Consumers' perceived value and use intention of cashless payment in the physical distancing context: evidence from an Asian emerging market

PurposeCOVID-19 and its measures such as physical distancing have shifted consumer payment behaviors toward cashless payment. Physical distancing is likely to remain a norm for some time to come and will be relevant in any future pandemics. This study aims to examine the impact of consumers' perceived value of cashless payment on their use intention in the physical distancing context, with the mediating role of psychological safety and the moderating role of trust propensity.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a survey method to obtain data from 690 consumers in an Asian emerging market, i.e. Vietnam. The data were analyzed using different statistical methods, including structural equation modeling.FindingsResults show that perceived value of cashless payment positively affects use intention, and this effect is mediated by psychological safety. Furthermore, trust propensity has a positive moderating effect on the link between perceived value and psychological safety.Practical implicationsThis study's findings provide implications for retailers and other stakeholders in implementing and promoting cashless payment systems, especially in the physical distancing context.Originality/valueThis study is among the first attempt to explain the relationships between consumers' perceptions, feelings of psychological safety and use intention toward cashless payment in the physical distancing context. The study's findings may also be relevant to any future pandemics.

The effects of online restaurant menus on consumer purchase intention: evidence from an emerging economy

PurposeThis study evaluates the impact of online menus and perceived convenience of online food ordering on consumer purchase intention and shows how a desire for food creates a relationship between an online menu and a customer's purchase intention. Suggestions for management are proposed to design an effective menu to improve business performance in the competitive market in Vietnam.Design/methodology/approachThe paper follows a quantitative method. Quantitative research aims to analyze and critically evaluate the research question(s) to discover new factors.FindingsFindings indicate a positive relationship between menu visual appeal (MV), menu informativeness (MI), desire for food (DF), the perceived convenience (PC) of ordering food online and intention to purchase (PI). The attractiveness of images and information is a significant factor affecting diners' desire to eat, while the demand for food and the convenience of ordering food online are also factors affecting purchase intention.Practical implicationsThe study confirms the importance of online menus to purchase intention. Economically, when supply and demand are reasonable, the market is stable and technology develops. In terms of social, hygiene, attractiveness and price factors, it is helpful to have an overview. Research is the premise for further studies with factors from menu to customer trust.Originality/valueThe study provides a solid foundation for further studies on restaurant menu elements as well as a new perspective on how restaurants improve their dishes.

Halal trust during the COVID-19 outbreak: the role of quality, perceived benefit and health risk evidence from mobile food purchasing

PurposeThis study aims to scrutinize the halal trust model by integrating the quality and valence theory in the mobile food purchasing service during the COVID-19 outbreak.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses data from 368 Muslim customers collected via an online survey from Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. This study uses partial least square modelling to appraise the formation of halal trust, including halal food quality, mobile apps quality, perceived benefit and health risk as drivers and loyalty as the consequence.FindingsThe data analysis notes that the combination of perceived quality and valence theory provides a comprehensive understanding of halal trust in mobile halal food purchasing during COVID-19. This study also verifies the crucial role of halal food quality and mobile apps quality in gaining halal trust.Research limitations/implicationsThis study used data from Muslim customers of the greater Bandung, Indonesia. The data limited the generalization of this study's findings. Moreover, this study predicted halal trust by integrating perceived benefit, perceived trust and quality as the predictors, whereas other determinants such as commitment and reputation were not included. Therefore, future researchers can incorporate these issues in their future halal trust research.Practical implicationsTo gain Muslim trust, this study recommends managers whose halal food is sold via mobile apps ensure that their halal food has a quality standard, made of, and processed according to Islamic values. Next, having a high-quality mobile app is also a must.Originality/valueThis study is early research that examines the integration of the quality and valence theory to evaluate halal trust in mobile halal food purchasing during COVID-19.

