Agent-Controlled Touchpoint Dominance for Satisfaction and Loyalty in E-Commerce: The Platform's Last-Mile Paradox

International Journal of Service Science, Management, Engineering, and Technology. 2026. Vol. 17. No. 1. P. 1–28.

Starostin A., Veselova A.

 

This article challenges the prevailing view that customer experience in online retail is shaped primarily at the digital interface. Instead, the authors investigate whether physical, interpersonal service encounters at third-party pickup points carry greater weight. Using the partial least squares structural equation modeling to evaluate 18,023 marketplace customers, they analyzed five sequential journey stages to determine which most strongly associated with satisfaction: product search, order placement, delivery, in-person collection, and post-purchase service. The results showed that while all stages were rated important, satisfaction was overwhelmingly associated with agent-controlled last-mile stages (delivery and collection), whereas the platform's own digital touchpoints were practically negligible. This ranking persisted across segments and under endogeneity correction. Theoretically, the authors demonstrated that in platform-mediated retail, customer experience disproportionately hinged on delegated physical touchpoints yet platforms were held accountable for an experience they did not fully control.

Keywords: PLS-SEM, Customer journey, Last-Mile Delivery, Pickup Point, Platform-Mediated Retail, Customer Satisfaction