Quality Management in E-Commerce: Ensuring Customer Satisfaction in the Digital Marketplace

Abstract

The rise of e-commerce has revolutionized the global retail landscape, offering unprecedented convenience, variety, and accessibility to consumers. However, the digital nature of these platforms presents significant challenges in ensuring consistent quality management and sustaining customer satisfaction. This research investigates the relationship between quality management practices and customer satisfaction in the context of online retail. The study integrates principles of Total Quality Management (TQM) with consumer behaviour theory to explore how various quality determinants—such as website usability, product accuracy, delivery performance, customer service, and data privacy—impact perceived satisfaction and brand loyalty.

Through a mixed-methods approach combining survey data from frequent online shoppers with in-depth interviews of quality assurance managers in leading e-commerce firms, this study aims to provide empirical evidence on best practices and common pitfalls. Statistical tools like regression analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) are employed to analyze the data.

Findings are expected to show that proactive quality assurance mechanisms, real-time customer support, and transparent logistics significantly enhance customer trust and retention. The results will offer actionable insights for digital businesses seeking to optimize their quality management systems and elevate customer experience. This study also contributes to the limited academic literature on digital quality management by proposing an integrative framework for customer-centric quality in e-commerce.