On the Factors of Successful e-Commerce Platform Design during and after COVID-19 Pandemic Using Extended Fuzzy AHP Method

Abstract

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused a paradigm shift in all aspects of contemporary human life. Everyday activities such as shopping have shifted from traditional methods to the ever-more growing online variants, allowing for an increase in electronic commerce (e-commerce) industry. As more services become available online, consumers often rely on trusted services, which are often reflected on the web and mobile platforms they are presented on. In this paper, we study the factors for successful e-commerce platform design in the Western Balkans region using Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) with triangular fuzzy numbers. After an extensive literature overview, interviews with representatives of top-ranking e-commerce companies in the region, and the analysis of experts’ opinions, we select a number of factors and sub-factors for prioritization, taking into account pre-pandemic factors, as well as the ones of the pandemic itself. We extend the FAHP model, which now consists of five (instead of three) points of view. Finally, we present and discuss the results in the form of tables and graphs, as well as an overall recommendation of what should be taken into account when designing an e-commerce platform. Our results rank service quality and security factors first and criteria such as multilingual support last.