Title: The customer care IT tools as a competitive advantage factor in the Brazilian retail industry

Authors: Marcos Antonio Gaspar, Denis Donaire, Silvio Aparecido Dos Santos

Addresses: Universidade Municipal de Sao Caetano do Sul Rua Santo Antonio, 50 Sao Caetano do Sul (SP), CEP 09521-160, Brazil. ' Universidade Municipal de Sao Caetano do Sul Rua Santo Antonio, 50 Sao Caetano do Sul (SP), CEP 09521-160, Brazil. ' FEA/USP – Universidade de Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Luciano Gualberto, 908 Sala E-123, Sao Paulo (SP), CEP 05508-900, Brazil

Abstract: The fast growing of e-commerce proceeded in profits for many companies. Its application associated to well-designed workflows, i.g., the virtual customer care procedures, can benefit the companies by building long term competitive advantages. This study analysed the virtual customer care of ten big Brazilian retail companies, through the identification and evaluation of the actual Information Technology applied tools in their sites. We stated that Ponto Frio had the highest performance. An intermediate group was composed by Pao de Acucar, Bom Preco, Sonae, Lojas Americanas and Casas Bahia. The bottom line was filled by Pernambucanas, Sendas, Wal-Mart and Carrefour.

Keywords: e-commerce; virtual customer care; Brazilian retail companies; Brazilian economy; Brazil; electronic commerce; information technology.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEA.2010.037576

International Journal of Economics and Accounting, 2010 Vol.1 No.4, pp.360 - 374

Published online: 19 Dec 2010 *

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