The Effect of Accessibility and Retail Service Quality on Repeat Purchase in the Traditional Store of the Consumer

Service quality in supermarket retailing: identifying critical service experiences

Service quality is a major area of attention for researchers. It has a strong impact on cost, customer satisfaction, loyalty and profitability. In retailing, the perception of service quality is different from other service environments. In retail stores there is a mix of product and service; retailers are likely to have more impact on service quality than that of product quality. Thus service quality plays a significant role in creating quality perception. Retail service quality is also associated with future consumption behavior in terms of the customer’s intention to visit, purchase and recommendations to others. Hence, it is important for the retail managers to evaluate retail service quality in the stores.The purpose of this research paper is to find out how customers perceive the overall retail service quality in Big Bazaar hypermarkets in National Capital Territory of Delhi (India). Big Bazaar is the largest hypermarket chain in India. Big Bazaar is an agglomeration of bazaars offering a wide range of merchandise including fashion and apparel, food product, general merchandise, furniture, electronic, book, fast food and leisure and entertainment. Hence it is ideal for our study.The main theoretical model adopted for measuring the retail service quality was the Retail Service Quality Scale (RSQS) which is a 28 item scale with five dimensions: Physical Aspect, Reliability, Personal Interaction, Problem Solving and Policy developed by Dabholkar, Thorpe and Rentz (1996) in the U.S. and considered valid across a variety of formats and cultural contexts. Methodologically, the study was a cross-sectional case survey conducted with the help of structured questionnaire. A survey of 125 shoppers in hypermarkets of Big Bazaar in five different zones of NCT of Delhi was conducted. Responses were measured on a five-point Likert scale. Demographic information like gender, age, marital status, employment status, education level and income was also collected. Additional three questions pertaining to the customer’s future intentions to shop, purchase and recommend the stores were also included. The analysis part included descriptive and statistical analysis. The gap analysis model was used to examine how consumers perceive service quality in Big Bazaar hypermarkets. Through the correlation analysis, it was verified that retail service quality is associated with future consumption behaviour.

The goal of this study is to investigate customer satisfaction with the retail service quality at ZARA Vietnam outlets by using the Retail Service Quality Scale (RSQS) on five dimensions such as reliability, physical aspects, problem-solving, personal interaction, and policy. By using Smart PLS 3.2.0 software for a sample of 186 ZARA clients, the results showed that consumer satisfaction with the retail service quality at ZARA stores is fulfilled in physical aspects, reliability, problem-solving, and policy. On the other hand, personal interactions were not appreciated by customers. The findings provide some guidance for foreign fashion brands on how to improve retail service quality in Vietnam.

IKEA Alam Sutera is a conventional furniture company with the theme of self-service shopping that is still new to the people of Indonesia. There is a retail service quality that is a variable on the experience of consumers in receiving IKEA services that have problems in them and cause dissatisfaction from customers, therefore the customer satisfaction variable is used in this study. It also has the aim to know whether customers can still be loyal to IKEA with the customer loyatly variable. The sample of this research was 100 respondents who were IKEA consumers who had made purchases at least 2 times. Location of this research at IKEA Alam Sutera offline store at Tanggerang Indonesia and the respondents answer the question by google form. The data analysis technique used is descriptive analysis and path analysis with the help of SPSS version 23 software. The results of this research were first there is a direct influence of retail service quality on customer satisfaction of 21.5%. Second, there is a direct influence of retail service quality on customer loyalty of 21%. Third, there is a direct effect of customer satisfaction on customer loyalty of 18.7%. Finally, there is non-direct influence of retail service quality on customer loyalty through customer satisfaction of 41% at IKEA Alam Sutera. Keywords: customer loyalty, customer satisfaction, retail service quality