Adoption of electronic commerce as a resilience strategy for women's entrepreneurship in the Democratic Republic of Congo

PurposeThe present article aims to determine the factors that explain the intention to adopt electronic commerce among women traders in a developing country like Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during a health crisis period.Design/methodology/approachThis study was conducted in the DRC, in Bukavu Town. A convenience sample of 282 respondents consisting of solely women entrepreneurs (importing traders) in Bukavu Town was selected and the structural equation model was used to test the research hypotheses resulted from Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour.FindingsThe finding results showed that only the factors attitude towards electronic commerce adoption and subjective norms which predict women traders' intention to adopt electronic commerce. The analysis shows that about 38.9% of the variation in the dependent variable is explained by the above variables.Originality/valueFew studies have presented technology and electronic commerce adoption as resilience of women entrepreneurs in a time of crisis, despite the abundance of the review literature on adoption. This study provides a new approach to assist women entrepreneurs as well as researchers in understanding the drivers of electronic commerce adoption factors in the DRC.

Social distancing causing crises: learning from workforce adaptation by e-tailers

PurposeThis study explores workforce related adaptation by e-tailers during social distancing causing crises (SDCC) and provides a conceptual framework.Design/methodology/approachA grounded theory based approach has been used wherein about 120 news articles were analyzed to understand the real-world measures taken. 50 journal papers were also referred to. A typical qualitative methodology, including open, and axial was used.FindingsIn the early stages, panic buying emerged as the key disrupting factor which necessitated staff shortage management. In the long term, e-tailers can adapt to prevent reverse worker migration and modify their hiring and training processes.Research limitations/implicationsThis study synthesizes knowledge on workforce-related adaptation by e-tailers and offers considerable potential for future research as well as the development of case studies and consulting services for the industry. Two research propositions are offered that can guide hypothesis generation and further studies can be conducted in sectors other than retail also.Practical implicationsThis study puts forward propositions based on theoretical dimensions for managers adapting to workforce-related problems during SDCC. The pandemic has led to vast unemployment and the shutting down of a number of businesses across the globe due to economic downfall. Hence, this study has economic and social implications.Originality/valueThis study is unique as it is one of the few that delves into e-tailers' workforce- related adaptation as SDCC evolves and contributes to a body of literature which is scarce.

Countering Counterfeiters and Diverters

[...]the anticounterfeiting packaging market is projected to grow at a 7.8% compound annual growth rate to USS189.9 billion (€158 billion) in 2026 (1). [...]in anticipation of a spike in counterfeiting, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has launched Operation Stolen Promise 2, to halt the production, distribution, and sale of illicit COVID-19 treatments and vaccines. The fact that the COVID-19 vaccines need to be shipped in stringent cold storage containers with radio frequency identification (RFID) temperature sensors along with specialized transportation methods will make it more difficult for counterfeiters to enter the supply chain, but not impossible." [...]Pitts predicts an increased focus on consumer engagement.

