Maximizing Knowledge Management returns in e-commerce

Knowledge Management (KM) plays a pivotal role in e-commerce systems by transforming the customer behavior and business information into actionable insights. In majority of cases, there are challenges in KM adoption and the potential of knowledge management module is not utilized to its fullest extent in e-commerce. This paper provides research insights about the main challenges in knowledge dynamics of e-commerce programs and proposes best-practices-based novel KM reference model based on research findings. The paper discusses the survey findings from KM practitioners and gathers insights from real-world e-commerce implementations about common challenges and best practices in KM program implementations. Based on these insights, the paper proposes a robust and novel e-commerce KM reference model. The paper also elaborates VARIOUS knowledge management e-commerce services such as search, collaboration, cross-sell/upsell analysis, KM participation platform, recommendation services and KM taxonomy to drive self-service model and provides the key building blocks for an e-commerce knowledge management system. Finally, the research paper proposes critical success factors for a successful KM program along with key performance indicator (KPIs) so as to provide continuous innovation and key competitive advantage for e-commerce enterprises.