Indian Journal of Marketing

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Impact of Retail Service Quality on Customer Reactions : The Mediating Effect of Retailer Personality


Affiliations
1 Assistant Professor (Corresponding Author), Vellore Institute of Technology Bhopal University, Bhopal-Indore Highway,Kothrikalan, Sehore, Madhya Pradesh - 466 114, India
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Management Studies, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal - 462 003,Madhya Pradesh, India
     

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Purpose : The objective of this research was to assess the impact of retail service quality on customer reactions, with retailer personality as a mediator for Indian organized food and grocery customers based in four metro cities (New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai) of India.

Methodology : A survey was conducted with 410 customers who stepped out from the organized retail stores after shopping for groceries. A conceptual model has been proposed based on the linkages established through the literature review. Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (23v) and Smart Partial Least Square (3.2.7v) were applied to run exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively. The hypotheses were validated through PLS structural equation modeling.

Findings : The outcomes revealed that retailer personality partially mediated the relationship between retail service quality and customer reactions.

Research Limitations/Implications : Due to the limited availability of resources, the generalizability of the results cannot be done. The results can be different in various cultural settings.

Practical Implications : Improved retail service quality can be a consequence of exhibited humble and sophisticated retailer personality, resulting in enhanced customer reactions (customer satisfaction, trust, and loyalty). Introversion and disingenuousness attributes of a retailer deteriorate the retailer’s personality and consequently cause harm to customer reactions. Thus, along with rendering good service quality, retailers should show a humble and sophisticated personality to gain improved customer reactions.

Originality/Value : The present study strove to draw a consolidated approach of the effect of traits of retailer personality on customer reactions with special reference to the Indian context.


Keywords

Retail Service Quality, Food and Grocery Retail, Customer Satisfaction, Structural Equation Modeling, Mediation

Paper Submission Date :January 5, 2022 ; Paper sent back for Revision : April 25, 2022 ; Paper Acceptance Date : August 29, 2022 ; Paper Published Online : February 15, 2023

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  • Impact of Retail Service Quality on Customer Reactions : The Mediating Effect of Retailer Personality

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Authors

Abdul Rashid
Assistant Professor (Corresponding Author), Vellore Institute of Technology Bhopal University, Bhopal-Indore Highway,Kothrikalan, Sehore, Madhya Pradesh - 466 114, India
Varsha Rokade
Assistant Professor, Department of Management Studies, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal - 462 003,Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract


Purpose : The objective of this research was to assess the impact of retail service quality on customer reactions, with retailer personality as a mediator for Indian organized food and grocery customers based in four metro cities (New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai) of India.

Methodology : A survey was conducted with 410 customers who stepped out from the organized retail stores after shopping for groceries. A conceptual model has been proposed based on the linkages established through the literature review. Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (23v) and Smart Partial Least Square (3.2.7v) were applied to run exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively. The hypotheses were validated through PLS structural equation modeling.

Findings : The outcomes revealed that retailer personality partially mediated the relationship between retail service quality and customer reactions.

Research Limitations/Implications : Due to the limited availability of resources, the generalizability of the results cannot be done. The results can be different in various cultural settings.

Practical Implications : Improved retail service quality can be a consequence of exhibited humble and sophisticated retailer personality, resulting in enhanced customer reactions (customer satisfaction, trust, and loyalty). Introversion and disingenuousness attributes of a retailer deteriorate the retailer’s personality and consequently cause harm to customer reactions. Thus, along with rendering good service quality, retailers should show a humble and sophisticated personality to gain improved customer reactions.

Originality/Value : The present study strove to draw a consolidated approach of the effect of traits of retailer personality on customer reactions with special reference to the Indian context.


Keywords


Retail Service Quality, Food and Grocery Retail, Customer Satisfaction, Structural Equation Modeling, Mediation

Paper Submission Date :January 5, 2022 ; Paper sent back for Revision : April 25, 2022 ; Paper Acceptance Date : August 29, 2022 ; Paper Published Online : February 15, 2023


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom%2F2023%2Fv53%2Fi2%2F172632