Understanding Consumer Challenges in E-commerce and Tourism Apps: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

This study presents a qualitative investigation into the challenges consumers encounter when using e-commerce and tourism mobile applications in India. Using NVivo 14 software, data from thirty respondents drawn from urban and semi-urban areas of West Bengal were analysed through a two-cycle inductive thematic coding process, comprising open coding followed by axial and selective coding, with inter-coder reliability confirmed via Cohen's Kappa (κ = 0.84). For e-commerce apps, six major thematic nodes emerged: delivery reliability, navigation and usability, data security and privacy, product information quality, return and refund processes, and price transparency. For tourism apps, five major themes were identified: information accuracy, app performance, payment and booking trust, personalisation and recommendations, and customer support responsiveness. A cross-domain matrix coding comparison revealed substantial thematic overlap, particularly in security and payment trust, app performance, and information quality, indicating that many user experience problems are systemic rather than domain-specific. The findings suggest that despite the rapid technological expansion of digital commerce and travel platforms, persistent gaps in data security, performance reliability, information accuracy, and support responsiveness continue to undermine consumer confidence and retention. The study concludes with actionable recommendations for platform developers, policymakers, and researchers seeking to improve user experience design and customer-centricity in digital consumer platforms operating in emerging markets.