The moderating role of demographic variables on customer expectations in airport retail patronage intentions of travellers

The international airport retail business is expanding annually, yet most research into traveller’s experience with the aviation industry have centred on aeronautical features. The study gathered information that would guide the understanding of airport customer retail expectations. Specifically, the study examines the effects of product-relevant factors, market-relevant factors, and perceived service quality on retail patronage intentions, taking into account the moderating role of demographic variables. The purposive sample of three hundred and thirty (330) travellers that were selected at the Kotoka International Airport Terminal 1 and 2 (KIA T1&2) in Accra, the capital of Ghana. The findings show that product-relevant factors, market-relevant factors and overall service quality significantly influence airport retail patronage intention. The effect demographic variables was noticeable among older and high-income consumers. Building on previous studies, we find that product-relevant factors, market-relevant factors, and perceived service quality function as viable signals that drives customer expectations.     

Moderating effect of customer's retail format perception on customer satisfaction formation: An empirical study of mini-supermarkets in an urban retail market setting

Customer perceptions of retail formats have become ambiguous with new value-added features of traditional retail formats. Hence, this paper proposes a framework for explaining retail patronage formation under the condition that customers perceive the ambiguity of retail format boundaries. The moderating effect of customers' retail format perceptions on customer satisfaction is examined using data from Japanese mini-supermarket customers. Results indicate that customers' perceptions of retail formats partially influence customer satisfaction. Theoretically, this implies that considering retail format as a concept that customers construct a posteriori may be necessary and practically indicates that retail practitioners should manage customers’ retail format perception.     

Online retail experience and customer satisfaction: the mediating role of last mile delivery

ABSTRACT

For various industries worldwide, recent years have been defined by the remarkable growth of e-commerce. Enabled by the Internet, retailers can reach more customers, spread much further in the distribution chain, and optimize their resources. In the new market environment, customer experience has become a source of competitive advantage. This study investigates the role of last mile delivery in the customer’s e-retail experience. A quantitative methodology was used, which incorporated a survey that was conducted in Sweden and measured participants’ most recent e-retail experience. The results indicate that the last mile delivery experience mediates the relationship between the customer’s perception of the online shopping experience and customer satisfaction. These conclusions provide ground for further thorough investigations of the role of last mile delivery in the e-retail context and support e-retailers in increasing their customers’ satisfaction.     

Consumer product search and purchase behaviour using various retail channels: the role of perceived retail usefulness

The purpose of this study was to examine the influences of consumers' perceptions of retail usefulness for product information search and their previous purchase satisfaction on their frequencies of product information search and product purchase behaviours for apparel products. These relationships were investigated in five retail settings – Internet shopping, catalogue shopping, television shopping, local retail shopping, and non‐local retail shopping. One hundred seventy‐six students in a US Midwestern university provided usable responses. The results of causal model analyses showed that the proposed model fits the data well for all five retail channels. Consumers who perceived a certain retail channel more useful for product information search searched for product information more frequently via that retail channel, and purchased products more often via that retail channel. Consumers who were more satisfied with apparel purchases from a retail channel purchased the products more frequently via that retail channel. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Sustainable growth for the self-employed in the retail industry based on customer equity,customer satisfaction,and loyalty

In Korea, traditional retail districts face a serious situation whereby businesses in downtown areas face collapsing as local population declines: resulting in a decrease in self-employed sales and a declining local economy. Traditional retailers use ambiguous accounting and are reluctant to use credit cards, and thus, the overall reliability of their customer data is low. This paper solves this problem by applying the concept of customer equity (CE). We conducted an empirical analysis through questionnaires to identify differences in CE between traditional and new retail formats. The questionnaire consisted of questions related to CE (value equity, brand equity, relation equity), satisfaction, loyalty, and demographic characteristics. CE and satisfaction were measured on a 5-point Likert scale. A total of 400 surveys were completed, resulting in 391 usable returns for analysis in this study. In the regression analysis between CE and customer satisfaction, both old and new retail firms showed statistically significant effects. In the traditional retail industry, value equity and brand equity were statistically significant, while relation equity were not.     

Effects of characteristics of in-store retail technology on customer citizenship behavior

This paper investigates the effect of the characteristics of in-store retail technology on customer citizenship behavior (CCB) by adapting the job demands-resources theory, and explores how customer education moderates these relationships. Survey responses from 196 retail shoppers show that perceived complexity and perceived risk lead to customer exhaustion, resulting in decreasing CCB; while perceived advantage and perceived compatibility lead to customer engagement, resulting in increasing CCB. All these paths were found to be moderated by customer education. Managers could use the characteristics of in-store technology to increase CCB in their retail stores.     

