Retail Service Quality: Perception of Customers on Customer Satisfaction at a Selected Supermarket Chain in Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN), South Africa (SA)
Main Article Content
Abstract
Purpose: This study examined customer perceptions of retail service quality within a specific supermarket chain in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. It expands on the SERVQUAL framework to look into what influences customer loyalty and satisfaction in the environment of supermarkets. Employing a quantitative research design, the study collected data from 400 customers across four supermarket locations in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. The study concluded that the selected supermarket chain is generally successful in meeting customer needs and expectations, resulting in high levels of satisfaction. However, a small percentage of customers expressed dissatisfaction, indicating the potential for these customers to switch to another retailer. Recommendations are provided to improve the quality of services.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
Abubakari, S., Mohammed, K. A. and Iddrisu, I. N. 2019. Assessing the impact of sanitation on customer retention: a survey of restaurants in the Tamale Metropolis. Open Access Library Journal, 6(12): 1-18.
Adam, S., Tengeh, R. K. and Cupido, C. 2018. An assessment of youth’s perception of the service quality of large food retailers in South Africa. Journal of Business and Retail Management Research, 12(3): 241-253.
Asenahabi, B. M. 2019. Basics of research design: a guide to selecting appropriate research design. International Journal of Contemporary Applied Research, 6(5): 76-89.
Battersby, J. 2017. Food system transformation in the absence of food system planning: the case of supermarket and shopping mall retail expansion in Cape Town, South Africa. Built Environment, 43(3): 417-430.
Bhardwaj, P. 2019. Types of sampling in research. Journal of the Practice of Cardiovascular Sciences, 5(3): 157-163.
Brozovic, D., Ravald, A. and Nordin, F. 2015. Making sense of service dynamics: the honeybee metaphor. The Journal of Services Marketing, 29(6): 634-644.
De Oliveira, R. T., Indulska, M., Steen, J. and Verreynne, M. L. 2020. Towards a framework for innovation in retailing through social media. Journal of Retailing & Consumer Services, 54: 1-13.
Dunne, P. M., Lusch, R. F. and Carver, J. R. 2018. Retailing. 8th ed. Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning.
Gerson, R. F. 2000. Beyond customer service. Chicago: Crisp Publications,
Inc.
Houghtaling, B., Serrano, E. L., Kraak, V. I., Harden, S. M., Davis, G. C., and Misyak, S. A. 2019. A systematic review of factors that influence food store owner and manager decision making and ability or willingness to use choice architecture and marketing mix strategies to encourage healthy consumer purchases in the United States, 2005–2017. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 16: 1-14.
Islam, M., Arefin, S., Hasan, K. N., Omi, M. H., Murshed, M., Tazwar, Z., Al- Hossain, T. and Nazrul, T. 2017. An analysis of customers’ satisfaction of supermarkets in Bangladesh. International Journal of Research in Business, Economics & Management, 1(3): 203-220.
Karakitsiou, A. and Mavrommati, A. 2018. Service quality assessment in retail industry: some evidence from supermarkets in Greece. International Journal of Decision Support Systems, 3(1&2): 128-129.
Knapp, D. 2019. Customer service skills for the service desk professional. 4th ed. Boston: Cengage, Inc.
Kotler, P. T. and Armstrong, G. 2018. Principles of marketing. 17th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
Kroll, T. and Neri, M. 2009. Mixed Methods Research for Nursing and the Health Sciences: Designs for Mixed Methods Research. 1stWest Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Kumar, A., Chaudhuri, S., Satpathy, I. and Patnaik, B. C. M. 2018. A measure of service quality in the grocery stores. The Indian Economic Journal, 66(3-4): 375-395.
Kusdibyo, L. and Februadi, A. 2019. The effect of electronic service quality on customers’ satisfaction and loyalty in online shopping. In: IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 662(022036): 1-8.
Lee, C. M. J., Che-Ha, N. and Alwi, S. F. S. 2021. Service customer orientation and social sustainability: the case of small medium enterprises. Journal of Business Research, 122: 751-760.
Leiva-Candia, D. E., Garcia, I. L., Lopez, I., Serrano-Herrador, J. A. and Dorado, M. P. 2022. Descriptive and inferential statistics as an exhaust emission comparative tool between different engine operating conditions and fuels. Application to highly oxidized biodiesel blended with primary alcohols. Fuel, 324(Part A, Article 124453): 1-17.
Levy, M., Weitz, B. A. and Grewal, D. 2019. Retailing Management. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Mahlangu, E. N. and Makhitha, K. M. 2019. The impact of demographic factors on supermarket shopping motivations in South Africa. Journal of Business and Retail Management Research, 13(3): 12.
Masojada, M. 2021. The South African retail landscape. In: Lappeman, J., Egan, P., Rightford, G. and Ramogase, T. eds. Marketing to South African Consumers. Cape Town: UCT Liberty Institute of Strategic Marketing & UCT Libraries, 87-108.
McCombes, S. 2019. Descriptive research. Available: https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/descriptive-research/ (Accessed 9 August 2020).
Muça, E., Pomianek, I. and Peneva, M. 2021. The role of GI products or local products in the environment—consumer awareness and preferences in Albania, Bulgaria and Poland. Sustainability, 14(4): 1-23.
Osarenkhoe, A., Komunda, M. B. and Byarugaba, J. M. 2017. Service quality as a mediator of customer complaint behaviour and customer loyalty. International Review of Management and Marketing, 7(1): 197-208.
Pride, W. M. and Ferrell, O. C. 2020. Marketing. 20th ed. Boston: Cengage.
Saunders, M. N. K., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. 2023. Research methods for business students. 9th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A., 2009. Research Methods for Business Students. 5th ed. London: Prentice Hall.
Schindler, P. S. 2019. Business research methods. 13th ed. New York. McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R. 2020. Research methods for business: a skill-building approach. 8th ed. New York: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
Shields, K. 2021. Managing a customer service team. Available: https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/customercentricstrategy/chapter/chapter-3-managing-a-customer-service-team/ (Accessed 27 June 2023).
Slack, N. J., Singh. G. and Sharma, S. 2019. Impact of perceived value on the satisfaction of supermarket customers: developing country perspective. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 48(11): 1235-1254.
Srivastava, M., Goli, S., Bhadra, S. and Kamisetti, T. K. 2015. Customer service quality at retail stores in Hyderabad airport. Indian Journal of Commerce and Management Studies, 6(3): 43-52.
Taber, K. S. 2018. The use of Cronbach’s alpha when developing reporting research instruments in science education. Research in Science Education, 48: 1273-1296.
Valencia, F. J. E., Ibarra, J. C. R. and Moreno, V. M. D. 2019. Study to determine qualitative characteristics in customer service positions in supermarkets (Super North case). Journal of Applied Business and Economics, 21(7): 170-181.
Weerasiri, R. A. S. 2015. A study on service quality and customer satisfaction of supermarkets in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Journal of Marketing, 1(2): 36-46.
Wirtz, J. and Lovelock, C. 2018. Essentials of services marketing. 3rd ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.