ABSTRACT

In competitive markets, such as electronic commerce, evaluations of base-level performance and benchmarking are fundamental for retailers focusing efforts. Hence, we propose a new and practical approach to measuring retailers’ relative performance and benchmarking through a unique index that integrates digital, physical, and financial factors. We investigated 13 traditional retailers controlling 36 marketplaces (i.e., online platforms) in Brazil in 2020. The traffic to the marketplace, the companies’ inventory, capital intensity (physical infrastructure), and gross margin were used in the slacks-based measure and data envelopment analysis (DEA) model, followed by a slacks-based measure super-efficiency model for the sensitivity analysis. Companies’ relative performance is then determined, as well as thei customized targets for achieving efficiency. Three types of marketplaces are explored: pure (direct sales from suppliers to consumers for a fee), reselling (products purchased from suppliers and resold), and hybrid (both options direct and resale, depending on the product). Although data envelopment analysis has already been applied to examine retailers’ performance, there are few extant applications to e-commerce. Our findings show that retailers who operate through specialized (normally reselling) marketplaces tend to be inefficient, and retailers prefer to manage one non-specialized (normally hybrid) marketplace and focus efforts on achieving efficiency instead of managing many marketplaces inefficiently.

摘要

在电子商务等竞争市场中，基础绩效评估和基准测试对于零售商集中精力至关重要。因此，我们提出了一种新的实用方法，通过整合数字、物理和财务因素的独特指数来衡量零售商的相对绩效和基准。我们调查了 2020 年控制巴西 36 个市场（即在线平台）的 13 家传统零售商。基于 slacks 的衡量和数据使用了市场流量、公司库存、资本密集度（实体基础设施）和毛利率包络分析（DEA）模型，然后是基于松弛的测度超效率模型进行敏感性分析。然后确定公司的相对绩效，以及实现效率的定制目标。探讨了三种类型的市场：纯市场（从供应商直接向消费​​者收费）、转售（从供应商处购买产品并转售）和混合（直接和转售两种选择，具体取决于产品）。尽管数据包络分析已被应用于检查零售商的绩效，但在电子商务中的应用还很少。我们的研究结果表明，通过专业（通常是转售）市场运营的零售商往往效率低下，而零售商更愿意管理一个非专业（通常是混合）市场，并集中精力实现效率，而不是低效管理多个市场。和混合（两种选择直接和转售，具体取决于产品）。尽管数据包络分析已被应用于检查零售商的绩效，但在电子商务中的应用还很少。我们的研究结果表明，通过专业（通常是转售）市场运营的零售商往往效率低下，而零售商更愿意管理一个非专业（通常是混合）市场，并集中精力实现效率，而不是低效管理多个市场。和混合（两种选择直接和转售，具体取决于产品）。尽管数据包络分析已被应用于检查零售商的绩效，但在电子商务中的应用还很少。我们的研究结果表明，通过专业（通常是转售）市场运营的零售商往往效率低下，而零售商更愿意管理一个非专业（通常是混合）市场，并集中精力实现效率，而不是低效管理多个市场。