Shoppers’ Satisfaction Levels and Store Loyalty

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Defining the Problem

The paper is devoted to the analysis of the key elements of the research article “Shoppers’ Satisfaction Levels Are Not the Only Key to Store Loyalty” by Mario Miranda, Laszlo Kónya, and Inka Havrila.

Miranda, Kónya, and Havrila intended to explore shopper behavior concerning loyalty and customer satisfaction factors. They narrowed the research problem to finding out the effects that the shopper satisfaction-related factors (in particular, discounts) have on the loyalty concerning the “primary” shop. The problem is relevant to the topic and underresearched; also, the researchers have the resources to study it, which makes it researchable (DePoy and Gitlin 58).

Establishing Research Objectives

The objectives of the research included:

Defining the correlation between the store attributes and shopping behavior and customer satisfaction.
Defining the correlation between the store attributes and shopping behavior and customer loyalty.
Finding out if the satisfaction factors contribute to the loyalty ones.
Finding out if satisfaction influences loyalty.

Type of Research

The study has a fixed design and uses qualitative methods of data analysis. It also contains an experimental element: the proposition of a hypothetical opportunity to have a discount elsewhere. Still, there is no control group, so it cannot be called experiment proper (DePoy and Gitlin 138). Instead, the study can be considered explanatory: it studies and describes the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty factors (DePoy and Gitlin 62).

Literature Review: A Summary

The question of customer loyalty has always attracted the attention of business researchers. According to Miranda, Kónya, and Havrila, several studies indicate that customer satisfaction has relatively little impact on loyalty. However, prior to the article by Miranda, Kónya, and Havrila, there was no scientific evidence to answer the question of whether the elements that generate customer satisfaction could also maintain the loyalty (222). The study was aimed at rectifying the situation.

Describing the Model

The research was aimed at the confirmation of existing theory (the lack of significant impact of satisfaction on loyalty) and exploring a new area in the field (the correlation between the factors influencing loyalty and satisfaction). Still, the second aim was primary, which makes the study exploratory in nature (DePoy and Gitlin 375).

Hypothesis

The authors settle for two null hypotheses: one denying the correlation between satisfaction concerning the primary store and store attributes as well as shopping patterns; the second denied the correlation between loyalty for the same store and the same variables.

Population

The population of interest, for which the results are supposed to be generalizable, are the shoppers; the specifics of grocery stores is also of importance.

Sample

The final sample included adult Australian 934 shoppers with a “primary” store who happened to exit the grocery stores that the researchers were monitoring for two weeks. In other words, the convenience sampling method was used.

Data Collection

The tool for data collection was a structured questionnaire (Likert scale) with 31 variables. It was aimed at defining shopping behavior, satisfaction, and loyalty to shops.

Analyzing Data

The Likert scale provides the data with assigned values that are easy to process. The data was arranged through multiple regression methods in two mathematic models (for the satisfaction and loyalty).

Results

The results indicated that the factors that tend to have an impact on customer satisfaction rarely correlate with continued loyalty to a store.

Limitations

The study did not take into account a number of population characteristics (for example, income) that could affect their shopping behavior and perceptions (231).

Conclusions

The key conclusion consisted of the idea that loyalty is not defined solely by customer satisfaction. As a result, the authors suggest that customer loyalty factors should be paid equal attention to customer satisfaction ones. The authors believe that by using the mixture of approaches, both positive outcomes (satisfaction and loyalty) can be achieved. The authors also mention that their results correspond to the existing literature and indicate that satisfaction does not have a significant impact on loyalty.

Works Cited

DePoy, Elizabeth, and Laura N Gitlin. Introduction To Research. London: Elsevier, 2016. Print.

Miranda, Mario J., László Kónya, and Inka Havrila. “Shoppers’ Satisfaction Levels Are Not The Only Key To Store Loyalty”. Marketing Intelligence & Planning 23.2 (2005): 220-232. Emerald. Web.

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