PurposeEnhancing retailing service quality (RSQ) serves as a basic strategy for gaining competitive advantage in the retailing industry and enables retailers to make a loyal customer base. The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically investigate a comprehensive mechanism for enhancing customer loyalty to retail stores via service quality practices. This study suggests information on retailers can be the antecedent of the RSQ and its dimensions, thereby proposing a comprehensive mechanism for enhancing customer loyalty to retailers.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected using questionnaire surveys from 2,375 customers of three main supermarkets in Sri Lanka. After testing the measurement model, two structural models were run to test hypotheses.FindingsThe findings showed that the RSQ positively influenced customer loyalty. From all the RSQ dimensions, the store’s physical aspects, personal interaction and policy had a significant influence on customer loyalty. The findings also demonstrated that information on retailers contributes to enhancing a customer’s favorable evaluation of the supermarket’s physical aspects, personal interaction and retailing policy.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was conducted with supermarket customers in one country using the cross-sectional data. Hence, the model should be replicated among retail customers in other countries with the longitudinal data.Practical implicationsPractically, this study recommends to retailers which dimensions of service quality they need to focus to enhance customer loyalty to their business. The study furthermore recommends certain dimensions that need to be emphasized while retailers design their promotional and communication programs.Originality/valueInformation on retailers has been suggested as an antecedent for enhancing supermarkets’ service quality practices. Thus, this study proposes a comprehensive mechanism for enhancing customer loyalty to retailers via service quality practices.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the influence of retail service quality towards satisfaction and trust in the context of the Indonesian traditional market. The proposed model also aims to examine the relationship between retail service quality, satisfaction, trust, and loyalty. A study has been conducted on 400 shoppers in 16 traditional markets around Bandung, Indonesia. Structural equation modelling procedure was used to test the proposed research model. The results of this research indicate that retail service quality positively influences satisfaction and trust. However, it negatively affects loyalty. Furthermore, satisfaction and trust both positively influence loyalty. Similarly, satisfaction also positively influences trust. Satisfaction and trust mediate the relationship between retail service quality and loyalty.

This study aimed to analyze customer satisfaction as an intervening variable on the relationship between the influence of retail service quality and customer satisfaction at Uniqlo Indonesia. Consumer loyalty is an important aspect to consider in the clothing retail business because consumer loyalty will directly influence the business continuity. This is a major concern for Uniqlo, a clothing business from Japan, in reaching the Indonesian market share. Uniqlo consumers show a great deal of loyalty, and whether their loyalty could be influenced by the retail service quality offered by Uniqlo is an issue that needs further testing. This research included a descriptive study with an associative method using path analysis involving 100 consumers who have shopped at Uniqlo Indonesia as respondents, with purposive sampling techniques. The results of the study stated that retail service quality has an influence on customer loyalty at Uniqlo. Likewise, when tested using customer satisfaction as an intervening variable, retail service quality displayed a greater effect on customer loyalty. For that reason, Uniqlo Indonesia should pay attention to its retail service quality and customer satisfaction in order to gain more customer loyalty.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the influence of retail service quality towards satisfaction and trust in the context of the Indonesian traditional market. The proposed model also aims to examine the relationship between retail service quality, satisfaction, trust, and loyalty. A study has been conducted on 400 shoppers in 16 traditional markets around Bandung, Indonesia. Structural equation modelling procedure was used to test the proposed research model. The results of this research indicate that retail service quality positively influences satisfaction and trust. However, it negatively affects loyalty. Furthermore, satisfaction and trust both positively influence loyalty. Similarly, satisfaction also positively influences trust. Satisfaction and trust mediate the relationship between retail service quality and loyalty.

This study seeks to establish the validity and reliability of the five-dimensional retail service quality scale in the Indian organised apparel multi-brand retail stores context and examines the effect of the determinants of service quality on overall service quality. It also attempts to investigate how retail service quality is associated with satisfaction and customer loyalty. Structural equation modelling is used to test these proposed relationships between the constructs. The results of the study established the reliability and validity of the scale. The findings demonstrated the influence of retail service quality on customer loyalty and satisfaction as well as the mediating role of satisfaction in the relationship between retail service quality and loyalty of customers towards the stores. Further, it examines the impact of individual service quality dimensions on customer loyalty and customer satisfaction.

Retail is a service activity, and services are something that makes the retail companies differ from production companies. Retailers are trying to differentiate the 'package' offer, build customer loyalty and make their position through the provision of high service quality. In addition, the services provided can be varied, such as exterior and interior design of retail stores, preparation of goods for sale, appearance and behavior of sales personnel, culture of communication with customers, and services provided after the sales process. Consumers require the service quality when making purchasing decision. For retail companies and retail stores it is important to continuously monitor the level of service quality. In order to measure the service quality, the method that found its application in the theory and practice is SERVQUAL. This model was created as a combination of theoretical and practical research and it looks at the quality of service as the content of the following dimensions: tangibles, reliability, sensitivity, security and empathy. As such, it is a function of the difference between perceptions and expectations (Q = P-E) and is widely accepted to measure the service quality in traditional retail stores, public sector, higher education, real estate, hospitals, courts and so on. In addition, this model is widely used to measure service quality in e-retailing, e-banking, e-selling of travel packages and other services provided by electronic means. The main assumption is that services are a key factor in making purchasing decision. The aim of this paper is to, through theoretical and practical research with special emphasis on SERVQUAL method, test the initial hypothesis and recognize the level of service quality in retail chains in Southeast Serbia.