Measuring the supply chain competitiveness of e-commerce industry in Indonesia

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to measure the supply chain competitiveness of the e-commerce industry in Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a multi-criteria decision-making model based on the analytic hierarchy process. Four main criteria are used to measure the supply chain competitiveness, i.e. cost, differentiation, sustainability and infrastructure.FindingsThe findings of this study show that cost is the most important criterion with a degree of importance of 33.19%, followed by infrastructure of 29.40%, differentiation of 27.96% and sustainability of 9.45%. It shows that the internally controlled strategy contributes about 70% of supply chain competitiveness. The internal infrastructure criterion that consists of software and hardware contributes 65.92% to the whole infrastructure criterion. The internal infrastructure then contributes 19.38% to supply chain competitiveness. Therefore, the internally controlled strategies and internal infrastructure contribute up to 90.08% to the supply chain competitiveness of e-commerce in Indonesia. This result implies that to attain the supply chain competitiveness, the company must carry out strategies focusing on the performance such as cost, differentiation, sustainability as well as on the internal infrastructure such as software and hardware.Research limitations/implicationsIn this paper, the authors limited their study to the business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) players because these two platforms have been experiencing a very rapid growth. While e-commerce business can take many platforms besides B2B and B2C, the future research should include other platform such as consumer to consumer as well. Because the focus in this study is more the information and material flows, it will be of great interest if the future research covers the platform of mobile payment as well that guarantee the ease of cashflows within supply chains. Also, with the occurrence of the Covid-19 pandemic when this paper was written, in the near future, it is then of great interest to incorporate the pandemic context into the proposed model used in this study. The further study should analyze long-term changes happened as the result of pandemic such as behavioral changes of online shopping from customer side or shift in e-commerce supply chain infrastructure and inventory practice.Practical implicationsWith this study, it is expected that it can be determined which criteria contribute the most to the supply chain competitiveness of the e-commerce industry in Indonesia that will be useful for industry player.Originality/valueE-commerce development in Indonesia is still facing serious challenges. The multi-criteria decision making approach used in this research lays a foundation of how supply chain competitiveness is determined based on the judgment of experts coming from major companies within the supply chain.

Customers' dining choice using meal ordering apps: insights from China and Indonesia

PurposeMeal ordering apps (MOAs) have transformed the customers' dining habits, particularly during mobility restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the theoretical cover of the extended stimulus–organism–response (SOR) model, this paper attempts to explore the critical antecedents and outcomes of customer MOA engagement which predict the continuous purchase intentions using these apps. A multigroup analysis is conducted to investigate the difference between the hypothesized relationships between the Chinese and Indonesian consumers.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-method approach, including a systematic literature review, an open-ended essay (qualitative) with 139 MOA users and an online survey (quantitative) with 1,207 MOA users in total, was used for hypotheses testing.FindingsThe structural equation model results revealed that customer MOA experience factors such as mobile online reviews (MR), food quality (FQ), restaurant reputation (RR), service quality and system quality (SyQ) are the absolute positive factors that influence customer MOA cognitive, affective and behavioral engagement, which in turn affect continuous purchase intentions. The multigroup analysis results reveal that Chinese customers prioritized MR and FQ for customer MOA engagement (cognitive, affective and behavioral). Comparatively, Indonesian customers placed most importance on RR and SyQ.Originality/valueConsidering a market-specific setting and based on the extended SOR framework, this study is one of the first to take a comprehensive look at the critical antecedents and outcome of multidimensional customer MOA engagement in the developing countries' (China and Indonesia) online to offline meal delivery context. Further, this study investigates the customer continuous purchase intentions as an outcome of MOA engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings also reveal the differences in consumer behavior across the two developing but culturally diverse countries samples during the pandemic.

Impact of e-service quality on e-loyalty of online banking customers in Pakistan during the Covid-19 pandemic: mediating role of e-satisfaction

This study explores the mediating role of e-satisfaction during the pandemic on the relationship between e-service quality and e-loyalty of banking customers in Pakistan. The data were collected from 442 customers of online banking services in Pakistan during the Covid-19 pandemic, following a survey-based study. Baron and Kenny (J Personal Soc Psychol, 51(6):1173, 1986) and Preacher and Hayes (Behav Res Methods, 40(3):879-891, 2008) mediation technique which utilizes the bootstrapping method has been used to explore mediation. The findings show that e-service quality has a significant positive effect on the e-loyalty of the customers of online banking services. Relationships between e-service quality and e-loyalty of online banking customers in Pakistan are significantly and fully mediated by their online satisfaction in unusual situations. This study would help the bankers to implement more effective marketing strategies to retain their customers and attract potential customers, particularly during non-normal situations like the Covid-19 pandemic. It will help them identify the areas of e-services that need improvement to enhance the satisfaction and loyalty of the customers. The bootstrap method for mediation along with Baron and Kenny (J Personal Soc Psychol, 51(6):1173, 1986) leads to using a more sophisticated methodological technique to explore the mediation. The Oliver Expectancy-Disconfirmation Paradigm (EDP) in electronic banking setup during non-normal situations like the Covid-19 pandemic also served as a unique contribution to this study. Application of Baron and Kenny (J Personal Soc Psychol, 51(6):1173, 1986) mediation along with Preacher and Hayes (Behav Res Methods, 40(3):879-891, 2008) leads to more robust findings for the study in non-normal situations like the Covid-19 pandemic. The study findings add scientific value as they are applicable to the banking sector in particular in non-normal situations like the Covid-19 pandemic and the overall service sector in general. Further, as two different methods of mediation have been employed and this makes the study more rigorous and scientific.

