African Consumers Research Articles

Brand Consciousness of BOP Consumers in South Africa

Bottom of the pyramid (BOP) consumers are not just basing their purchase decisions on price and affordability but on the value derived from good-quality brands. Hence, this study assesses the brand-consciousness of South African BOP consumers in terms of brand awareness, differentiation, recognition, loyalty, trust and preferences for leading brands. The aim is to understand the brand consciousness of the South African BOP market so that suitable brand management strategies may be formulated to profitably serve the needs of this market. The population (2 556 422 elements) included BOP consumers living in relative poverty within the rural areas of South Africa from which a sample of 600 subjects was drawn using area sampling. Data was collected using a self-development questionnaire whose psychometric properties were statistically assessed and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings reflect that there is a high degree of brand awareness amongst BOP consumers, the majority of BOP consumers are able to easily differentiate between the various brands based on the brands’ logos, design and/or coloring, a significant segment displays brand loyalty which alters when price becomes a factor for consideration and BOP consumers lack trust where new brands are concerned and prefer good quality brands. Furthermore, BOP consumers’ brand consciousness and purchase decisions are influenced by education and income respectively. It can also be concluded that the majority of South African BOP consumers are brand-conscious; hence, brands play an influential role in their consumer decision-making process. Beneficial recommendations are presented for business organizations.

Putting Plant Genetic Diversity and Variability at Work for Breeding: Hybrid Rice Suitability in West Africa

Rice is a staple food in West Africa, where its demand keeps increasing due to population growth. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify high yielding rice cultivars that fulfill this demand locally. Rice hybrids are already known to significantly increase productivity. This study evaluated the potential of Asian hybrids with good adaptability to irrigated and rainfed lowland rice areas in Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal. There were 169 hybrids from China included in trials at target sites during 2009 and 2010. The genotype × environment interaction was highly significant (p < 0.0001) for grain yield indicating that the hybrids’ and their respective cultivar checks’ performance differed across locations. Two hybrids had the highest grain yield during 2010 in Mali, while in Nigeria, four hybrids in 2009 and one hybrid in 2010 had higher grain yield and matured earlier than the best local cultivar. The milling recovery, grain shape and cooking features of most hybrids had the quality preferred by West African consumers. Most of the hybrids were, however, susceptible to African rice gall midge (AfRGM) and Rice Yellow Mottle Virus (RMYV) isolate Ng40. About 60% of these hybrids were resistant to blast. Hybrids need to incorporate host plant resistant for AfRGM and RYMV to be grown in West Africa.

Consumption patterns and demographic factors influence on fruit juice classifications, health benefits and sugar content perceptions in two Municipal Districts in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Objectives: The study ascertained consumer perceptions of differences between fruit juice classifications regarding their respective health benefits and sugar content. The research also considered the influence of consumption patterns and demographic factors.Design: A cross-sectional quantitative study design was used via a structured self-administered questionnaire.Setting: Fruit juice consumers (aged 16 – 66+; male and females; adolescent and adults; Black, Coloured, White, Indian and Asian) who resided in the Western Cape in the City of Cape Town and Cape Winelands municipal districts.Subjects: A sample of 7 640 fruit juice consumers.Outcome measures: Fruit juice consumer consumption patterns, fruit juice classifications perceptions and demographic factors were evaluated by means of a generalised linear model (GLM).Results: The majority of respondents agreed that there was a difference between fruit juice classifications. Respondents who consumed fruit juice with higher regularity; drank more fruit juice; bottled and tap water; wanted a decrease in prices and increase in information on fruit juice nutrition/health benefits had favourable perceptions. Black or Coloured respondents and those who were single; female consumers; had higher education levels; and, had a household income volunteered the most favourable perceptions.Conclusions: Based on the results, it can be concluded that consumers are erudite about the differences, health benefits and sugar content of fruit juice classifications. A number of consumption patterns and demographic factors also had an influence on consumer perceptions; hence, increased information should be disseminated to encourage South African consumers to pursue healthy balanced diets.

