Supporting electronic sales channels deployment through the analysis of customer preferences

This paper proposes a framework to describe the influence of customer behaviour in the establishment of a satisfying business-to-business e-commerce strategy. A description of electronic sales channels typologies as well as of the attributes characterizing them is provided. The approach, based on conjoint analysis, allowing calculation of customer utility and probability of choice is explained. The results drawn from an industrial application provide reliable information about customer wishes at the individual level. They also demonstrate how the preference structure of customers can differ significantly, resulting in the choice of different e-sales channels. The obtained estimation of customer preferences constitutes an important input for evaluating the profitability of a given e-commerce strategy before implementing it. Thus, this approach, based on customer behaviour analysis, constitutes the first step of an overall process supporting e-commerce strategy establishment.