Optimization Strategy Of Logistics Service Mode For E-commerce Supply Chain

The rapid development of e-commerce has promoted the reform and innovation of logistics service mode.Nowadays,there are many logistics service modes in the e-commerce market,including self-supporting logistics service,outsourcing logistics service,hybrid logistics service and logistics service sharing.It is commonly known that different logistics service modes have their pros and cons,which meet the diversified development needs of e-commerce enterprises but meanwhile lead to some problems.One of the most challenging problems is the low efficiency and poor quality of e-commerce logistics service.To improve the quality of e-commerce logistics service and enhance the efficiency of e-commerce supply chain,this dissertation first systematically reviews the relevant literature.Then,three typical scenarios of e-commerce supply chain are constructed and game theory is employed to analyze the optimal logistics service strategies in different scenarios.The innovative works and results are summarized as the following three aspects.First,the interactions between the e-commerce platform's selling mode choice and the e-commerce logistics service strategy are explored.A game-theoretical model is first developed to capture the game between the supplier and the platform in a monopoly e-commerce supply chain.Then,the optimal logistics service strategy considering the platform's selling mode choice is proposed after comparing the logistics service qualities,firms' profits,consumer surplus and social welfare across the four e-commerce supply chain situations.The study finds that when the e-commerce platform adopts the reselling mode,both the supplier and the e-commerce platform prefer the platform to offer the logistics service.By contrast,when the e-commerce platform adopts the marketplace mode,both firms prefer the supplier to provide the logistics service if the logistics service's cost performance is high;while both firms prefer to undertake the logistics service by themselves if the logistics service's cost performance is low.Second,the suppliers' competition is introduced into the e-commerce logistics service mode decision.Focusing on an e-commerce supply chain consisting of two competing suppliers,one e-commerce platform and a continuum of consumers,a game-theoretical model is established to explore the optimal e-commerce logistics service strategy considering the suppliers' competition and further examine the impact of the platform's selling mode choice on the optimal logistics service strategy.The study finds that if the e-commerce platform adopts the reselling mode or marketplace mode,the two suppliers and the platform all prefer to employ the differentiated logistics service strategy when the competition is intense and the logistics service's cost performance is high.By contrast,if the e-commerce platform adopts the hybrid mode,the two suppliers' logistics service mode preferences are highly differentiated but the e-commerce platform always prefers to provide the logistics service to both suppliers' products.Finally,the implications of the emerging logistics service sharing mode are examined.Considering an e-commerce supply chain consisting of one hybrid e-commerce platform,one third-party seller and a continuum of consumers,a game-theoretical model is developed to analyze the strategic and economic implications of logistics service sharing mode and propose the incentive mechanism to achieve the agreement of logistics service sharing between the platform and the seller.The study finds that although the impact of logistics service sharing on the platform's profit is qualitatively different from its impact on the seller's profit,a win-win outcome can be achieved between the two firms when the third-party logistics service provider's service quality and the product's market potential are in the proper range.Furthermore,if the seller would not like to engage in logistics service sharing,the e-commerce platform,as the leader of logistics service sharing mode,can encourage the seller to do so by reducing its logistics service price.