Retail positioning through customer satisfaction: an alternative explanation to the resource-based view

Through exploring factors influencing effective retail positioning strategies in an emerging market environment, this paper challenges the role of isolation mechanism and heterogeneous idiosyncrasy argued by the resource-based view theory. By drawing on a sample of 11,577 customers from hypermarkets, electronic appliance specialty stores and department stores in major Chinese cities, we set up ten hypotheses and confirm a nine-item model for customeroriented retail positioning (perceived price, store image, product, shopping environment, customer service, payment process, after-sales service, store policies, and shopping convenience). Our results show that different retail formats achieve success through the implementation of similar positioning strategies, in which case, it is not heterogeneity but homogeneity that contributes to retailers' success greatly at the development stage of retail expansion. Our results challenge previously proved effectiveness of inimitability to success by the resource-based view, and support homogenous idiosyncrasy of retailers in the implementation of customer-oriented positioning strategies in an emerging market

Measuring consumer perceptions of online shopping convenience

The aim of this master thesis is to identify which dimensions of convenience affect consumers’ intention of using online shopping. Also it explores a conceptual model to measuring consumer perceptions of online shopping convenience. This paper contains prospects about online consumer behavior, and the results have important implications for retailers, managers and marketers, related to online shopping strategies. An empirical investigation was carried out to test the hypotheses. In order to answer the research question, data collection was done through a web-based survey with a convenient sample as a means to collect customers’ feedback, opinion, feelings, attitudes, and perceptions about their last online shopping experience. The findings were further discussed in the light of existing literature. The sample includes 250 young Portuguese anonymous participants. It was used a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) in the scale validation for the analysis and measurement of specific constructs and a Structural Equation Model (SEM) in order to test the relationships of the model. The results reveal that the model proposed Possession, Transaction and Evaluation are the dimensions with more influence in online shopping convenience. The outcomes of this study help to understand which dimensions of online convenience prevent or encourage the use intention of online shopping. The results not only help develop a better understanding of online shopping theories for researchers, but they also offer viable knowledge to those involved in promoting online shopping to potential purchasers

Online Store Service Convenience, Customer Satisfaction and Behavioural Intentions: A Focus on Utilitarian Oriented Shoppers

The paper investigates, using transaction cost theory, the concept of service convenience and its influence on utilitarian customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions to repurchase from an online store. Data used in the analysis was collected from utilitarian oriented online shoppers from Gauteng, South Africa using a structured questionnaire. According to the findings search, evaluation, order and possession convenience were identified as unique,reliable and valid dimensions of service convenience in the context of online shopping. The four dimensions were all found to exert significant direct influence on utilitarian customers’ level of satisfaction as well as on intentions to repurchase from specific online stores. The findings further showed that service convenience can be conceptualised as a second order factor made up of all the identified four dimensions and that when conceptualised this way the explanatory power of service convenience on both customersatisfaction and repurchase intentions is greatly enhanced. Additionally, the results show thatoverall satisfaction on the relationship between service convenience and behavioural intentions to repurchase from an online store plays a significant mediating role when service convenience is considered at the dimensional level but not at the overall level. The findings in this study validate the transaction cost theory in the context of online shopping and contribute to a better understanding of the concept of service convenience and its influence on utilitarian oriented online customers. The findings have wide managerial implications on use of convenience as a source of value creation for online store managers and these have been outlined in the paper

The Influence Of Customer Perceived Value And Attitude Toward Local Supermarket Choice

In the competitive environment of retailing, the income and popularity of grocery stores are much dependent on customer’s choice to their stores. Many studies have focused on shoppers on evaluating store attributes such as merchandise prices, store atmosphere, quality and store convenience that form their attitude toward store and in turn affect supermarket choice. Dalam persekitaran peruncitan yang kompetitif, pendapatan dan populariti stor runcit banyak bergantung kepada pilihan pengguna untuk memilih stor tersebut. Banyak kajian telah memberi tumpuan kepada pembeli yang menilai ciri-ciri stor seperti contoh harga barangan, persekitaran stor, kualiti and kemudahan stor yang akan membentuk sikap mereka terhadap stor yang kemudianya mempengaruhi pilihan stor pasaraya

E-service quality:development of a hierarchical model

Using survey data from 358 online customers, the study finds that the e-service quality construct conforms to the structure of a third-order factor model that links online service quality perceptions to distinct and actionable dimensions, including (1) website design, (2) fulfilment, (3) customer service, and (4) security/privacy. Each dimension is found to consist of several attributes that define the basis of e-service quality perceptions. A comprehensive specification of the construct, which includes attributes not covered in existing scales, is developed. The study contrasts a formative model consisting of 4 dimensions and 16 attributes against a reflective conceptualization. The results of this comparison indicate that studies using an incorrectly specified model overestimate the importance of certain e-service quality attributes. Global fit criteria are also found to support the detection of measurement misspecification. Meta-analytic data from 31,264 online customers are used to show that the developed measurement predicts customer behavior better than widely used scales, such as WebQual and E-S-Qual. The results show that the new measurement enables managers to assess e-service quality more accurately and predict customer behavior more reliably

