The influence of individual cultural value orientation on the evaluation of a retail store environment

Abstract

The role of culture in consumer behaviour and the importance of service quality delivery as a differential factor among businesses have received much interest in recent times, especially within the retail environment. With similar products being offered, service quality is seen as a critical tool to ensure customer loyalty. This implies that building customer loyalty requires understanding the cultural dimension of the consumer. On the other hand, literature reviewed shows the danger in stereotyping individuals into a national culture since sub-cultures exist especially in the case of a multicultural society as South Africa. Thus, this study aims at examining the individual cultural value orientation of retail patrons and to investigate its influence on their perception of retail service quality. To achieve the research objective a structured questionnaire was administered to retail patrons in a mall intercept. The questionnaire was structured around attitudinal questions and the Retail Service Quaity Scale. The results showed a relationship between the individual cultural value orientation and the importance of the retail service quality dimension. Although some of the findings were not what was expected; the study provides a framework by which retailers can segment their market and allocate resources. It also contributes to the knowledge base and provides a platform for further research.Copyright