalmarketingplatform,through
whichbusinessesandconsumershavethe
opportunitytoexchangenotonlyinformation
butalsoallkindsofproductsandservices.
Meuteretal.(2000)definetheInternet
marketas``avirtualrealmwhereproductsand
servicesexistasdigitalinformationandcanbe
deliveredthroughinformation-based
channels''.Thepotentialforglobal
connectivityontheInternetempowers
customers,andprovidesthemwiththe
necessaryinformation,andamedium,to
convertintentionsintopurchases(Wymbs,
2000).Moreover,theWorldWideWeboffers
firmstheopportunitytooutsourcetheir
retailingofproductsandservices,thus
overcomingtheconstraintsoftraditionalfixed
pointsofsale.Thus,itcanbearguedthatthe
Theauthors
KhanhV.LaisaResearcheratRMITUniversity,
Melbourne,Australia.
JayKandampullyisanAssociateProfessoratthe
UniversityofQueensland,UQBusinessSchool,
Queensland,Australia.
Keywords
E-commerce,Internet,Servicesmarketing,Technology,
Servicequality
Abstract
Therapiddevelopmentofelectroniccommerce
(e-commerce)hasseenemergingelectronicservice
retailersattractingtheinterestof,andgainingthe
patronageof,bothserviceprovidersandcustomers.
However,thereisconsensusthatthee-commerce
industryingeneralhasnotbeenabletocopewithallthe
challengesof,andtorealisethetruepotentialof,the
technology-basedmarketplace.Throughanextensive
literaturereviewandtheuseofindustryexamples,this
articlebringstogetherexistingtheoriesandnewrealities
intheemergingelectronicmarket.Arguesthat,although
theInternetmarketplacepossessesuniquecharacteristics,
whichWeb-basedbusinessesmustbeabletomanage,
therearecertaintraditionalvaluesthatremaincentralto
businesssuccessinallmarkets.Offersadetailedanalysis
ofthevariousfactorsthatinfluencethemarketsuccessof
anelectronicserviceretailerandprovidesspecific
managerialimplicationsforpractitioners.
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Perspectives
100
Managing Service Quality
Volume 12
.
Number 2
.
2002
.
pp. 100±116
# MCB UP Limited
.
ISSN 0960-4529
DOI 10.1108/09604520210421400