The role of value in services: a study in a retail environment

This paper aims to underline the effects of shopping value on customer satisfaction and to determine its antecedent variables.

A qualitative survey through interviews with hypermarket customers was first carried out. It was followed by a quantitative study, carried out in two stages: 199 patrons were first interrogated in order to clarify the outlet characteristics scale. A second set of data was then collected (436 respondents). Factorial analysis, confirmatory factorial analysis and analysis of regression were conducted.

The last study results show that both utilitarian and hedonic values have an influence on satisfaction; they tend to indicate that the utilitarian value is related to product availability, while the hedonic value is influenced by such elements as atmosphere, relations with store employees, as well as crowding and other peripheral services.

The influence of the five outlet characteristics studied (atmosphere, peripheral services, store employees, product availability, crowding) on value have never been demonstrated empirically until now. The link between value and satisfaction was not so clear in the literature.

The results show what variables are to be promoted if a retailer wishes to give the outlet its utilitarian and/or hedonic value, and then influence patron satisfaction.

This paper provides important and new insights both into value that may be attributed to a point of sale and into the effect on customer satisfaction of outlet characteristics.