Influence of customer application experience and value in use on loyalty toward retailers

This study aims to explain the mechanism by which user experience with retailer applications could lead to loyalty toward retailers. The data were collected through a survey in Indonesia (n = 717). The results support the positive impact of customer experience (i.e., sensorial experiential state, affective experiential state, interactivity, and relative advantage) on value in use. Value in use mediates the effects of customer experience on satisfaction and loyalty toward retailer application. In turn, these two constructs increase loyalty toward the retailer. These findings contribute to the theoretical and practical understanding of the impact of retailer applications on the customer-retailer relationship.     

Exploring the relationship of perceived automotive salesperson attributes, customer satisfaction and intentions to automotive service department patronage: The moderating role of customer gender

This study examines the relationship of perceived automotive salesperson attributes and customer satisfaction behavior in the purchase experience leading to the patronage of a service department in an automotive dealership. Logistic regression analyses indicate that gender moderates the relationship of the perceived salesperson attributes and customer satisfaction as well as intentions for service department patronage. The model distinguishes users from non-users of the service department and does this better for females than for males. Finally, the paper concludes with a discussion of the managerial implications and directions for future research.     

The antecedents of customer loyalty: A moderated mediation model of customer relationship management quality and brand image

This study examines the mediating role of customer relationship management (CRM) quality to better explain the effects of service evaluation variables (service quality, customer satisfaction and customer value) on customer loyalty. The study also investigates the moderating effect of brand image on these mediated relationships. The mediating role of CRM quality on the relationship between the service evaluation variables and customer loyalty is supported. Further, it is found that the indirect effect of customer satisfaction on customer loyalty via CRM quality is stronger when perceived brand image is high than when it is low. The results have implications for relationship managers, brand managers and scholars who use service evaluation and relational metrics to predict customer loyalty.     

Share of wallet in retailing: the effects of customer satisfaction, loyalty cards and shopper characteristics

In retailing, consumers typically patronize multiple outlets. Thus, an important issue is why consumers vary in how they divide their purchases across outlets and how outlets can get a greater share of consumer expenditures. Two potential avenues for increasing customer share are to raise customer satisfaction, and increase repeat purchase through loyalty cards. This study examines the effects of customer satisfaction and loyalty cards as well as consumer characteristics on customer share spent on the primary grocery store. The findings suggest that customer satisfaction has a positive, albeit modest, effect on share while consumer economic shopping orientation has a negative direct effect on share. The economic orientation of shoppers, their felt importance of a personal relationship with store personnel, and the level of their aggregate purchase volume moderate the effect of satisfaction on customer share. Finally, the results provide mixed support for the impact of loyalty cards on customer behavior.     

The impact of salespeople's relational behaviors and organizational fairness on customer loyalty: An empirical study in B-to-B relationships

Although customer loyalty has proved to be a powerful determinant of firms' profits, the drivers of loyalty in B-to-B relationships are still unclear. Recognizing that both interpersonal and interorganizational level variables are needed to predict customer loyalty, the aim of this study is to investigate the combined effects of salespersons' relational behavior and organizational fairness in predicting customer satisfaction and loyalty. Results from a field survey in a B-to-B setting show that buyer loyalty is largely determined by the quality of the interpersonal relationship with the seller. Perceived fairness is central for building overall customer satisfaction and loyalty toward the supplier.     

The role of customer contact employees as external customers: A conceptual framework for marketing strategy and future research

Existing streams of literature in marketing, management, and organizational behavior are integrated to propose a conceptual framework that highlights the customer contact employee's dual role as employee and external customer of the organization. Several iterative “cycles of success” are proposed whereby job satisfaction, the employee's patronage of the company's products (i.e., goods or services), and job performance (as customer contact employees) are all enhanced, ultimately leading to long-term relationships (with customers and employees) and profits for the organization. The framework highlights the role of internal marketing as a tool for enhancing the competitive advantage gained by strategically considering the customer contact employee's role as external customer.     

The influence of emotions displayed and personal selling on customer behaviour intention

The impact of employee performance on customer behavioural intentions and consumption behaviour is important to service marketers. In many service settings, service organizations require emotional display and personal selling to stay competitive in todays market. Based on a review of service literature, this study investigates the effect of emotions displayed and personal selling on customer purchase amount and re-patronage intention in convenience-goods retail service settings. This work applies mystery shopper methods to data collected from a Taiwan bakery chain. Analysis of the results from 519 responded questionnaires in this study reveal that positive emotions displayed by contact personnel are unrelated to consumption expenditure, but do affect re-patronage intention. Further, the results show that personal selling negatively influences consumption amount. This study suggests that service managers consider enhancing their emotional display perspective in human resource practices, and focus on performing personal selling as a consumer need, in different service industries.     

The impact of shopper mood and retail salesperson credibility on shopper attitudes and behaviour

This paper examines the effect of shopper mood and salesperson credibility in a retailing context. It predicts that shoppers in good moods will respond positively to a high-credibility salesperson but not a low-credibility one. Using a three-way full-factorial experimental design, this notion is supported. Credible salespeople are found to have a positive effect on shoppers in good moods, but not bad moods, with respect to salesperson evaluations, to purchase intentions and to intentions to seek out the salesperson in subsequent shopping.     

