Modeling human perceptions in e-Commerce applications. A case study on business-to-consumers websites in the textile and fashion sector

This paper deals with modeling e-service quality. It combines Marketing methods (qualitative and quantitative methods) and Computational Theory of Perceptions (Fuzzy Logic). We apply interpretable fuzzy modeling to human perceptions collected through fuzzy rating scale-based questionnaires. The proposal is validated with a case study regarding Business-to-Consumers websites in the textile and fashion sector. The outcome is a fuzzy model easy to understand by humans no matter their proficiency regarding neither Fuzzy Logic nor Marketing. This model is embedded in the core of a virtual assessor which predicts consumers’ desires, expectations and needs; thus saving cost in future market studies.

keywords: Fuzzy logic, computing with perceptions, explainable AI, modeling e-service quality, business-to-consumers websites