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What encourages customers to choose a particular type of store to patronize? Proposal
Introduction
Rob and Pablo, the co-proprietors of SNOG (a chain of U.K. based yogurt shops), mention that the secret behind their success lies not only in the type of product they sell but rather in the way in which they make each transaction an “experience” for their customers.
What these two entrepreneurs are referring to is the general ambiance and “feel” that permeates a particular store or shopping area.
Studies such as those by Cadogan (2007) indicate that consumer patronage of particular retail locations is influenced not only by the products that are being sold but the experience they garner from shopping at a particular location (Cadogan, 583-604).
Grunert (2012) mentions that the concept of “experience” has increasingly being brought to the forefront of business planning for stores, restaurants and variety of establishments due to the correlation between experience and repeat patronage (Grunert, 445-456).
Creating an “Experience”
Rob and Pablo state the following regarding what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur “now we are in a recession and we see businesses that are successful; I think the one thing you see that they all have is a form of experience for their customers which is an important aspect of operations, so we made sure that there was an experience at Snog”.
The “experience” that Rob and Pablo are referring is not just the quality of the product itself but what customers feel when they enter into a particular establishment. In the case of Snog, all their outlets have a warm and friendly ambiance which is not only family friendly but actually promotes, in their words, “a happy feeling” for customers.
For example, it can be seen that in the case of Apple Inc. (which is considered the world’s most valuable company) all their stores, no matter what country they are present in, have a stylish and ergonomic design that looks “clean, modern and cutting edge” which has come to exemplify the experience of buying products at an Apple store.
Based on the popularity of Snog and Apple, it can be seen that by making their store into an “experience” rather than just a store this helps to encourage buying behavior among their clientele and even repeat visits (Ofir and Simonson 164-174).
As such, for any business that wants to increase their customer base, it is important to develop the experience their venue provides in order to appeal to consumers and create repeat business (Sathish and Venkatesakumar, 67-76).
Research Strategy
The research strategy for this particular paper is actually quite simple, by combining academic literature with questionnaires distributed to members of the local populace the researcher will be able to determine what specific “experience” factors encourage consumers to patronize a given establishment.
Data Availability
A brief overview of various academic journal websites showed a plethora of different articles that can be utilized as references.
Not only that, the general availability of various brand name stores in the general vicinity of the researcher as well as potential survey takers in the campus shows that there are numerous sources of data that the researcher can utilize.
Theoretical Framework
Attribution theory centers around the derived assumption of a particular individual/group of people regarding a particular process, product or service based on their experience with it. It is often used as means of investigating consumer opinions regarding a particular product and to determine the level of satisfaction derived from its use.
By utilizing this particular theory as the framework for this study, the researcher will be able to correlate the opinions of the research subjects regarding their assumptions over what practices lead to job satisfaction thus resulting improved performance and staying longer with the company.
Works Cited
Cadogan, John. “Enjoyment Of The Shopping Experience: Impact On Customers’ Repatronage Intentions And Gender Influence.” Service Industries Journal 27.5 (2007): 583-604. Business Source Premier. Web.
Grunert, Klaus. “An Integrative Conceptual Framework For Analyzing Customer Satisfaction With Shopping Trip Experiences In Grocery Retailing.” Journal Of Retailing & Consumer Services 19.4 (2012): 445-456. Business Source Premier. Web.
Ofir, Chezy, and Itamar Simonson. “The Effect Of Stating Expectations On Customer Satisfaction And Shopping Experience.” Journal Of Marketing Research (JMR) 44.1 (2007): 164-174. Business Source Premier. Web.
Sathish, A. S., and Ramakrishnan Venkatesakumar. “Customer Experience Management And Store Loyalty In Corporate Retailing – With Special Reference To “Sony World.” Annamalai International Journal Of Business Studies & Research 3.1 (2011): 67-76. Business Source Premier. Web.