The influence of national culture and industry structure on grocery retail customer loyalty

This study examines, for the first time, the influence of national culture and industry structure on customer loyalty in grocery retailing. Grocery retailers have a long and continued history of international expansion and it is vital to understand how loyalty can be nurtured in different contexts. Thematic analysis of focus groups conducted in the culturally and structurally disparate countries of the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka provide unique insights. Key differences have been identified around consumer preferences and perceptions of loyalty programmes and the key drivers of different loyalty types. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

The impact of technological and organizational implementation of CRM on customer acquisition, maintenance, and retention

In recent years, customer relationship management (CRM) has been a topic of the utmost importance for scholars and managers. Despite the evidence provided by numerous empirical studies, many companies that have implemented CRM systems report unsatisfactory levels of improvement. This study analyzes what influence companies can expect CRM implementation to have on performance and how they can leverage its impact. The authors propose a conceptual model that investigates the link between technological and organizational implementations, as well as the implementations' interactions with management and employee support and CRM process-related performance. By measuring CRM performance in terms of the initiation, maintenance, and retention of customer relationships, the study provides a detailed picture of what CRM implementations are capable of achieving. The results of the empirical study, conducted across four industries and ten European countries, indicate that CRM implementation does not impact performance equally for different aspects of the CRM process, and that it has an impact only if adequately supported by the appropriate company stakeholders.     

Service quality dimensions and superior customer perceived value in retail banks: An empirical study on Mexican consumers

This study concerns the service quality topic in the retail bank sector. A sample of 209 retail bank clients was taken, measuring the performance of service quality attributes of their principle retail bank. Behavioral performance variables such as satisfaction, loyalty and customer perceived value were also measured. In a factor analyses the attributes were separated into three factors. These three independent factors explain a considerable amount of variability of a satisfaction–loyalty factor. On the other hand, they could not explain the superior perceived value; and no differences between the service quality performances of the bank brands were found. In conclusion, regardless of the degree of satisfaction and loyalty, the customer is not willing to pay more for banking services at his regular bank than he would at other brands. This implies that superior perceived value is not being achieved via service quality, which suggests a lack of differentiation between brands in this sector.     

The effects of service quality,perceived value and trust in home delivery service personnel on customer satisfaction: Evidence from a developing country

The rapid growth of online purchasing in recent years has emphasized the accompanying role of home delivery service provided by delivery personnel in ensuring customer satisfaction. On-time delivery, better service, generating positive customer perceived value, and trust towards service providers are influential factors that contribute to customer satisfaction. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of service quality of home delivery personnel and perceived value on customer satisfaction, with trust playing an intervening role. It was conducted in Dhaka, Bangladesh, a less developed country with a new but rapidly growing digital sector. Data was collected from 259 respondents who received home delivery service, using a structured questionnaire. The conceptual model was analysed using partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS tool. The findings revealed that service quality, customer perceived value, and trust influenced customer satisfaction. The relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction and the relationship between customer perceived value and satisfaction were both partially mediated by trust. The findings contribute to the development and validation of a trust-based satisfaction model by extending the SERVQUAL model to incorporate perceived value in the presence of trust, while complying with expectation disconfirmation theory This study provides insights for managers to develop reliability and build trust in their service delivery personnel.     

Integration of standardization and customization: Impact on service quality,customer satisfaction,and loyalty

The basic objective of this study is to analyse the direct and indirect impacts of standardization and customization on customer satisfaction and loyalty through service quality. The service quality has two dimensions: technical quality and functional quality. A framework is developed by extending Grӧnroos’ model of service quality by including the antecedents of service quality. A questionnaire-based survey collected data from 315 customers of three service industries: healthcare, hospitality, and education. The data was analysed and the model validated using PLS-SEM. The findings show that: (1) integration of standardization and customization of service offerings is critical for improved service quality; (2) standardization has higher impact on service quality when compared to customization; (3) functional quality has higher impact on customer satisfaction when compared to technical quality; and (4) customer satisfaction has a significant effect on customer loyalty. The contribution of this study is the development of an integrated framework to analyse the roles of standardization and customization on service quality.     

The social significance of AI in retail on customer experience and shopping practices

This paper draws on practice-informed, ethnographic research to develop an understanding of the novel social consequences and opportunities afforded from consumers' interactions with AI digital humans as part of the in-store shopping experience. We reveal and interrogate consumers’ experiences with AI digital humans in an exploratory study undertaken during the launch phase of an in-store kiosk digital store greeter in a flagship store of a large national technology and appliance chain. Our findings contribute to understanding the social significance of AI in retail on customer experience (CX) and the managerial implications of consumers interactions with AI digital humans are described and discussed.