Investigating the role of retail management skills in improving customer satisfaction at a retail group
Loading...
Date
2022
Authors
Stegling, Beverly C.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
Organisations in the recent economic era face an increasing need for their responsiveness to radical changes in market demands as well as the effective utilisation of new technology and ways of working. The workforce is becoming more diverse and educated, and technology is driving productivity within organisations. On the other hand, consumers are becoming more demanding of certain products and services and are better informed about competitive or alternative products/ services, hence the reason to satisfy them and retain them as long-term customers. The speed of change in the modern age is rapid, and innovation being at its centre has created an environment of instability and transformation, thereby cementing the emphasis of having well-skilled managers to lead its workforce into an age of rapid change and having to remain agile. Amongst the many skills that exist to aid managers in leading successful businesses, the researcher has focused on retail management skills, customer satisfaction in retail, a skills development framework to enhance retail management skills and innovative technological systems to support the store's operations. These areas have provided a supporting background to the most requisite skills needed for retail under this research study: how to achieve satisfactory customer service and experience. This research aimed to investigate the role of retail management skills in improving customer satisfaction in a retail group. The study aimed to achieve an in-depth understanding of customer satisfaction and retention drivers, with specific relation to management's retail skills in the customer service aspect. Data collection from floor employees of the store, customers and store managers was completed through in-depth, semi-structured interviews via purposive non-probability sampling. Interviews were conducted in value stores, superstores, and hyper stores, all based in Gaborone, Botswana. Themes and interpretive analysis were performed. The limitation of the study included time constraints, sample size and data collected through perceptions. The challenges that faced the retail store included the visibility of pricing, the difficulty of handling difficult customers, and a lack of fresh products being sold. The recommendations include adopting a hybrid pricing strategy, understanding why customers become difficult and how to deal with them and lastly, effective management and monitoring the quality of products sold to customers.
Description
Dissertation (MBA (Business Administration))--University of the Free State, 2022
Keywords
Retail industry, management skills, customer satisfaction, retail management, retail management attributes, measuring customer satisfaction, information technology (IT) in retail