The issue of interconnections and mutual influence of digital transformation in international trade: How digitization affects customer satisfaction?

This research aims to investigate the relationships and mutual influence between the digitalization of international trade and customer satisfaction in the context of the post-COVID-19 economy. To achieve this objective, a comprehensive research project has been developed, involving a quantitative approach that combines the advantages of experiments and surveys. Customer satisfaction was assessed based on key service quality parameters in the SERVQUAL model. The study involved 4 stores operating on the AliExpress international trading platform. The sample included a total of 3796 customers. The research findings confirmed the impact of digitalization on customer satisfaction in international trading operations across nearly all dimensions of the SERVQUAL model. The implementation of basic digital innovations substantially enhanced reliability, order processing and delivery speed, product packaging, and the process of selecting and ordering goods, as well as the regularity of notifications and data security. However, the introduction of a chatbot significantly reduced customer satisfaction with the provision of additional information, leading to a decrease in customer empathy. The academic contribution of this study lies in its ability to complement and expand the scientific understanding of the impact of digitalization on customer satisfaction in international trade in the post-COVID-19 era. The study demonstrated that not all digital innovations are perceived equally positively by customers and do not necessarily lead to increased satisfaction. Accordingly, the practical outcome of this research is the empirical confirmation of the need to test customer satisfaction when implementing digital innovations.