Craft retailers' supplier selection criteria - a key to market access

Abstract

Craft producers in South Africa face difficulties selling to formal craft retailers. This is due to the lack of understanding of what craft retailers consider as important when searching for suppliers. The study was conducted to determine the importance of various supplier selection criteria that craft retailers use to evaluate suppliers. Convenience sampling was adopted and self-administered questionnaires were completed by a total of 233 craft retailers. The findings revealed that craft retailers consider product quality as the most important supplier selection criteria when evaluating craft producers as suppliers. The MANOVA results further indicated that although the importance attached to supplier selection criteria differed for various types of craft retailers, such differences occur only for selected supplier criteria. An understanding of the supplier selection criteria used by craft retailers could enable informal craft producers to gain access to the formal market.