The importance that customers place on service attributes of sale personnel in the retail sector

Abstract

When examining retail patronage, customer satisfaction must also be considered. Secondary resources (American Marketing Association, 2007; Berman, 2011; Berry, 2008; Chang, 2006:209; Helgesen & Nesset, 2007: 129 and Kong and Jogaratnam, 2007:279) observed that customer satisfaction is the degree to which a customer's expectations agree with the actual performance of the product and or service. South African consumers situated in Gauteng consider a sales person's product knowledge as the most important attribute when making purchasing decisions. American consumers in contrast consider sales person respect as the most important attribute when making purchasing decisions. The implications for marketers and sales managers are that marketers and sales managers must provide adequate training for their sales personnel in order for them to treat customers in such a way to obtain their loyalty. The quality of the products sold at the retailer does not form part of the trade-off options that customers are presented with.