Online Customer Feedback and Product Design in E-commerce Retail Market in Kenya

Abstract

E-Commerce creates online platforms from where customers can share their compliments and raise complaints about the products. However, the manner in which online customer feedback is employed to enhance product design, online retailing services and improved customer experience with online shopping is not evidently clear among scholars. Retail e-commerce in Kenya is one of the major drivers of the economy. However, technological disruption is forcing many retail shops to review their business models. With the competitive business environment in the retail sector, retail firms are forced to identify opportunities that enable them to diversify and reach their clients or customers. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of online customer feedback on product design in retail market in Kenya. The specific objectives were to determine the extent of customer feedback regarding online products of e-commerce retail market in Kenya and determine the impact of online customer feedback on product design in e-commerce retail market in Kenya. The study employed descriptive survey design. The study population was 31 e-commerce retail businesses with established online customer feedback platforms in Kenya. The study employed online based questionnaires to gather primary data. Data analysis entailed the descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive results included the mean scores, standard deviation and frequencies while inferential results entail multiple linear regression model. Sales rank, volume of reviews and valence explained 59.6% of the aesthetic product design, 53.4% of the functional product design and 41.7% of the symbolic product design in e-commerce retail market. The coefficient of sales rank has a positive and significant impact on aesthetic product design, functional product design and symbolic product design in the e-commerce retail market. The coefficient of volume of reviews has a positive and significant impact on functional product design in the e-commerce retail market. Valence has a positive and significant impact on aesthetic product design, functional product design and symbolic product design in the e-commerce retail market. The volume of reviews did not have significant impact on aesthetic product design and symbolic product design in the e-commerce retail market. The study concluded that sales rank, volume of reviews and valence are vital constructs of online feedback used by online markets to shape the design of products demanded by customers. A conclusion is thus made that sales rank and valence impacts the aesthetic, functional and symbolic product design in the e-commerce retail market. Volume of reviews impacts only the functional product design of items sold in the e-commerce retail market. The study recommends that e-commerce businesses need to rank the various products sold in the e-commerce retail market to aid in the selection and improvement of product design. The ranking of products need to be automated showing the products ranking top and those ranking lower. The e-commerce retail shop need to fetch the reviews made by customers and filter them by importance to aid in online sales decision making and marketing of the product.