Gender on Customer Based Brand Equity: A Case of OK (Bindura) Supermarket

Albert Musekiwa,Felix Chikosha,Langton Runyowa

doi:10.5539/ijbm.v9n11p254

Abstract

In today’s competitive environment gender has become a key success factor used in key marketing decision suchas segmentation, target marketing and relationship marketing. This study sought to determine if there wasdifference on supermarket brand equity and its dimensions for OK supermarket Bindura along gender. Inabsolute terms there was difference between male and female customers when considering means. However,hypotheses test results showed that there was no significant brand equity difference along gender. This wasconsidered to be unsustainable situation when taking into account that female customers were the majority ofcustomers. Consequently, the study recommended that OK stores should intensify marketing efforts towardsfemale customers who formed the majority of its customers.

Highlights

There are many brands in Zimbabwe and internationally that carry gender identities such as Truworths Women, Raffels Men, Virginia Slims and Estee Lauder
Male customers prioritize product quality more than service quality (Gocek et al, 2007; Homburg and Giering, 2001). the dearth of literature from an African perspective has motivated this study on the role of gender in supermarket brand equity
Correlations of brand equity dimensions revealed that awareness and association had a strong positive correlation of 0.8

Summary

Introduction

There are many brands in Zimbabwe and internationally that carry gender identities such as Truworths Women, Raffels Men, Virginia Slims and Estee Lauder. Male customers prioritize product quality more than service quality (Gocek et al, 2007; Homburg and Giering, 2001). the dearth of literature from an African perspective has motivated this study on the role of gender in supermarket brand equity. Report by Zimbabwe All Media Products Survey (ZAMPS)) has shown that OK supermarkets dominate the supermarket industry in Zimbabwe (ZAMPS, 2011). It dominates in terms of market coverage and size. The increasingly important role played by gender in brand equity which has been highlighted in many studies (Jung and Lee, 2006; Yee, 2008) cannot be overlooked by OK if it wishes to maintain market leadership position in the supermarket industry. This study will become a reference point for decision makers and academics of supermarket industry from an African perspective

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion