• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.793-807
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• 2003

The purpose of this study is to show the component and anticipation factors of loyalty and word-of-mouth. Specifically, hypothesis is that trust in a salesperson will influence satisfaction with the salesperson, and the store. And the satisfactions with the salesperson and the store will influence the loyalty to the salesperson and the store. Another hypothesis is that loyalty to a salesperson and a store will influence word-of-mouth. Scale items used in this study were selected from developed scales and were adapted to conforming to the selling situation in the service setting. Factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha test were accomplished. A total of 703 samples was used to test the hypotheses. The primary method of statistical analysis to test the hypotheses was a structural equation modeling on LISREL 8.3. The results of the study are as follows: First, trust had an influence on satisfaction with a salesperson and a store. Second, the results suggested that satisfaction with the salesperson and the store influences loyalty to the salesperson and the store. Finally, loyalty to the salesperson and the store influenced word-of-mouth, as predicted.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.41 no.12
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• pp.1-12
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to identify importance of salesperson's selling behavior's such as orientation and loyalty. A total of 350 questionnaires was distributed to high school students in the city of Daegu area and 306 respondents were used for the statistical analysis. The primary methods of the statistical analysis employed in this thesis to test the hypotheses were factor analysis, reliability analysis, correlation, and linear regression. SPSS package program was used to analyze the data. The results are as follows：1. Customers felt dissatisfaction at salesperson's selling-orientation and felt satisfaction at customer-orientation when they buy the clothes. The salesperson's selling behavior was connected with customer's satisfaction directly, and was very important to retail market 2. The customer satisfaction of salesperson shows meaningful relation and has influenced on salesperson loyalty as well as customer satisfaction of store. But the customer satisfaction of salesperson has not influenced on store loyalty. 3. The customer satisfaction of store shows meaningful relation and has influenced on store loyalty, but not on salesperson loyalty. 4. The salesperson loyalty shows meaningful relation with and has influenced on store loyalty. The more salesperson loyalty increases, the more store loyalty increases. Accordingly, it is concluded that the future success of firms and retailers depends on the quality of the relationship between customers and salespersons.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.760-771
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• 2000

The main objective of this study were to develop the scale for measuring service quality and to identify the differences of service quality among apparel store types(department store, fashion specialty store and national brand independent store). Data were collected from 463 subjects who finished their shopping with a self-administered questionnaire. The results were as follows; 1. As a result of factor analysis, seven dimensions were identified for service quality: VMD, store atmosphere, pleasant enviornment, product assortment, store policy, salesperson's assurance, and salesperson's responsiveness dimensions. The first five dimensions and the last two dimensions were corresponded to store service and sales service respectively. Those dimensions explained 56.56% of service quality. Especially the salesperson's assurance had the most explaining power. 2. The fashion specially store was evaluated as the highest in five dimensions of store service, whereas the department store was evaluated as the lowest in the pleasant environment dimension. 3. Store policy, salesperson's assurance, store atmosphere, and VMD dimensions explained 38% of store satisfaction.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.26 no.3_4
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• pp.431-442
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to identify the importance of salesperson selling behavior such as salesperson's orientation, similarity with customers and expertise as well as the relationship benefits of salesperson. A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed to adults in Daegu-Kyongbuk area and 335 questionnaires were collected(84%) and 314 samples were used for the statistical analysis. The primary methods of the statistical analysis were factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation and path analysis using LISREL 8. The results are as follows: First, clothings salesperson's customer-orientation(p < .10), expertise, similarity (p< .10) and salesperson's functional, social benefits showed positive relation with customer satisfaction. And salesperson's selling-orientation influenced customer satisfaction of salesperson negatively. In addition customer satisfaction of salesperson showed positive relation with salesperson loyalty and satisfaction of the stores. Second, the salesperson loyalty showed positive relation with store loyalty and word-of-mouth but showed negative relation with post-purchase information search. Customer satisfaction of stores showed negative relation with post-purchase information search but no meaningful relation with store loyalty and word-of-mouth.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.572-581
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of duty free shop consumers' store benefits sought and fashion merchandise shopping orientation on store satisfaction. Survey data were collected from questionnaires filled out by 194 domestic consumers who had purchase experience of fashion goods in duty free shops located in Korea. The data were analyzed by reliability analysis, factor analysis, and multiple regression analysis. The results of this study were as follows: First, the store benefits sought was categorized into five factors such as pursuit of convenience, salesperson/atmosphere, promotion, product quality, and product fashionability/variety. The fashion merchandise shopping orientation was categorized into six factors such as pleasure orientation, pursuit of fashion, pursuit of brand, planned orientation, pursuit of confidence, and convenience orientation. The store satisfaction was categorized into six factors such as atmosphere/reputation of store, promotion, product fashionability/variety, convenience, price, and salesperson. Second, the store benefits sought, composed of pursuit of convenience, salesperson/atmosphere, promotion, product quality, and product fashionability/variety, had an effect on the store satisfaction. Third, the shopping orientation such as pleasure orientation, pursuit of fashion, pursuit of brand, and planned orientation, with the exception of pursuit of confidence and convenience orientation, had an effect on the store satisfaction.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.1270-1278
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• 2003

The purposes of this study were to compare the perspectives of salespeople and of customers on the perception of salespeople's customer orientation and to examine the effects of the customer orientation on customer satisfaction and in turn on store revisit intention. Data were obtained from the two groups of department store salespeople and their customers. A total of 300 pairs of questionnaires were distributed, and 224 pairs were analyzed. The results revealed that the salespeople's perception of the customer orientation was significantly higher than the customer's perception. The customer orientation affected the customer satisfaction with salesperson and with store while the sales orientation did not. The customer satisfaction, in turn, affected the store revisit intention, and the effect of the satisfaction with store was higher than that with salesperson. A slight difference between the customers and salespeople in such effects was observed. Generally the effects had higher predictabilities for the customers.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.45-54
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• 2008

