J.A.F. Nicholls

Parsimonious measurement of customer satisfaction with personal service and the service setting

This paper develops a concise customer satisfaction survey instrument to help organizations measure satisfaction with their services. A seven‐stage process was used to develop the instrument. Following pilot studies, a preliminary instrument of 24 items was administered to consumers of a variety of business firms and government agencies providing service to customers or clients. After further analysis, a revised instrument was developed consisting of 18 statements. Additional analysis and further purification led to an even more parsimonious final version of the customer satisfaction survey, employing nine statements in two factors; satisfaction with the personal service (SatPers) and satisfaction with the service setting (SatSett). Organizations could use the scale internally to identify their strengths and weaknesses, as well as measuring their customer satisfaction.

The seven year itch? Mall shoppers across time

The present study investigates changes in the shopping behavior of today’s mall patrons as opposed to those in the early 1990s. Data collected in the sample surveys included respondents’ demographic attributes, shopping motivations, situational factors, and purchase behaviors. Although no differences were found between the demographics of the respondents in the earlier and later periods, we discovered significant differences in shopping patterns and purchase behaviors. Compared with the shoppers in the early 1990s, today’s mall patrons tend to be more leisure driven, they have a greater concern for merchandise selection, and they visit the mall less often but make more purchases per visit. The findings also reveal that situational variables are more likely to have an impact on shoppers’ purchase decisions today than they did before. Based on the study’s findings, we suggest a number of pragmatic strategies to aid store and mall managers in their marketing efforts with regard to consumers today.

Time and companionship: key factors in Hispanic shopping behavior

Examines the situational dimensions affecting purchasing behavior of Hispanic customers in a mall at some distance from their neighborhoods. The Hispanic shopper (which would also include a large segment of immigrants) makes the (shopping) trip worthwhile by travelling with companions, consummating a purchase while at the mall, and buying food or beverage during the visit. The Hispanic shopper also spends more time at the mall and visits more stores while there. This is an example of how marketers have become increasingly interested in the extent to which situational factors influence immigrants’ purchase behavior.

Effects of Strategy and Pictures in Travel Agency Advertising

This study explores the effectiveness of various types of print advertising as a promotional vehicle, focusing on the main message strategy, the presence or absence of pictures, and the specific nature of the picture. The results show that informational advertising elicits a more favorable response pattern than image-based (or transformational) advertising. However, the picture effect is more pronounced for the informational ad, although the nature of the picture is less important. Recommendations are that smaller travel agencies emphasize informational advertising accompanied by pictures and that larger agencies continue to use pictures but strengthen the informational component of their advertising copy.

US‐Chilean mirrors: shoppers in two countries

Compares the shopping behavior of Chilean consumers with those in the USA. Chilean mall visits were driven, first and foremost, by purchase; in contrast, consumers in the USA visited their mall for more diverse reasons, largely revolving around entertainment. In addition to shopping motives, our data revealed noticeable differences between the two populations in their way of selecting the mall, their shopping characteristics, and purchase patterns. In the final analysis, however, when the shoppers in Chile and the USA left their respective malls, at least four‐fifths of each group had made some kind of purchase, whatever their initial shopping motivation.

Interlinear or inscription? A comparative study of Chinese and American mall shoppers’ behavior

This study compares the mall shopping behavior of Chinese and US consumers. Marked differences wee found between the two populations in their shopping motives, criteria for selecting the mall, and shopping behaviors. Unlike US shoppers, who visited the mall with diverse reasons, Chinese mall visits were driven, first and foremost, by purchase. However, Chinese shoppers were cautious about spending and less likely to make purchases during their shopping trip. More importantly, they were more immune to situational factors in their purchase decisions than their US counterparts. The paper also discusses marketing implications of these findings and future research directions.

Impact of situational variables and demographic attributes in two seasons on purchase behaviour

Explores seasonal differences in the purchase behaviour of shoppers in Cyprus. The analysis investigates situational factors and demographic/lifestyle attributes associated with consumers’ shopping behaviour in summer and winter. The situational factors include the frequency with which consumers shopped in a large Cypriot market, the usual time of day they shopped, their travel time to the market, the time they spent in it, and whether they were motivated by price/value considerations; the demographic/lifestyle elements encompassed age, gender, education, income, and the transportation mode consumers employed to reach the market. Differences were found in shopping patterns between the two seasons. For instance, in the winter, consumers purchased adult’s clothing to a greater extent than in the summer. In contrast, in the summer consumers purchased more food or beverage and spent more money than in the winter. Based on the findings, the paper includes explicit recommendations for marketing action. The results indicate that store managers can be proactive in their marketing efforts by being aware of situational influences on customers’ purchase behaviour.

The Enigma of Cooperative Advertising

Cooperative advertising is intended for the mutual benefit of channel partners. Shows that manufacturers and dealers/distributors in the boating industry view this marketing activity very differently. Manufacturers see no connection between cooperative advertising and other aspects of the relationships with their dealers. On the other hand, dealers relate their views of cooperative advertising to other facets of their relationships with manufacturers. Consequently, when there is conflict over cooperative advertising, it is liable to have a negative effect on other arrangements that dealers have with manufacturers. Manufacturers may not understand how negativity creeps into other relationships between dealers and themselves.

Relationship between situational variables and purchasing in India and the USA

Explores the universality of Belk’s concept of situational variables in their relationship with consumer purchase within two different cultures. Considers the relationship of five empirical dimensions with two measures of consumer purchase behaviour. The five empirical manifestations of the situational variables were included in surveys conducted in India and the USA. The empirical dimensions of the situational variables (frequency of shopping visit; the usual time of day for shopping; travel time; time spent; and number of companions) were all statistically significant when comparing India and the USA with respect to shopping behaviour (purchase of food or beverage and purchase of other products). Includes examples of how marketers might influence consumer situations within the Belkian framework in order to modify purchase behaviour.

Time Is Central

Investigates service satisfaction through a survey of bank customers who had engaged in one of five financial transactions: applying for an automatic teller machine card; redemption of a certificate of deposit account; application for a loan; opening a new bank account; opening/closing a safe deposit box. Seven elements of customer service satisfaction were selected for study: consumption time, waiting time, courtesy, attentiveness, professionalism, accuracy, and ability. Based on discriminant analyses, five of these seven elements showed significant relationships in at least one of the five services. Consumption time dominated all other considerations in explaining satisfaction, possibly because of customers′ time poverty.