Customer Experience in Traditional and Modern Retail Formats: A Case Study of Vietnam

Abstract

Customer experience that is co-created by both sides of the service provider and customer becomes a main element toward competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to examine the customer experience toward two major retail types: the Vietnamese traditional retail format (wet market) and modern retail sector (supermarket). The data mentioned throughout this paper were obtained by a survey, and the results indicate that while the strengths of supermarkets are brought by the facility, safety, and hygiene products, the strength of the wet market is sustained by aspects such as freshness, relationship, and context. The results show that interpersonal relationships are the essential component that makes the way in which the wet market can maintain its sustainability. The results pave the way for recommendations of some policies.