The purposes of this study are to examine consumer's perception about salesperson services of fashion stores, and how salesperson services influence on consumer's satisfaction, repeat purchase intention by price perception. The data was obtained from a survey of 420 fashion product consumers in their 20's living in Gwangju city in 2006. It was analyzed by factor analyses, reliability, frequency, T-test, regression. The results of the survey were: 1) Salesperson service dimensions perceived by fashion product consumers were 4 dimensions: Customer service orientation,. Relationship orientation, Reliability & sales ability, Salesperson's appearance. 2) Salesperson services influenced on satisfaction of high price perception group and low price perception group. 3) Satisfaction and salesperson service importance influenced on repeat purchase intention of high price perception group and low price perception group. 4) The difference of salesperson services perceptions by store types were examined. The findings of this study are expected to help fashion stores make successful relationship strategy according to price strategy and keep the relationship with their customers for a long time in fashion retail setting.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.75-82
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• 2018

Purpose - As the role of salespersons in retail stores has expanded from selling products to sharing brand experiences with customers, the importance of research on the effects of salesperson-brand relationships has grown. The purpose of this research is to investigate the influences of salespersons' brand identification on conceptual fluency and customers' service and brand evaluations. It was supposed that salespersons' brand identification is affected by brand knowledge, which is a core dimension of internal branding. Research design, data, and methodology - The author developed a structural model in which salespersons' brand knowledge influences brand identification, hence customers' perception of salesperson-brand image congruence. And it is hypothesized that salesperson-brand image congruence influences conceptual fluency which affects customers' satisfaction and brand evaluation. Data were collected from five department stores in Seoul. Results - First, salespersons' brand knowledge was found to have a significant effect on brand identification. The more a salesperson knows about the affiliated brand, the higher her level of brand identification. Second, salespersons' brand identification influenced salesperson-brand image congruence. Third, salesperson-brand image congruence had a significant effect on brand conceptual fluency. Customers who perceive salesperson-brand image congruent are more likely to process information easily. Finally, conceptual fluency was found to be a significant determinant of store loyalty and brand value evaluation. Conclusions - The results of this study verify importance of salesperson's brand identification on customers' service and brand evaluations. To enhance salespersons' brand identification, retailers should emphasize the importance of internal branding and communication, especially by sharing brand vision, values, and identity with employees at customer contact points. Also, as brand conceptual fluency is a significant determinant of customer responses, retailers need to deliver consistent messages through various components of store environments, including salespersons' attitudes, appearances, and manners, as well as physical store design. With a deeper understanding of the effects of salesperson-brand relationship and brand conceptual fluency, retailers will be able to create more effective brand strategies to enhance their performances. Future studies should consider data from various retail types, such as discount stores, to generalize the findings.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.57-64
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• 2018

Purpose - As the importance of salesperson attitudes and behaviors enhancing customer perception and loyalty have increased, many retail companies put emphasis on internal marketing activities. The issue also has captured the interest of academics, but most of the previous research tends to be limited to investigating antecedents of salesperson job satisfaction and commitment. Based on the consumer-brand relationship concepts, this study aims to examine the effects of the salesperson-brand relationships on customers' service evaluation and store loyalty. Research design, data, and methodology - In a structural equation model, it is hypothesized that salesperson brand identification influences salespersons' brand trust and affect, which are the two dimensions of consumer-brand relationships. Salespersons' brand trust and affect are expected to increase salespersons' customer orientation, which in turn influences customers' service evaluations and store loyalty. To test this hypotheses a set of data collected from department stores in Seoul is utilized. Results - First, it was found that salesperson brand identification is a significant antecedent to salespersons' brand trust and affects, the two dimensions of salesperson brand relationships. Second, salespersons' brand trust and affect were found to enhance salespersons' customer-oriented behaviors. Third, salespersons' customer orientation showed a significant effect on customers' service evaluation. When a salesperson makes more effort to provide useful information for fulfilling customer needs, customers evaluate the salesperson's service more positively. Finally, customers' service evaluation had a positive impact on customers' store loyalty. Conclusions - This study provides significant academic and practical implications. First, based on the theory of consumer-brand relationships, the concept of salesperson-brand relationships was introduced and found to be an effective motivator of salespersons' customer oriented attitudes and behaviors. Therefore, the two dimensions of brand relationships, brand trust and affect, should be considered as the critical factors both in developing theoretical research and improving long-term company performance. Also, internal marketing activities should focus on maximizing employees' brand identification. That is, retail companies need to put emphasis on sharing their brand values and personality with internal customers to strengthen the brand relationships with salespersons and to enhance customer responses.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.29-39
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of service quality of apparel stores, evaluative criteria and clothing involvement on the consumer satisfaction. Data were collected from 481 women consumers living in Busan and analysed by frequency analysis, factor analysis, Cronbach's , cluster analysis, t-test and discriminant analysis. The results showed that consumers who highly involved symbolism of apparel were more influenced by salesperson service and store atmosphere, and were more effected by prestige/brand royalty of apparel than those who highly involved pleasure of apparel. Those who had high scores in symbolism involvement were more satisfied with consumer satisfaction in apparel buying behaviors than those who highly involved pleasure of apparel. The service quality was the influenced variable on consumer satisfaction related to apparel products than the others. Especially, salesperson service and store atmosphere in service quality were important to the satisfaction perceived by consumers in apparel buying process.