Airline service quality evaluation: A review on concepts and models

This paper reviews different major service quality concept and models which led to great developments in evaluating service quality with focusing on improvement process of the models through discussing criticisms of each model. Criticisms against these models are discussed to clarify development steps of newer models which led to the improvement of airline service quality models. The precise and accurate evaluation of service quality needs utilizing a reliable concept with comprehensive criteria and effective measurement techniques as the fundamentals of a valuable framework. In this paper, service quality models improvement is described based on three major service quality concepts, the disconfirmation, performance and hierarchical concepts which are developed subsequently. Reviewing various criteria and different measurement techniques such a statistical analysis and multi-criteria decision making assist researchers to have a clear understanding of the development of the evaluation framework in the airline industry. This study aims at promoting reliable frameworks for evaluating airline service quality in different countries and societies due to economic, cultural and social aspects of each society

The Antecedents of Customer Loyalty in Malaysian Retail-Shopping Setting

Customer loyalty is gaining considerable interest from academics and business practitioners because both are interested in knowing the driving forces that enhance a company’s competitiveness. Despite the importance of customer loyalty, there is still a lack of comprehensive work to explore how customers develop loyalty to a particular retailing outlet, and how that loyalty can be maintained. The main objective of this study is to explore the antecedents of customer loyalty from both attitudinal and behavioral perspectives based on two underpinning theories. The underpinning theories are the Oliver’s Four-Stage Loyalty Model and the Mehrabian-Russell’s Environmental Psychology Model. The study setting is on retail-shopping in Malaysia, which focuses on the hypermarkets. The data is collected from a few hypermarkets within Klang Valley and Putrajaya. The instrument used in the study is a self-administered questionnaire. As for the statistical analysis, Structural Equation Modeling is used to test the hypotheses. The findings disclose that the antecedents of cognitive loyalty are the components of store image. They are service quality, product quality, product selection, store atmosphere, and promotion activity. The antecedents for affective loyalty are customer satisfaction, loyalty program, and retailer brand equity. The antecedent for conative loyalty is customer commitment. Likewise, the antecedent for action loyalty is conative loyalty. However, there are no mediating effects of emotional states on cognitive loyalty, affective loyalty, and conative loyalty. Thus, there are three strategic tools that dominate attitudinal aspect, namely, store image, loyalty program, and retailer brand equity. In addition, the findings of the study reveal that the relationships between the four stages in Oliver’s model of cognitive loyalty to affective loyalty, affective loyalty to conative loyalty, and conative loyalty to action loyalty are positive and significant. The study concludes that the Malaysian hypermarket’s customer loyalty level is evolving in stages. Hence, the establishment of attitude-behavior relationship has a great meaning to the retailers due to its predictive power, particularly in marketing strategy formulation

Comprehensive Evaluation of E-Service Quality Determinants. "Studying the Impact of these Key Quality Determinants On The Satisfaction and Loyalty of Online Jordanian Customers"

The wide use of Internet and the advancement in information and communication technologies have significantly changed the way business is conducted. Over the last decade or so online shopping tendency has increased all over the world. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of customer service quality, system quality, information quality, security &privacy quality, website quality, convenience quality, economic value quality and empathy quality on customer's satisfaction and loyalty "the case of online Jordanian customers". The study is based on a set of null hypotheses that hypnotizes no significance impact of these qualities on customers' satisfaction and customers' loyalty. A quantitative approach is used and relevant data was collected through structured questionnaire distributed to residents of Jordan. The relevant responses of subjects for the study consisted of 680 people. SPSS version 16 was used to for data analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis.  Statistical tools were aligned with objective of the research. For this purpose, frequency tables, percentages, means and standard deviations were computed and then substantively interpreted. Inferential statistics like Pearson product moment correlation coefficient (r) and linear regression were used to determine if there is a significant positive relationship existed between the independent variables and the dependent variables. The findings indicate that customer service quality, system quality, information quality, security &privacy quality, website quality, convenience quality, economic value quality and empathy quality  were found to be  positively correlated and claimed statistically significant relationship with customers' satisfaction and customers' loyalty. Analysis and interpretations made at 0.05 level of significance. The study concluded that the impact of these variables is differentials as per customer's perceptions. Furthermore, service providers should concentrate on all e-service qualities to satisfy customers and earn their loyalty. Strict adherence well enable e-service providers to gain online competitive advantage and sustain their businesses in the virtual environment.  Keywords: E-Service Quality, Online, Customers' Satisfaction, loyalty. Jorda