• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.25 no.5
• /
• pp.933-944
• /
• 2001

The purpose of this research was to classify service dimensions for each apparel product which was thought to be important to consumers and to examine what kind of service dimensions are assessed to be more important than others. Furthermore, whether there were significant differences in the service dimensions and importances of services dimensions were examined by apparel product type(casual, formal products). Data were collected from women who were over 20 years old that live in Seoul. A questionnaire developed based on the previous researches and data were analyzed by factor analysis, t-test, ANOVA, frequency analysis. The results of this study were as follows: First, services of salesperson were divided into six dimensions: \"focused on customers\", \"knowledge/competency\", \"courtesy\", \"appearance/image\", \"purchasing induction\", and \"concerning\". As to service dimension importance, consumers think that \"service focused on customers\" is the most important dimension of service. Second, results of examining the importance according to apparel product type showed that five of the six service dimensions in formal product sales were more important except for the \"knowledge\" related service. Last, as to demographic characteristic variables, people who were over 40 years old were likely to think \"purchasing induction\", \"appearance/image\", \"concerning\" service dimensions more important than the other ages. And it was found that consumers who spend less money on purchasing clothing in a month thought \"focused on customers\" service was more important than the other consumers. In conclusion store managers could apply these results to service education of salesperson and use on preservation and improvement of customer relationship. And according to apparel product types, the results will give some implications to various service policies.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.760-771
• /
• 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 Distribution Science
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.75-82
• /
• 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 the Korean Society of Costume
• /
• v.53 no.2
• /
• pp.171-182
• /
• 2003

The purpose of this study was to determine dimension of service quality, there by to analyze difference of service quality according to the types of fashion retail stores. and to investigate consumer variables (demographic characteristics, purchase behavior) and service quality which affect consumer satisfaction. The subject were 451 women in the age of twenty to forty years old who live in Seoul and the suburban of Seoul. The results of the study were as follows : First, it was found that fashion retail store's service quality was classified 5 factors: (1)salesperson. (2)convenience of shopping, (3)variety of product and facility. (4)store policy, (5)efficiency of movement. Second, departmentstore was evaluated the highest in terms of all factors. Discountstore was evaluated highly in terms of store policy and lowly in terms of variety of production and facility. East & South gate fashion shopping mall was evaluated the lowest in terms of all factors except variety of product and facility. Third, service quality and satisfaction showed significant differences in demographic characteristics. Purchase behavior of each fashion retail stores showed significant differences. The difference of service quality and satisfaction depending on purchase behavior showed a significant positive relation. Forth, service quality of discountstore and East & South gate fashion shopping mall were affected by purchase behavior partially. Departmentstore users were affected by salesperson and store policy. Discountstore users were affected by all factors except convenience of shopping. East & South fate fashion shopping mall users were affected by all factors.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.31-45
• /
• 2002

The purpose of this study was designed to investigate if self-monitoring variable among various individual trait theories and demographic variable would be variables which can explain about the importance differences of consumer service level of retailing in the garment product. The survey was conducted from Feb, 6 to 16, 2002. For this survey, the 118 data were analysed with spss window 9.0 version and Cronbach's, Factor analysis, one-way ANOVA, Duncan test, Frequency, mean, percentage were applied. The results of this study were as follows; 1. Consumer service was classified in attitude/confidence/expert knowledge of salesperson, product display, product information, product assortment, shopping environment, lighting setup. 2. As a result of analyzing the importance differences per consumer service dimension depending on self-monitoring levels, it was not significant differences. 3. As a result of analyzing the importance differences per consumer service dimension depending on demographic variables, it was not significant differences.

• Journal of Distribution Research
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.1-21
• /
• 2001

This study introduced the components of apparel store, which include product and service factor to reflect the modified conception of service. The purposes of this study were to investigate the dimensions of the components of apparel store and to examine consumers' rating of importance on the components of apparel store. In addition, this study explored the effect of clothing involvement and demographic variables on importance perception. Data were collected via a questionnaire from young adult females in their twenties. The results of this study revealed five dimensions of service factor: environmental service, salesperson service, attitude and policy service related to exchange and refund, policy service related to promotion, and policy service related to convenience. Factors related to product were identified price, quality, variety, fashion, design and brand. Attitude and policy service related to exchange and refund is the most important factor that consumer perceived. Salesperson service and product quality were the second important factors. The relatively important factor in each service dimension was this : display in the environmental service, the ability of salesperson to resolve customer's complaints in the salesperson service, sales person’s courtesy in managing exchange or refund in policy service. Clothing involvement and demographic variables do affect consumers’perception on importance.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.1-31
• /
• 2008

