The contract logistics industry is currently facing increasing customer demands and a high competitive intensity. To achieve economic success in this dynamic environment, contract logistics providers must focus on creating superior customer value relative to their competitors. The concept of customer value proposition (CVP) is one approach for meeting this requirement. It offers a strategic approach that enables companies to anchor their intended customer value offering centrally within their organization. However, to ensure the success of this approach, it is crucial to implement attributes that contribute to differentiation from the perspective of their customers relative to their main competitors. This scientific study aims to identify such points of strategic differentiation in the Austrian contract logistics market from the customer's viewpoint. The structure of this work is divided into a theoretical part, which defines the central concepts of CVP in the context of contract logistics and outlines the conditions for achieving a competitive advantage. The theoretical foundations include the resource-based view in the form of the VRIO framework and a defined learning process regarding the industry, their competitors, as well as the target customers. This is followed by an empirical part, which uses a qualitative research design to assess the existing customer needs in the Austrian market. For this purpose, five representatives of various Austrian contract logistics customers and two representatives of logistics service providers were interviewed as experts in their respective fields. The main findings of this study are the identification of the attributes trust, quality improvement, cost reduction, and resilience improvement as strategic CVP attributes. Based on the conducted relevance ratings, the first two attributes are of utmost importance to the customers. The remaining two factors also positively correlate with customer value but are of lesser importance. This development in relevance can be traced back to changes in the strategy of the customers due to multiple disruptions in global supply chains over the past three years. These interferences were mainly caused by external factors and have led to a continuous increase in the importance of stability and quality within the operating logistics networks, relegating the attribute of cost reduction to the background. The strategic implications for logistics service providers derived from this study emphasize the primary implementation of the attributes trust and quality in the CVP. Trust should primarily be established through interpersonal relationships, focusing on shared values and communication. In the area of quality, customers pursue a heterogeneous approach, suggesting that focusing on target customers in their respective industries is a suitable strategic approach for the logistics providers.
Date of Award | 2024 |
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Original language | German (Austria) |
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Supervisor | Christiane Steinlechner (Supervisor) |
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Identifikation von strategischen Customer Value Propositions bei der Erbringung von Kontraktlogistikleistungen in Österreich
Deutschbauer, S. J. (Author). 2024
Student thesis: Master's Thesis