In Indonesia, the loyalty of traditional retail stores to suppliers in business relationships has not been widely described and explored, especially in the current era of digital transformation. Meanwhile, their business potential is enormous, with an estimated business value of 817 trillion per year. This business value contributes to 69% of the total Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) retail industry business in Indonesia. The research aimed to describe the situation of traditional retail stores with suppliers and their level of loyalty in the Business to Business (B2B) market. The research also wanted to find out the respondents’ profiles in relation to loyalty indicators. The method applied was a descriptive analysis method to map perceptions and opinions of traditional retail stalls against suppliers. Furthermore, the Top Two Box method was used to assess the loyalty level, while the respondents’ profiles were analyzed using cross-tabulation analysis. The respondents were 500 owners of traditional retail stores with proportionate stratified random sampling through an offline questionnaire. The results show that the retail service quality, trust, commitment, and satisfaction are relatively good. Meanwhile, the merchandising and website quality need to be improved. Approximately 75,4% of retail stores are loyal to their suppliers, while the remaining 24,6% are disloyal. These results are useful for supply companies to establish business-to-business relationships with traditional retail stores in Indonesia to create, develop, and maintain maximum loyalty.

<p>There is a paucity of knowledge relating to retail service quality and customer loyalty intentions in emerging markets, and especially in Vietnam. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between these two variables in the Vietnam retail sector. Survey data are collected from 502 respondents who are current customers of eight retail stores in the city of Hanoi. The results support five dimensions of retail service quality, namely personal interaction, store policy, physical aspects, reliability and problem solving. Out of these, three dimensions of reliability, personal interaction and problem solving are significantly associated with customer loyalty intentions. This study contributes to the evolving literature and suggests that local and foreign retailers should particularly invest time and effort to increase stores’ reliability, quality of customer interaction and effectiveness in solving customer problems. </p>

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to validate the Retail Service Quality Scale (RSQS) developed by Dabholkar et al. in the Malaysian business setting, specifically in the context of apparel specialty stores.Design/methodology/approachTwo well‐known retail clothing store chains were selected for this study. Purposive sampling method was used, with a total of 211 responses collected from customers of all X and Y's chain stores in the northern region of Malaysia.FindingsThe paper finds that all the five dimensions: physical aspects, reliability, personal interaction, problem solving, and policy, are highly suited for measuring retail service quality in clothing stores, also proving that the instrument is applicable in the Malaysian setting. Retail service quality is furthermore associated with future consumption behaviour in terms of the customers' intention to visit, purchase and recommend the stores to others.Research limitations/implicationsThe instrument is proven to be valid, reliable and appropriate for studying retail businesses that offer a mix of services and merchandise. The instrument is also applicable in another culture other than the USA, namely Malaysia.Practical implicationsRetailers can utilize the instrument for benchmarking current levels of retail service quality, carrying out periodic inspections to measure service performance and improvement, as well as to detect problematic areas of service quality within the stores that are in need of attention.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the somewhat limited studies carried out on instrument validation in Malaysia. Furthermore, the RSQS is tested in Malaysia – a country with a vibrant, dynamic retail environment and heightened consumer awareness for fashion and retail.

The performance of the retailing sector from the past few has been outstanding. The paper focuses on retail service quality that contributes to customer perception. Retail service quality was measured by using five dimensions like reliability, personal interaction, physical aspects, problem solving and policy. The research used RSQS scale at More Supermarket in Mandya city. The data was collected from 200 respondents using likert scale and SPSS 19 versions was used to analyse the data. The result revealed that all the five dimensions were positively significant to customer perception. Positive Customer perception is very important to a business as it leads to loyalty and in return make repeat orders, the organisation also offers a wide range of services to its customer.

Service quality has received considerable attention from marketers. However, current measures of service quality do not adequately capture customers' perceptions of service quality for highly service oriented technical products retailing. This study explored the usefulness of SERVPERF, the perceptions component of SERVQUAL and a retail service quality scale (the DTR scale, proposed by Dabholkar et al. 1996) in measuring the service quality of electronic goods retailers, where service is an important component. Results indicate that SERVPERF is slightly better than the DTR scale. A modified scale comprising selected items from both scales was generated by factor analysis on the data collected. Five factors, namely ‘Service Personnel,’ ‘Physical Aspects,’ ‘Merchandise,’ ‘Confidence’ and ‘Parking’ consisting of a total of 21 items were derived. Results of the modified scale (termed herein SERVPERF TPR) measured the service quality of electronic retailers slightly more effectively than either the DTR or SERV-PERF scales.