E-commerce Entrepreneurs’ and Customers’ Satisfaction with Parcel Delivery Services of Bangladesh Post Office

Md. Moshiur Rahman, Must. Tania Sultana & Md Asraful Islam

Jan-Feb-Mar

Abstract
The rapid growth of e-commerce in Bangladesh has created unprecedented demand for reliable parcel delivery services. The Bangladesh Post Office (BPO), with its extensive national network and affordable pricing, has the potential to serve this market. However, little is known about how e-commerce stakeholders perceive BPO's service quality. This mixed-methods study aimed to assess and compare the satisfaction of e-commerce entrepreneurs and customers with BPO's parcel delivery services across multiple dimensions, identify key determinants of future use, and explain divergences between stakeholder groups. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed to conduct the study. Quantitative data were collected from 100 e-commerce entrepreneurs and 100 e-commerce customers using a structured questionnaire that measured satisfaction across 10 dimensions. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 15 entrepreneurs and 15 customers to explore the reasons behind quantitative ratings. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Quantitative findings revealed two clear strengths of BPO: affordable delivery charges and parcel security. However, catastrophic failures emerged on nearly all other dimensions: delivery time satisfaction, complaint handling, insurance/penalty system, staff e-service, and website quality. Overall satisfaction remained critically low (7–10% positive). Qualitative findings explained these divergences: entrepreneurs experience daily operational friction with BPO staff and systems, while customers primarily suffer from slow delivery and a lack of tracking transparency. Entrepreneurs and customers require fundamentally different service improvements: entrepreneurs need staff efficiency and digital e-service integration; customers need faster delivery and real-time tracking. Without urgent, stakeholder-segmented interventions, BPO will continue to lose e-commerce market share to private couriers.

Keyword: E-commerce logistics, parcel delivery service, customer satisfaction, Bangladesh Post Office, service quality

Research Area: Business

Country: Bangladesh

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