Sink or Swim? Debt Review's Ambivalent "Lifeline" ... a Second Sequel to "… A Tale of Two Judgments" Nedbank v Andrews (240/2011) 2011 ZAECPEHC 29 (10 May 2011); Firstrand Bank Ltd v Evans 2011 4 SA 597 (KZD) and Firstrand Bank Ltd v Janse van Rensburg 2012 2 All SA 186 (ECP)

The interface between the National Credit Act 34 of 2005 and the Insolvency Act 24 of 1936 has been the object of our courts' attention in a number of recent cases including Ex parte Ford and Two Similar Cases 2009 3 SA 376 (WCC), Investec Bank Ltd v Mutemeri 2010 1 SA 265 (GSJ), Naidoo v ABSA Bank Ltd 2010 4 SA 597 (SCA) and, more recently, Nedbank v Andrews (240/2011) 2011 ZAECPEHC 29 (10 May 2011), FirstRand Bank Ltd v Evans 2011 4 597 (KZD) and FirstRand Bank Ltd v Janse van Rensburg 2012 2 All SA 186 (ECP). The question raised in all of the three most recent cases was whether or not a debtor's application for debt review in terms of the National Credit Act constitutes an "act of insolvency" in terms of section 8 of the Insolvency Act, upon which a creditor may rely in an application for the compulsory sequestration of the debtor's estate. If it does, it would mean that by resorting to the debt relief measures provided by the National Credit Act a debtor commits the very act on which a creditor may base an application for a sequestration order which, if granted, will render the debtor's estate insolvent and bring about the liquidation of his assets. From the debtor's perspective, this is probably precisely the situation that he seeks to avert by applying for debt review. Further, sequestration would frustrate the stated purpose of the National Credit Act, which is that debtors should take responsibility for their debts by satisfying them in full. Concurrent creditors might also ultimately receive a dividend which falls far short of what is due to them.The question of whether a debtor's resorting to debt review may or should be the very act that triggers his estate's sequestration and its attendant consequences is an important issue, the treatment of which impacts significantly on the efficacy of the South African consumer debt relief system. This article analyses the most recent judgments and considers whether or not statutory regulation of the position is required.

The Influence of Green Marketing Tools on Green Eating Efficacy and Green Eating Behaviour

This study employs the Legitimacy Theory and Self-efficacy Theory to examine the potential role of green marketing tools in fostering green eating behaviour. Using the mall-intercept technique at major retailers, data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire survey on South African consumers who regularly buy green products. Data analysis was conducted with the aid of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 22.0.The results indicate that South African consumers are significantly influenced by eco-labels and eco-brands when buying green products. The study, however, shows a negative relationship between green advertising and green eating efficacy. It also reveals a positive relationship between green eating efficacy and green eating behaviour. The findings of the study highlighted important implications and policy directions that marketers and policy makers may implement in order to promote green eating behaviour.

Re-Thinking a Structural Model for M-Phone Paying among South African Consumers

Contemporary payment systems have transformed global businesses extensively. Nevertheless, despite its vast prospects, the widespread utilisation of mobile phone technology for payment transactions (m-phone paying) and reproduction of pecuniary structures has only been hemmed in among a small number of markets. The proliferated reliance on mobile payment services has not been witnessed universally, suggesting that even success stories are still ambivalent and as a result, cannot be easily replicated. This paper is intended to address this issue by evaluating the determining factors towards the continued use of m-phone payment services by existing South African customers. The research model was tested using SMART PLS 3, upon examining the antecedents of users’ intentions toward embracing the emerging mobile phone in commercial transactions. A cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of 474 consumers, wherein security and usefulness were validated as having significant and direct effects on consumers’ attitude towards m-phone paying, of which the latter influences future intentions. The relevance of customers’ future intentions towards m-phone paying was established, thereby sanctioning the idea to include the variable as a proxy for actual usage in technology adoption research. This study provides sound reason for cumulative research that seeks to refine novel models of technology acceptance even further. For marketers and m-phone technologists, understanding the key determinants is vital towards the upgrade and implementation of m-phone payment services. In lieu of this, delivering m-phone applications and payment services that achieve high usage, value and consumer laudation will be an inevitable boon.

