Identifying the Success Factors of Alibaba Internet Company

Alibaba Internet Company, with 693 million annual active users from the 12-month period ended september 2019, has been listed as one of the most successful companies in this field in the world, according to the data released in the internet business field. This study is based on a mixed-method approach which consists of two qualitative and quantitative stages. First, by reviewing the theoretical foundations of Internet business success factors, four main criteria including: marketing, information technology, infrastructure and cultural factors, were identified as success factors of these types of businesses. Then, in the qualitative step, 17 factors were extracted as sub-criteria, by analyzing the documents content about Alibaba Company, since 1999.  Subsequently, these factors, in a quantitative stage, were prioritized using the fuzzy DEMATEL technique by the experts' views in the fields of e-commerce and marketing. The reliability and validity of the research tool, has been confirmed using internal consistency and content validity, respectively. According to the findings, among the criteria, the information technology, has the highest impact on the success of Alibaba's electronic businesses. Based on the factors identified in Alibaba's success, Internet business executives can take steps toward excellence in their businesses.