Student: Konstantina Poulimenakou
Year: 2026
Affiliation: Athens University of Economics and Business (Part-Time MBA)
Level: Postgraduate
Thesis written in English
This thesis examines operational and logistics risk management in e-commerce supply chains, focusing on the identification, assessment, mitigation, and monitoring of critical failures that affect customer satisfaction and organizational performance. Drawing on insights from the literature and a case study of a leading e-commerce marketplace, the study analyzes a large dataset of several hundred thousand orders and applies the Six Sigma DMAIC framework to systematically identify failure patterns, quantify their impact, and propose targeted improvement actions. Qualitative input from focus groups with logistics and marketplace experts further supports the interpretation and validation of the analytical results.
The findings indicate that a limited number of operational failures account for the majority of delivery delays and negative customer experiences in highly competitive e-commerce environments. Using risk matrices, Pareto analysis, correlation models, and clustering techniques, the study identifies the most critical failure modes and evaluates their likelihood and severity. In particular, delivery not routed, pickup failures, and impossible delivery dates emerged as the primary drivers of delayed deliveries and NPS decline. Pickup failures were mainly linked to merchants not preparing orders on time and incorrect pickup window selections. In the returns process, wrong product packed, faulty products, and customer withdrawal were found to have a
disproportionate negative impact on customer experience despite their lower frequency.Interactive Power BI dashboards were developed as a practical monitoring tool to support continuous control and early risk detection.
Overall, the thesis contributes to both academic research and managerial practice by presenting a structured, data-driven methodology for managing operational risks in e-commerce supply chains. The results highlight the importance of proactive risk mitigation, real-time performance monitoring, and systematic process improvement in strengthening supply chain resilience.
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