Would compensation be necessary? The importance of service recovery strategy in e-retail delivery problems

PurposeThis study examines the different effects of service recovery strategies on customers' future intentions when online shoppers were experiencing delivery failures. Two types of problem severity are evaluated: wrong-product delivery (issues with the product quality or quantity) and late delivery. This study also investigates the impact of service criticality on the relationship between service recovery strategies and customers' future intentions.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs experimental research with 123 online shoppers as participants. Following the results, a subsequent test is conducted to examine the effect of participants' demographics on future intentions. Finally, the current study elaborates the findings using qualitative research, interviewing both sides impacted by the service failures: online shoppers and e-retail managers.FindingsThe findings show that complementing product replacement with monetary compensation is the most effective strategy to improve repurchase intention after a dissatisfaction moment. This effect is indifferent to service criticality and severity. Age influences the participants' repurchase intentions, in which younger people are less tolerant of service failures. In contrast, gender and education level do not provide any differences. To prevent delivery failures, managers participating in this study suggest several best practices regarding systems and infrastructure, people and coordination and collaboration with logistics partners.Research limitations/implicationsThe study mainly examines a limited type of service and service failures. Further studies are encouraged to expand the variables and scenarios, as well as to employ more distinctive methods, to enrich the findings related to recovery strategy in the e-commerce industry.Practical implicationsGiven proper compensation, service failure could create momentum for online retailers to boost customer loyalty. This study suggests that managers design the most effective service recovery to win customers back to the business.Originality/valueThis paper enriches the literature related to a service recovery strategy, particularly within the online shopping context.

Estimating the effects of legalizing drug e-commerce

With the technological development the e-commerce channel began to spread to all sectors of the economy. In 2020 with the introduction of sanitary and epidemiological restrictions because of COVID-19 pandemic, many countries lifted the ban of drug e-commerce. Such changes are interesting from the point of view of health economics, and the opening of this sales channel significantly reduces transaction costs and increases the physical availability of drugs, especially in regions with low population density. The article attempts to evaluate the effects of legalization of online sales of drugs on price level and the degree of market concentration (the concentration of the 5 largest companies is used as a proxy), and also uses new methods to estimate the effects of legalizing e-commerce on drug markets. High rates of industry and drug market concentration can lead to a noticeable decrease in the availability of goods. Legalizing e-commerce can be seen as a way to reduce market concentration by facilitating market entry for small firms. The effects of lifting the ban on remote drug sales are estimated using regression analysis on panel data, cross-country matching, and synthetic control. Empirical estimates provide an overall picture of the effects of legalizing online drug sales. After allowing remote drug sales market concentration decreases, indicating a reduction in information asymmetry and switching costs. This effect is particularly important for countries with a high proportion of pensioners, for whom the switching costs are noticeably higher ceteris paribus. Allowing distance trade, due to reducing information asymmetry, drug pricing also slows down, that is, in addition to increasing physical accessibility, opening this channel also increases economic accessibility.