Re-Thinking a Structural Model for M-Phone Paying among South African Consumers

Contemporary payment systems have transformed global businesses extensively. Nevertheless, despite its vast prospects, the widespread utilisation of mobile phone technology for payment transactions (m-phone paying) and reproduction of pecuniary structures has only been hemmed in among a small number of markets. The proliferated reliance on mobile payment services has not been witnessed universally, suggesting that even success stories are still ambivalent and as a result, cannot be easily replicated. This paper is intended to address this issue by evaluating the determining factors towards the continued use of m-phone payment services by existing South African customers. The research model was tested using SMART PLS 3, upon examining the antecedents of users’ intentions toward embracing the emerging mobile phone in commercial transactions. A cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of 474 consumers, wherein security and usefulness were validated as having significant and direct effects on consumers’ attitude towards m-phone paying, of which the latter influences future intentions. The relevance of customers’ future intentions towards m-phone paying was established, thereby sanctioning the idea to include the variable as a proxy for actual usage in technology adoption research. This study provides sound reason for cumulative research that seeks to refine novel models of technology acceptance even further. For marketers and m-phone technologists, understanding the key determinants is vital towards the upgrade and implementation of m-phone payment services. In lieu of this, delivering m-phone applications and payment services that achieve high usage, value and consumer laudation will be an inevitable boon.

The Influence of Green Marketing Tools on Green Eating Efficacy and Green Eating Behaviour

This study employs the Legitimacy Theory and Self-efficacy Theory to examine the potential role of green marketing tools in fostering green eating behaviour. Using the mall-intercept technique at major retailers, data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire survey on South African consumers who regularly buy green products. Data analysis was conducted with the aid of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 22.0.The results indicate that South African consumers are significantly influenced by eco-labels and eco-brands when buying green products. The study, however, shows a negative relationship between green advertising and green eating efficacy. It also reveals a positive relationship between green eating efficacy and green eating behaviour. The findings of the study highlighted important implications and policy directions that marketers and policy makers may implement in order to promote green eating behaviour.

South African Complaint Forums in the Retail Industry: a Survey of Literature and Some Lessons from the EU

South African consumers receiving poor service in the retail industry want to complain, but have limited or no knowledge of the available consumer complaint forums. The consumer complaint forums in the retail industry can generally be divided into those established in terms of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 and other complaint forums. Before consumers can decide which forum they want to lodge their complaint with, they first need to identify possible complaint forums and then measure each forum according to certain factors. This study made a unique contribution by identifying possible factors which a consumer can refer to in this regard. In developing these factors, guidance was taken from the EU Consumer ADR Directive and the ODR Regulation. The factors suggested in this study included the following: the cost of and time spent on lodging a complaint, the effective functioning of the complaint forum, transparency in the operation of the complaint forum, the relief that a consumer may obtain from the complaint forum, and the user-friendliness of the complaint process. The National Consumer Tribunal, the National Consumer Commission, the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud, and ordinary civil courts were assessed using the above factors. A limitation of this study was that not all complaint forums could be assessed in terms of these factors, due to the lack of publicly available information. This study found that even though South Africans now have more complaint forums at their disposal, this does not translate into positive outcomes for aggrieved consumers. The strength of these forums lies in the buy-in received from both consumers and retailers. True consumer power arises through collective action after careful investigation, and resolving individual complaints may not result in the change of consumer policy which is actually what is required in the long run.

Antecedents and consequences of consumer ethnocentrism: evidence from South Africa

PurposeDespite today’s globalised business world, there is a dearth of knowledge on the influence of consumer ethnocentrism on the purchasing behaviour of consumers in developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumer ethnocentrism, its antecedents and consequences in a developing country (South Africa) and makes recommendations to firms wishing to do business in South Africa.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted among a national sample of South African respondents using a structured questionnaire. The study is unique in that two samples were used, a sample of white and a sample of black respondents. By using two ethnically diverse samples, it was possible to investigate whether there are similarities and/or differences in terms of consumer ethnocentrism, its antecedents and consequences among two major ethnic groups in South Africa.FindingsThe findings suggest that the antecedents of cultural openness, patriotism, individualism and a history of oppression influence consumer ethnocentrism among both black and white South Africans. It was further established that the antecedent nationalism exerts an influence on consumer ethnocentrism among white South African consumers, but not among black South African consumers.Practical implicationsThe results of the study are of value for South African firms as well as those further afield, when developing marketing strategies for the diverse consumer market in South Africa.Originality/valueThis study adds to the existing body of knowledge on consumer ethnocentrism in an emerging market, and more specifically, among different ethnic groups in the same country.

