Gerrard Macintosh

Retail relationships and store loyalty: A multi-level perspective

Abstract An important factor in retail store loyalty is interpersonal relationships between retail salespeople and customers. However, relationships can also exist at the person-to-store level. This paper examines the linkages between trust in a salesperson, trust in the store, and repeat purchase intention. A model of store loyalty which includes relationships at both the person-to-store as well as person-to-person level is tested. The findings reveal that for those with an interpersonal relationship, trust and commitment to the salesperson are directly linked with purchase intention as well as indirectly through store attitude. For customers without a salesperson relationship, trust in the store leads to loyalty indirectly through store attitude, but does not have a direct impact on purchase intention. The results illustrate the existence of multi-level relationships between customers and stores and how those relationships link to store loyalty. The research adds to our understanding of the complexity of relationship retailing, while providing further evidence of the value of generating and maintaining interpersonal relationships as a retail strategy.

Using product, brand and purchasing involvement for retail segmentation

Abstract Consumer involvement with a particular product category has yielded rich results for retail marketing strategy. This research extends the concept by adding brand decision involvement and purchasing involvement as well to derive retail customer segments. An intercept sample of 368 shoppers in four different types of wine shops is used to derive five clusters of shoppers. The typology is validated internally and externally. The clusters derived show strong differences across both purchase behaviour and response to marketing strategies, providing an initial test of the efficacy of using different types of involvement to understand shopping behaviour

Relationship Development in Selling: A Cognitive Analysis

Recent research has suggested that trust and relationship-building contribute to the effectiveness of salespeople. This paper reviews the literature on the cognitive selling paradigm and the influence of knowledge structures on the relationship-building process. Next, two recent studies (Anglin 1990; Szymanski 1987) which investigated knowledge, relationship development, and sales performance are reviewed. The findings from these studies imply that a fundamental difference may exist in the manner in which higher and lower performing salespeople perceive the selling process. Higher performers placed greater emphasis on establishing “trust” and also preferred to find out information about the prospect before reciprocating with information about themselves. Lower performers, on the other hand, preferred to disclose information about themselves before obtaining personal information about the prospect.

The role of rapport in professional services: antecedents and outcomes

Purpose – This research seeks to test a model examining the antecedents and outcomes of interpersonal rapport in a professional service context. The four antecedents examined are familiarity, mutual self‐disclosure, extras, and common grounding, and the outcomes examined are trust, satisfaction, and word‐of‐mouth communication.Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a survey methodology to obtain the opinions of 121 dental patients regarding their relationships with dental professionals. The hypothesized relationships in the model were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM).Findings – The research findings indicated that all four antecedents were positively related to rapport. Rapport was also found to be related to customer satisfaction and word‐of‐mouth communication, but rapport was not found to be related to trust. Post hoc analysis suggests that rapport appears to be related to trust early in relationships, then becomes less important, but re‐emerges as a driver of trust in very matu...

Perceived risk and outcome differences in multi‐level service relationships

Service relationships are often complex, involving multi‐level relationships. Customers can have relationships with the firm and interpersonal relationships with service personnel that vary in terms of strength and intensity. A study was designed to examine the relationship between perceived risk and type of service relationship. It also examined outcomes differences between different types of service relationships. The results suggest that consumers who have strong interpersonal relationships have the highest perceptions of category risk and the lowest perceptions of specific provider risk. The results also indicate that outcomes vary across different types of relationships. Customers who have strong interpersonal or strong person‐to‐firm relationships are less interested in alternatives, but only customers with strong interpersonal relationships are more dedicated, evidenced by greater cooperation, enhancement, identity, and advocacy.

Building trust and satisfaction in travel counselor/client relationships.

Abstract In todays business environment, travel counselors are challenged to do everything that they can to hold onto their valued customers. We report the results of a study designed to examine the factors that are related to client trust and satisfaction with travel counselors. One hundred and eighty-one business travelers were surveyed about their relationships with their travel agent. The results indicate that travel counselor dependability, expertise, familiarity, and company reputation lead to greater client trust; while dependability, familiarity, and civility predict client satisfaction. Based on these results and prior research on customer trust, recommendations are made for enhancing client relationships.

Decision making in personal selling: Testing the “K.I.S.S. principle”

The KISS principle (keep it simple, stupid) is often cited as an effective strategy in selling. The premise is that salespeople are more effective when they stick to basics and do not unnecessarily complicate that which is not necessarily complicated. This study tests the KISS principle in the context of salesperson decision making in the prospecting stage of the selling process. Two general research questions are addressed (1) does a simple versus more complex process affect outcomes of decisions made by salespeople, and (2) if so, whom does it affect? The results suggest that process does influence outcome and that lower-performing salespeoples decisions are most likely to be affected by the decision process used. Higher performers seem to be able to focus on key characteristics of sales prospects regardless of the complexity of the decision task, suggesting that higher performers, at least implicitly, know when to keep it simple.

Cognitive process differences between discrete and relational exchange

Recent research has placed greater emphasis on relational as opposed to discrete marketing exchanges. Much of this research has focused on the affective aspects of relationships. We assert that relational exchange also has a cognitive side to it. Specifically, we address two fundamental questions: (1) does a relational perspective involve different cognitive processes, which may lead to different decision outcomes? and (2) does the social context (i.e., accountability) in which decisions are made, alter decision processes and outcomes? The results of an exploratory study suggest differences in cognitive processes between discrete and relational exchange and that accountability has a strong influence on decision outcomes.

Networking Behavior and Sales Performance: Examining Potential Gender Differences

Although networking is generally believed to be important in sales, relatively little research has addressed the benefits of networking. The research reported here specifically examines potential differences in the benefits of networking for male and female salespeople. The results show that different forms of networking are related to sales performance, but that the impacts are different for men and women. Men benefit more from customer networking, while women benefit more from professional networking.