ONLINE PARTICIPATION AND PERCEPTION OF ONLINE PRIVACY AND SECURITY IN THE UNITED STATES DURING THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC

The global pandemic changed many things from the way we do business to how we consume services. This article examines participation in various online activities before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, participant opinions about security and privacy opinions are compared in survey results before and after pandemic lockdowns. Responses to questions covering online activities and perceptions about privacy and security from the NTIA Computer and Internet Use Survey from November 2019 and 2021 were analyzed using Chi Square tests. Findings indicate that participation in online activities increased across most categories and that opinions of online security and privacy changed as well. Participants were less concerned about security risks like identity theft and banking fraud and were more concerned with privacy issues of data tracking by online services and the government.

Hierarchical Bayesian hedonic regression analysis of Japanese rice wine: is the price right?

PurposeThis paper aims to formulate a hedonic pricing model for Japanese rice wine, sake, via hierarchical Bayesian modeling estimated using an efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method. Using the estimated model, the authors examine how producing regions, rice breeds and taste characteristics affect sake prices.Design/methodology/approachThe datasets in the estimation consist of cross-sectional observations of 403 sake brands, which include sake prices, taste indicators, premium categories, rice breeds and regional dummy variables. Data were retrieved from Rakuten, Japan's largest online shopping site. The authors used the Bayesian estimation of the hedonic pricing model and used an ancillarity–sufficiency interweaving strategy to improve the sampling efficiency of MCMC.FindingsThe estimation results indicate that Japanese consumers value sweeter sake more, and the price of sake reflects the cost of rice preprocessing only for the most-expensive category of sake. No distinctive differences were identified among rice breeds or producing regions in the hedonic pricing model.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to estimate a hedonic pricing model of sake, despite the rich literature on alcoholic beverages. The findings may contribute new insights into consumer preference and proper pricing for sake breweries and distributors venturing into the e-commerce market.

The Employee Moonlighting - A Paradigm Shift in Socioeconomic Context

The global economy perhaps suffered the worst-ever disaster since the eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. It hits badly both life and livelihood leaving away the mark of catastrophe across the labor market by causing harm to both employment and employ ability. The badly damaged sectors like airlines, hospitality, and retail chains fueled the crisis of loss in employment opportunities due to the total collapse of the tourism industry. However, within these bleak business situations, healthcare, and pharmaceutical (thanks to the COVID vaccine invention) sectors recorded robust growth despite huge fatalities of healthcare professionals across the globe. Despite the recessionary trend across the sectors, business growth in e-commerce was phenomenal;because the series of lockdowns, compelled households to satisfy demands at the doorstep, by using e-commerce platforms. Even after the pandemic, there was an explosion of e-commerce businesses creating value for the customers and satisfying it at their doorsteps;from trimming of hair to fumigation at households or from arranging Pandits for performing Pujas to booking accommodation for a cozy stay at remote holiday destinations made available at fingertips. The introduction of Work from Home (WFH) or Remote Working which was earlier practiced widely by IT or IT-enabled services and adopted subsequently by other businesses in the form of virtual or hybrid working has opened opportunities for individuals to explore newer sources of income to balance their financial liabilities threatened by the erosion of permanent employment, wage cut, and frizzing of increments. So, when maintaining a livelihood is important, financial insecurity created the center stage for exploring alternatives for sustenance. Therefore, the concept of moonlighting is an offshoot of changing organizational commitments and outlook toward the individual employee during and the post-pandemic period evidenced in the changes in people management policies of talent acquisition, management, and retention. The policy changes though promulgated for business continuity, negatively impacted employee morale causing the workforce, particularly the millennial and gen Z start shifting mindsets toward the workplace by leveraging expertise elsewhere without hampering primary employment. It will be the objective of the article to deep dive to understand the recent socioeconomic shifts which possibly act as an agent for the occurrence of moonlighting.