AIDS in the City: Melodrama and the Social Marketing of HIV Prevention in Francophone West Africa

In Francophone West Africa, bilateral and multilateral HIV prevention focuses on combating stigma, increasing awareness, and encouraging safer sexual practices, especially through the use of mass media. This approach works in the service of neoliberal mandates to produce African consumers and to frame the HIV epidemic as an issue to be addressed largely through rational individual choice and integration into commercial markets. The behavior change it promotes and represents relies on securing female reproductive heterosexuality and the family. The melodramatic mode has proven vital to such efforts, for example, in the soap opera SIDA dans la cité (AIDS in the City, Radiodiffusion-Télévision Ivoirienne, 1995, 1996–97, 2003), which consisted of three series produced by the US-based Population Services International (PSI) in Côte d'Ivoire. To the extent that AIDS in the City draws from the techniques and tropes of Hollywood melodrama, Anglo-American feminist film criticism provides useful critical frameworks for reading the series, even as such readings necessitate a broadening of the terms of aesthetic and political debates around melodrama and African media, as well as complicate Anglo-American feminist attempts to recuperate the melodrama as a quintessentially American mode.

Vlisco: Made in Holland, adorned in West Africa, (re)appropriated as Dutch design

Abstract While the idea of ‘Africa’ is sometimes a source of inspiration for brands and designers aimed at the western market, the colourful wax prints by the Dutch company Vlisco were historically made for West and Central African consumers. These fabrics, designed and produced in the Netherlands, have become interconnected with African culture and identity. Established in 1846, the company Vlisco focused on the Dutch East Indies and later West and Central Africa as its export markets. Yet today, Vlisco is playing an increasing role in western fashion, art and design. Moreover, Vlisco has recently collaborated with renowned Dutch designers such as Viktor&Rolf, actively (re)appropriating the wax printed fashion fabrics as Dutch. In this article I explore the multiple layers of cultural (re)appropriation, and the deep-rooted ‘cultural hybridity’, underlying Vlisco’s wax printed fashion fabrics. The most recent form of cultural (re)appropriation is the way in which Vlisco presents itself within the context of Dutch design. In this article I focus on the hybrid cultural dynamics underlying the performance of Africanity – and recent Dutchness – through the use of Vlisco’s fabrics in the context of today’s globalized fashion system.

Do South African Consumers have an Appetite for an Origin-based Certification System for Meat Products? A Synthesis of Studies on Perceptions, Preferences and Experiments

The introduction of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) type certification schemes in countries outside Europe is a recent phenomenon as the philosophy of origin based foods obtains global traction. It is therefore interesting to understand whether consumers in these countries have a similar appreciation for these certification schemes and whether they are willing to pay a premium if the origin of the product is guaranteed. The Karoo Lamb case in South Africa provides an ideal opportunity to explore this question. At the same time the paper illustrates that the results and interpretation of consumer studies are sensitive to the methodology applied. We illustrate this argument by benefitting from a range of consumer studies that was undertaken over a period of five years in order to understand the South African consumers’ perceptions about the Karoo region and their preferences and willingness to pay for the meat product from the Karoo. The studies which we compare and synthesise in this paper used different techniques such as perception analysis; stated preference methods (through a conjoint analysis); and a range of revealed preference methods including, an experimental auction and a retail store experiment. In essence the paper synthesises and compares the results from the different studies and illustrates how different techniques bring different results and conclusions. We then try to establish whether there is consistency in the results across methods to help us getting to a conclusive position on the consumer value of this product. From these results we are able – in a more comprehensive way - to tell whether PDO-type products are likely to be of value to South African consumers.

