Selecting the best e-commerce product for a retail chain-the analytic hierarchy process model

Retail firms have been in the forefront of the business-to-consumer (B2C) initiatives as they run the whole gamut of transformation from branding and information-centered activities to online sales and innovation-driven marketing. The paradigm shift in business objective from mere selling of products and services to 'owning a share of life of guests' can also be observed from the new networks and alliances between retail firms and other businesses with complementing business goals. A US-based retail chain has been exploring avenues for enhancing its B2C e-commerce capabilities by embarking on a series of initiatives that inter alia includes a comprehensive study on related software products currently available in the market. This paper focuses on evaluation of the e-commerce products in terms of their technical features and services offered as well as exploring their suitability to meet the specific business priorities of the firm. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model has been employed for selecting the best product.