Predicting Apparel and Gift Retail Buyers' Satisfaction with the Services of A Regional Merchandise Mart: From the Industrial Services Marketing Perspective

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to predict apparel and gift retail buyers' satisfaction with a western regional merchandise mart and its service offering in the context of the mart as a service organization. The 643 respondents who were clients of a regional mart were included in the analysis. Variables investigated included buyers' overall satisfaction and seven specific dimensions of satisfaction identified by a factor analysis, and buyers' attitudinal, individual and store characteristics. Stepwise multiple regression analysis identified that retail buyers' overall satisfaction with the mart was predicted by four specific dimensions of satisfaction—Merchandise Lines/Sales Reps, Mart Staffs, Hotel Services, and Publications/Seminars. The overall satisfaction, however, was not predicted by the other three dimensions of satisfaction (Social Events, Parking/Food, and Location/Airfare) nor by retail buyers' attitudinal, individual and store characteristics. Further analysis revealed that the seven specific factors of satisfaction were predicted by retail buyers' selected variables of attitudinal (i.e., information-seeking), individual (i.e., gender), and store (i.e., sales volume) characteristics. Results from this study theoretically contribute to the industrial service organization models. Managerial and educational implications are also discussed.