Are smart contracts too smart for Supply Chain 4.0? A blockchain framework to mitigate challenges: IMS

PurposeSmart contracts are self-executing computer programmes that have the potential to be used in several applications instead of traditional written contracts. With the recent rise of smart systems (e.g. Internet of things) and digital platforms (e.g. blockchain), smart contracts are gaining high interest in both business and academia. In this work, a framework for smart contracts was proposed with using reputation as the system currency, and conducts currency mining through fulfilling the physical commitments that are agreed upon.Design/methodology/approachA game theory model is developed to represent the proposed system, and then a system dynamics simulator is used to check the response of the blockchain with different sizes.FindingsThe numerical results showed that the proposed system could identify the takeover attacks and protect the blockchain from being controlled by an outsider. Another important finding is that careful setting of the maximum currency amount can improve the scalability of the blockchain and prevent the currency inflation.Research limitations/implicationsThis work is proposed as a conceptual framework for supply chain 4.0. Future work will be dedicated to implement and experiment the proposed framework for other characteristics that may be encountered in the context of supply chain 4.0, such as different suppliers' tiers, different customer typologies and smart logistics applications, which may reveal other challenges and provide additional interesting insights.Practical implicationsBy using the proposed framework, smart contracts and blockchains can be implemented to handle many issues in the context of operations and supply chain 4.0, especially in times of turbulence such as the COVID-19 global pandemic crisis.Originality/valueThis work emphasizes that smart contracts are not too smart to be applied in the context of supply chain 4.0. The proposed framework of smart contracts is expected to serve supply chain 4.0 by automating the knowledge work and enabling scenario planning through the game theory model. It will also improve online transparency and order processing in real-time through secured multitier connectivity. This can be applied in global supply chain functions backed with digitization, notably during the time of the pandemic, in which e-commerce and online shopping have changed the rules of the game.

NON-SCHOOL E-BEHAVIOR OF UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS STUDENTS: PANDEMIC EFFECTS AND TRENDS

Positive undergraduate student e-behavior has long been a goal of business faculty. This study was therefore conducted to empirically examine if non-school electronic behaviors, excluding social media, were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. E-behaviors included both social/communication and recreational activities. Specifically, data collected during the three years prior to the pandemic were compared to data collected during the pandemic years of 2020-2021. Findings demonstrate with respect to seven of the nine behaviors examined, participation percent and participation minutes increased during the five-year study time frame and, in particular, increased greatly after the start of the pandemic. Further analysis found correlations between the usage minutes of various activities and variables such as gender, academic class, and study year.

Impacts of emotional regulation, adaptive selling and customer-oriented behavior on sales performance: the moderating role of job resourcefulness

PurposeGiven the increasing intensity of highly competitive markets, this study aims to evaluate the effect of salespeople's emotional regulation, adaptive selling and customer-oriented behavior on sales performance.Design/methodology/approachA research model was tested by using a sample of 288 respondents from the logistics industry in Taiwan. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships between emotional regulation, adaptive selling, job resourcefulness, customer-oriented behavior and sales performance.FindingsThe results indicate that emotional regulation, adaptive selling and job resourcefulness can improve customer-oriented behavior, and that customer-oriented behavior and job resourcefulness can enhance sales performance. By highlighting the role of job resourcefulness, the authors find a positive moderating effect among these four dimensions.Originality/valueThe findings can help salespeople integrate customer-oriented behaviors into strategic changes to regulate their own emotions and those of others to productively address and resolve difficult business conditions. The theoretical and managerial implications of this work's contributions to international logistics are also discussed.

The role of online channel in influencing perceived firm size and brand authenticity in international marketing

PurposeThis research investigates the role of marketing channel selection in influencing brand authenticity and purchase likelihood in the international marketing domain. Further, perceived firm size is identified as a mediator in this regard. The moderating role of consumer skepticism is also considered.Design/methodology/approachThree experimental studies were carried out across three different markets (India, the US and the UK) in the context of South Korean brands.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that firms utilizing (only) online channels are perceived to be smaller than those that utilize hybrid channels (i.e. both online and physical stores) or offline channels (i.e. physical stores). When consumers perceive firms to be smaller, they also report higher levels of brand authenticity, which in turn increases their purchase likelihood. Further, this effect is weaker among consumers with high levels of skepticism.Originality/valueThe findings of the present research contribute to the international marketing literature by demonstrating how consumers perceive online marketing channels, the role of marketing channel selection in driving brand authenticity, as well as providing managerial implications on how to promote products in the international market.

SUSTAINABLE E-COMMERCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability is one of the most important socio-economic-environmental topics of the time. Consumers are increasingly demanding companies to have eco-friendly approaches that ensure sustainable ecommerce. There is a great challenge to e-commerce business, taking into account that e-commerce is connected with frequent shipping, high return rates, and non-recyclable packaging, which cause a negative impact on the environment. The studies show that ecommerce is rapidly growing and widely accepted. However, the challenge is how to sustain the growth of e-commerce in the long run considering the environmental impact. Therefore, the research gap on sustainable e-commerce should be considered in the light of the environmental impact. Qualitative, quantitative and cluster analysis methods are applied in this study. The results indicate that investing in more sustainable processes has a positive environmental impact. According to the survey, two out of three customers find online retailers adopting sustainability policies important. Only one out of four customers has decided to refuse firms that do not meet sustainability practices. Therefore, the studies of sustainable ecommerce are crucial. The findings indicate that most European countries have adopted e-commerce sustainability policies while countries in Africa have adopted only few (Kenya). Thus, theoretical and managerial implications are proposed in this study. In addition, all stakeholders should apply policies governing sustainable e-commerce and environmental impact: the government, retailers, and consumers.

Last mile delivery in logistics and supply chain management: a bibliometric analysis and future directions

PurposeThe main objective of this paper is to provide a systematic literature review (SLR) and structured insight into last mile delivery, ultimately identifying gaps in current knowledge and proposing a framework for future research direction in terms of sustainability in the area.Design/methodology/approachThis paper identifies and synthesizes information from academic journals and examines "Journals and Publishing place,” "Geographic location,” "Year of Publication,” "University and Author Affiliation,” "Themes and Sub-themes,” "Theory,” "Research Design, Methods and Area” and "Industry Involvement.” A collection of online databases from 2005 to 2020 were explored, using the keywords "Last mile delivery,” "Last mile logistics,” "Last mile transportation,” "Last mile fulfillment,” "Last mile operations” and "Last mile distribution” in their title and/or and/or keywords. Accordingly, a total of 281 journal articles were found in this discipline area, and data were derived from a succession of variables.FindingsThere has been significant growth in published articles concerning last mile delivery over the last 15 years (2005–2020). An in-depth review of the literature shows five dimensions of the last mile: last mile delivery, transportation, operations, distribution and logistics. Each of these dimensions is interrelated and possess clustered characteristics. For instance, last mile operations, last mile transportation and last mile delivery are operational, whereas last mile distribution is tactical, and last mile logistics possess strategic characteristics. The findings also indicate that even though the sustainability concept can be incorporated into all levels of the last mile, the current literature landscape mainly concentrates on the operational level.Research limitations/implicationsThis review is limited to academic sources available from Emerald Insight, Science Direct, Taylor and Francis, Springer, MDPI and IEEE containing the mentioned keywords in the title and/or /or keywords. Furthermore, only papers from high-quality, peer-reviewed journals were evaluated. Other sources such as books and conference papers were not included.Practical implicationsThis study dissects last mile delivery to produce a framework that captures and presents its complex characteristics and its interconnectedness with various related components. By analyzing last mile delivery in its entirety, the framework also helps practitioners pinpoint which levels of last mile delivery (operation, tactical or strategic) they can incorporate the concept of sustainability.Originality/valueThe research findings enrich the contemporary literature landscape and future work by providing a conceptual framework that incorporates the "economic,” "environmental” and "social” pillars of sustainability in all dimensions of the last mile delivery.