Domain-specific market segmentation: a wine-related lifestyle (WRL) approach

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to illustrate the use of a domain-specific research instrument (the wine-related lifestyle (WRL)) to determine the different lifestyle-related wine market segments in a country and compare the findings cross-culturally.Design/methodology/approachThe research instrument included 48 psychographic activities, interests and opinions (AIO) statements, plus socio-demographic, product consumption and purchasing questions. A final sample of 376 South African wine consumers was utilised, whereon exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, combined with Hough’s Euclidean test, were applied to determine the existence of clusters (segments), assign descriptions to them, and link these to product consumption data.FindingsFive wine segments recurred when comparing wine market segmentation studies cross-culturally. This means that cross-culturally, similar types of people drink wine with similar AIOs towards wine. In the South African market, four of these segments were identified.Research limitations/implicationsThis study achieved a robust lifestyle-based market segmentation algorithm which can be used by researchers in different country environments for wine as a domain-specific product.Originality/valueThe contribution of this research is threefold in that it tested the WRL instrument in a cross-cultural context which is the first time this has been done; in the process it interpreted the wine consumer segments in South Africa for the first time; using a WRL-based (AIO) approach. The study demonstrated that market segmentation based on psychographic (lifestyle) behaviour is strengthened when supported by two additional segmentation methods, namely, socio-demographics and product involvement (purchasing and consumption).

Evaluating the demand for meat in South Africa: an econometric estimation of short term demand elasticities

ABSTRACTThe study aims to improve understanding of meat demand in South Africa through the estimation of a Linear Approximation of an Almost Ideal Demand System (LA/AIDS) for the South African meat complex which includes beef, mutton, pork and poultry. As the most widely consumed animal protein, a special focus is placed on poultry, which is disaggregated into two separate product groups, namely IQF portions and other poultry products, providing an improved understanding of demand preferences among different poultry cuts. In light of the changes that have occurred in both global agricultural markets and the South African consumer environment over the past decade, the model is estimated based on monthly data from January 2008 to September 2014, yielding short run elasticities. Expenditure elasticity estimates for IQF portions, other poultry products, pork, mutton and beef were 1.17, 1.24, 0.44, 1.07 and 0.8 respectively and the compensated own-price elasticities were estimated as −0.61, −0.43, −0.72, −0.96 and −0.11 for IQF portions, other poultry products, pork, mutton and beef, respectively. Most of the estimated elasticities conformed to a priori expectations, with the exception of poultry expenditure elasticities, which were higher than expected and in line with luxury goods, rather than normal goods, as the most affordable source of protein. Within the lower income consumer groups, where poultry dominates meat consumption, it was argued that meat in itself is a luxury good, reflected in the elasticities of poultry as the most affordable entry point into the meat market.

From Main Street to Mall: The Rise and Fall of the American Department Store by Vicki Howard

Reviewed by: From Main Street to Mall: The Rise and Fall of the American Department Store by Vicki Howard Traci Parker (bio) From Main Street to Mall: The Rise and Fall of the American Department Store. By Vicki Howard. (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015. Pp. 304. $34.95 cloth) From the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth century, department stores were portals to luxury, innovators of modern retailing, and major players in the development of center cities. Today, department stores are considered passé and fêted as “historic or nostalgic artifacts” that epitomize the good old days of urban life and leisure (p. 5). Vicki Howard examines this transformation in From Main Street to Mall: The Rise and Fall of the American Department Store. She rejects the conventional wisdom offered by marketing and retail scholars—the idea that the rise and fall of department stores was simply “part of a life cycle” of retailing (p. 5). Instead, she argues that their course was shaped by structural shifts in the U.S. economy, the rise and proliferation of chain and discount stores, suburbanization, the decline of American cities, and the actions (as well as inactions) of the state. She also insists that the department store industry itself made decisions that facilitated the birth and success of discounters, as well as its own demise. In doing all of this, Howard makes significant contributions to our historical understanding of American department stores—those in and outside major cities—and their relationship to the state and other retailers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. [End Page 304] Howard’s book is an impressive achievement. Well written and extensively researched, it deftly builds on the works of Susan Porter Benson, Lizabeth Cohen, Alison Isenberg, William R. Leach, Richard Longstreth, and Daniel Opler, among others, while engaging department store records, trade publications, and newspapers. What distinguishes From Main Street to Mall from other books on department stores, however, is its meticulous attention to the industry’s relationship with the government through the decades. Department stores welcomed the support and protection of state and federal governments when they believed their interests and goals would be safeguarded. However, when government agencies sought to implement fair-trade legislation, protect price maintenance, or pursue any policy retailers believed would undermine their power, department stores strategically campaigned against government oversight. In such instances, they even went as far as to ally themselves with their competitors—chain and discount stores—to push for a laissez-faire program. In the end, Howard argues, it was “loose federal oversight of the financial sector and the explosion of leveraged buyouts” that “allowed a wave of ‘retail-merger mania’ . . . and left far fewer firms standing” in the final decades of the twentieth century (p. 199). From Main Street to Mall is arguably at its best when exploring postwar department stores and their efforts to expand and modernize in the face of the discount revolution and federal policies that supported the decentralization of cities. However, its consideration of the industry during the civil rights movement may leave some readers wanting more. Howard rightly notes that many merchants, specifically those in the South, “opposed federally mandated desegregation of public accommodations” (p. 160). She also rightly credits grassroots activism and government intervention for integrating these spaces on behalf of African American workers and consumers. But Howard surprisingly makes no mention of the urban disturbances of the 1960s or how department stores often thwarted integration by shifting into suburban retailing (where they could continue to cater to and secure the work of their desired clientele and personnel—the [End Page 305] white middle class). All of this significantly affected the industry and American cities. Nevertheless, From Main Street to Mall remains an insightful and valuable text on the history of department stores. It is essential reading for anyone interested in American consumer capitalism, retailing, and politics. Traci Parker TRACI PARKER is an assistant professor in the W. E. B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts– Amherst. She is currently writing a book on African American workers and consumers in twentieth-century department stores. Copyright © 2017 Kentucky Historical Society

