Men are from Home Depot...

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Men are from Home Depot... Women from Bed, Bath
Beyond!

Dr. Richard J. George rgeorge_at_sju.edu
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Food Retailer Selection The Ante

• Cleanliness
• Quality
• Price (Value)
• Necessary but not sufficient to positively
  differentiate your store

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What improvements would you like to see in your
primary food store?

• Better customer
• service
• (1 Answer)

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Research Design

• 21 Attribute Survey (originally 53 items)
• 5 Factors
• Regional Random Sample (MW,SE,SW)
• Telephone Survey
• Conducted Spring 2004/Replicated 2006
• Overall Attitude
• Attribute Importance Attribute Beliefs
• Demographics Age, Sex, Family Income Education

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Factors (5)

• Tangibles physical facilities, equipment
  appearance.
• Assurance guarantee, promise, ability to inspire
  trust confidence.
• Responsiveness willingness to help customers
  provide prompt service.
• Dependability ability to provide the promised
  service dependably accurately.
• Empathy caring, individualized attention.

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Customer Service Attributes

• Uncluttered aisles
• Shopper friendly store layout
• Easy access to parking lot
• Complaints quickly and fairly responded to
• Accurate shelf tags
• Prices visible when items scanned at check out
• Store accepts returns without hassle
• Employees responsive to questions and problems
• Accurate check out
• Check out has dedicated baggers
• All check out lanes open
• Speedy check out

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Customer Service Attributes

• Advertised specials in stock
• No products on shelf after sell by date
• Every item in stock/Shelves well stocked
• Sales prices honored without the need to clip
  coupons
• Sales prices honored without the need for
  shopper/loyalty card
• Employees express thanks at the end of
  transaction
• Employees not engaged in conversation with each
  other
• Employees show appreciation for customers
  business
• Employees ask if there is anything they can do
  for you

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Results
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Top 10 Importance Women

• Accurate check out
• Speedy check out
• No products on shelf after "sell by" date
• Every item in stock/Shelves well stocked
• Accurate shelf tags
• Prices visible when scanned at check out (W)
• Uncluttered aisles
• Easy access to parking lot (W)
• Advertised specials in stock
• Complaints quickly and fairly responded to (W)

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Top 10 Importance Men

• Accurate check out
• Speedy check out
• Every item in stock/Shelves well stocked
• Uncluttered aisles
• No products on shelf after "sell by" date
• Accurate shelf tags
• Shopper friendly store layout (M)
• Sale prices honored without the need to clip
  coupons (M)
• Advertised specials in stock
• Employees show appreciation for customers
  business (M)

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Similar Importance

• Accurate check out
• Speedy check out
• Uncluttered aisles

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More Important to Women

• No products on shelf after "sell by" date
• Every item in stock/Shelves well stocked
• Accurate shelf tags
• Prices visible when scanned at check out
• Easy access to parking lot
• Complaints quickly and fairly responded to

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More Important to Men

• Shopper friendly store layout
• Sale prices honored without the need to clip
  coupons
• Advertised specials in stock
• Employees show appreciation for customers
  business

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Bottom 10 Beliefs Women

• All check out lanes open
• Check out has dedicated baggers
• Sales prices honored without the need for
  shopper/loyalty card
• Employees ask if there is anything they can do
  for you
• Employees not engaged in conversation with each
  other

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Bottom 10 Beliefs Women

• Employees show appreciation for customers
  business
• Sales prices honored without the need to clip
  coupons
• Speedy check out
• Employees responsive to questions and problems
• Employees express thanks at the end of
  transaction

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Bottom 10 Beliefs Men

• Check out has dedicated baggers
• All check out lanes open
• Employees ask if there is anything they can do
  for you
• Sales prices honored without the need for
  shopper/loyalty card
• Employees not engaged in conversation with each
  other

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Bottom 10 Beliefs Men

• Employees show appreciation for customers
  business
• Sales prices honored without the need to clip
  coupons
• Employees express thanks at the end of
  transaction
• Speedy check out
• Employees responsive to questions and problems

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Food Shopping andCustomer Service

• Background
• Research Design
• Results
• Strategic Options
• Conclusions Implications

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Strategic Options
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Close the Gap on Key Common Attributes

• Accurate check out
• Speedy check out
• Every item in stock/Shelves well stocked
• Uncluttered aisles

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Immediately Address the 2 Key Factors That
Exhibit Little Customer Belief

• Responsiveness willingness to help customers
  provide prompt service.
• Empathy caring, individualized attention

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Close the Gap on Attributes More Important to
Women

• No products on shelf after "sell by" date
• Every item in stock/Shelves well stocked
• Accurate shelf tags
• Easy access to parking lot
• Complaints quickly and fairly responded to

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Close the Gap on Attributes More Important to Men

• Shopper friendly store layout
• Sale prices honored without the need to clip
  coupons
• Advertised specials in stock
• Employees show appreciation for customers
  business

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Add New Attributes

• Menu/meal/party planner
• Internet deli orders
• Personal shopper
• Customized shopping list
• Premiere check out line
• Home delivery of out of stocks

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Add New Attributes

• Hand wipes in produce section
• Assembled meal components in one place
• Sanitized shopping carts/baskets
• Assistance with groceries to car
• Provide special parking for mothers with small
  children

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Conclusions and Implications
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Conclusions and Implications

• At the very least supermarkets need to become
  more responsive and empathic.
• A significant opportunity exists to improve the
  customer service experience.
• Close the gap on the key attributes.

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Conclusions and Implications

• A significant opportunity exists to address the
  different need states of men versus women
  shoppers.
• Think beyond smiles and thank you to enhance
  the customer service experience.

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Conclusions and Implications

• Adopt an outside-in, customer focused approach
• Determine customer service importance beliefs
  take some actionable steps
• Remember the words of Darwin
• Cosmetic changes are not enough
• A one size fits all approach will not work
• Develop your unique approach to customer service