Stakeholders experience management in shipping industry: a strategic edge for competitive advantage

Anastasia Gerou, Christos Patsiouras and Angelos Pantouvakis

Maritime Policy & Management, 2026, vol. 53, issue 5, 969-988

Abstract: This study examines the impact of Stakeholder Experience (STE) on Stakeholder Satisfaction (STS) in the cargo shipping industry. While customer experience, satisfaction and their relationship have been studied in Business-to-Customer shipping, limited research explores these factors among Business-to-Business (B2B) stakeholders beyond customers. This gap is addressed by conducting a survey among cargo shipping stakeholders (shipping agents, brokers, suppliers). STE and STS measurement instruments were developed and validated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and their relationship assessed using regression analysis. Findings revealed that STE consists of two dimensions—trust and service experience—while STS was validated as a one-dimensional construct. The strong positive impact of STE on STS was confirmed, highlighting the strategic role of experience management in shipping. It is concluded that managing stakeholder experience, particularly building trust and delivering positive service experiences, is critical to improving satisfaction in B2B shipping contexts. This study is among the first to empirically examine the STE-STS relationship in cargo shipping, adapting customer experience models to a B2B maritime context. It provides insights for academics by introducing two new measurement instruments and for practitioners by offering a structured approach to assess stakeholder engagement and refine human resources and Stakeholder Experience Management strategies to achieve competitive advantage.

Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1080/03088839.2025.2532465

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