Love and looks: A discourse of romantic love and consumer culture

This article explores young South African women’s constructions of the relationship between love and physical attractiveness. How these discourses are facilitated by an emerging South African consumer culture and the proliferation of mass media images which has accompanied this cultural change will also be discussed. This research took place among South African women between the ages of 18 and 25. Data was collected using focus groups and semistructured interviews and was analysed using discourse analysis. One of the common ideas structuring the young women’s speech in the interviews and focus groups was the importance of physical attractiveness in romantic relationships both as a prerequisite for feelings of sexual desire and for subjective experiences of self-worth.

Relieving Consumer Overindebtedness in South Africa: Policy Reviews and Recommendations

A large fraction of South African consumers are highly leveraged, inadequately insured, and/or own little to no assets of value, which increases their exposure not only to idiosyncratic risk but also to severe indebtedness and/or default. This scenario can present negative ramifications that lead well beyond the confines of individual households. Thankfully, it can also be remedied by well-tailored legal debt relief mechanisms. This article reflects on the uncertainties surrounding the consumer debt relief framework of the National Credit Act in an attempt to show why it is not up to the challenge of providing meaningful relief to debt-distressed consumers. Ultimately, a comprehensive review of the current framework in favor of a discharge mechanism on simple, stated terms is proposed.

Internet banking service quality in South Africa: A qualitative analysis of consumer perceptions

Advancements in technology-based systems has resulted in banks using service delivery channels such as internet banking and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) to interact with customers. To ensure a competitive edge in the marketplace banks' knowledge of the determinants of internet banking service quality is essential. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to investigate consumer views and concerns regarding internet banking services in South Africa. A qualitative research approach using a focus group and in-depth interviews were conducted to collect data from South African consumers of internet banking services. The Atlas.ti software was used in the content analysis of the interview transcripts. Four themes, namely internet banking service quality, customer value, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, were identified as important facets of internet banking services that could improve the overall internet banking service quality at a consumer level.

Ease of use, security concerns and attitudes as antecedents of customer satisfaction in ATM banking

This study examines the influence of ease of use, security concerns and attitudes on South African consumers’ satisfaction with ATM banking services. Participants of the study were solicited through electronic mailing list of ATM users in South Africa. These participants were provided with a website link that directed them to an online survey hosted by Qualtrics. A total of 224 participants from the various provinces of South Africa responded. This study confirms that customer satisfaction is linked to security concerns, attitudes and ease of use. Overall, the results indicate that the respondents were satisfied with ATM banking services. Since there is a shortage of research on customer satisfaction with ATM banking services in South Africa, an area often neglected by South African researchers, this study contributes to knowledge available in the existing literature. Keywords: ATM banking, customer satisfaction, ease of use, security, attitudes. JEL Classification: G21, M31