A new hybrid MCDM model combining DANP with VIKOR to improve e-store business

0950-7051/$ see front matter Crown Copyright 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.knosys.2012.06.017 ⇑ Corresponding author at: Institute of Managem Chiao Tung University, 1001 University Road, Hsinch E-mail addresses: [email protected] (W edu.tw, [email protected] (G.-H. Tzeng). Many consumers today buy products and services from e-stores. Because e-store managers are responsible for allocating different resources, it is essential that they understand consumers’ shopping behaviour to provide the best possible value for visitors to their websites. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to focus on assessing and improving strategies to reduce the gaps in customer satisfaction caused by interdependence and feedback problems among dimensions and criteria to achieve the aspiration level. We propose a new hybrid Multiple Attribute Decision Making (MADM) model, combining the Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL), DEMATEL-based Analytic Network Process (DANP), and VIšekriterijumsko KOmpromisno Rangiranje (VIKOR) methods to solve these problems. Then, three real cases are used to illustrate how the proposed new hybrid Multiple Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) model improves e-store business. These results can provide e-store managers with a knowledge-based understanding of how to create marketing strategies that reduce the performance gaps of dimensions and criteria to satisfy consumers’ needs and encourage customers to purchase more. Crown Copyright 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.