Operational Factors Influencing E-commerce Customer Experience in Nairobi County

Abstract

Electronic commerce in Kenya has experienced a significant growth over the past few years, especially among small and medium sized businesses. E-commerce has helped many businesses to expand their market presence through provision of cheaper and more efficient distribution channels for their goods and services. The use of mobile apps in e-commerce engineered with internet has gathered rapid penetration in the market and plays a big role in promoting online shopping. The facilitation of good data network and an efficient internet has enabled buyers and sellers to meet, and exchange goods and services besides transacting payments online. The customer experience on using mobile apps has contributed largely to e-commerce growth as they can purchase anything they want anytime and anywhere. The continual growth of online stores will depend on companies personalizing customer content, building loyalty with customers, providing unique tailored offers, going global by unlocking new markets internationally and delivering consistent shopping experience to them. The objective of this study is to explore operational factors influencing e-commerce customer experience in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The population of the study encompassed one hundred respondents and were selected randomly on a convenience basis. The collection of data was done through the use of questionnaires. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences and MS Excel. The findings of this study show that majority of the people in Nairobi (over 90%) purchase products online from various e-commerce platforms. However, the respondents said that they do not purchase everything from the internet indicating that certain factors attract while others prevent customers from engaging in e-commerce. This study therefore established that operational factors are key in influencing e-commerce business in Nairobi County. The results from this research will inform market stakeholders’ concerning the market needs and existing issues in today’s technological world. Studying the market, particularly now while e-commerce is still at its rampant development stage, is key for industry stakeholders to safeguard the success of this growing market.