Trust is central to human relationships, at all times and places. The importance of trust is fundamental in all areas of human life, not only in the area of business administration. 2,500 years ago in China, Confucius taught that the foundation of politics was the trust of the people, more important even than military strength or the supply of food. Shakespeare's play, "Much Ado about Nothing' is about trust and deception. These days, trust and transparency in a commercial organization's business culture form the basis of the 'social capital' by which that organization increases its productivity. A successful company raises productivity by the accumulation of social capital, derived from a trust relationship between business partners, and between the company and consumers. Trust is the crucial factor. At the national level, building trust determines a nation's competitiveness. For a company, long term trust relationships with customers are essential for its survival in a business environment of rapid change. Such relationships, based on trust, are important assets to ensure a company's competitive advantage, and need to be organic to that company's business culture. Because of this importance, trust relationships have been studied in diverse areas within business administration, and especially within marketing, where they form the basis of a successful relationship between producer and consumer. However, what has been lacking is a unified definition of trust. Research has been conducted on the basis of various definitions and models. The majority of researchers have not considered the multidimensional character of the concept of trust until now. Approaches based on a one dimensional model have undermined the value of research results. Furthermore, researchers have only considered trust and trustworthiness as a single component. The majority of research has explored the consequences of perceived trust for outcomes such as loyalty or cooperation, but has neglected the effects of trustworthiness upon the mechanisms of consumer trust. This study focuses on the dimension of trust from such a perspective. It seeks to verify the effect of trust on customer intentions by breaking it down into three separate components: 1) the salesperson, 2) the product/service, and 3) the company. The purposes of this paper are as follows: Firstly, we review the multidimensional nature of trust objects: the salesperson, the product/service, and the company. Secondly, we analyze the relationship between multidimensional trust and trustworthiness. Thirdly, we analyze the connection between trust and repeat purchase intentions for the maintenance of long term relationships. For these purposes the author has developed several hypotheses as follows: H1-1: The competence of a salesperson is positively associated with the trust given by the consumer to the salesperson. H1-2: The benevolence of a salesperson is positively associated with the trust given by the consumer to the salesperson. H2-1: The competence of product/service is positively associated with the trust given by the consumer to the product/service. H2-2: The benevolence of product/service is positively associated with the trust given by the consumer to the product/service. H3-1: The reputation of a company is positively associated with the trust given by the consumer to the company. H3-2: The physical environment of a company is positively associated with the trust given by the consumer to the company. H4-1: Trust in a salesperson is positively associated with repeat purchase intentions. H4-2: Trust in a product/service is positively associated with repeat purchase intentions. H4-3: Trust in a company is positively associated with repeat purchase intentions. The data was compiled from 366 questionnaires. 500 questionnaires were collected, but some of the data was considered unsuitable and inappropriate. The subjects of the survey were male and female customers purchasing products at department stores in Seoul, Daegu and Gyeongbuk. It was carried out between Oct. 25 and 29, 2007. The data was analyzed by frequency analysis using SPSS 12.0 and structural equation modeling using LISREL 8.7. The result of the overall model analysis is as follows: Chi-Square=445.497, d.f.=185, p-value=0.0, GFI=.901, RMSEA=.0617, NNFI=.986, NFI=.981, CFI=.989, AGFI=.864, RMR=.0872. The results of the overall model analysis were coherent. It was found that trust is a multi-dimensional construct, that each of the dimensions of trust are meaningful influences on customer's repurchase intention. Trust in a company may be the most relevant, while trust in a product/service and a salesperson may be less relevant to repurchase intentions. The effective factors in determining trust in a salesperson and a company's product/service were found to be competence and benevolence. Factors in determining trust in a company were its reputation and physical environment, and the relationship of each effective trust factor has been verified in this research. As a result, it was found that competence and benevolence have a meaningful influence on trust in a salesperson and in product/service. It was also found that a company's reputation influences the overall trust in the company significantly but a company's physical environment does not have much effect.

• Asia Marketing Journal
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.71-100
• /
• 2014

While the role of emotional antecedents of effective selling behavior would be important, the issue has not been fully addressed in the sales literature. To fill this gap, we conceptualize and empirically examine the relationships among salesperson's emotional regulation processes such as emotional intelligence (EI) and emotional labor (EL), effective selling behavior, and sales performance on the basis of educational, occupational, social psychology literature and marketing literature (e.g., Henning-Thurau, Groth, Paul, and Gremler 2006; Kidwell et al. 2011; Liu et al. 2008; Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso 2008). First, salesperson's EI is defined as his or her capability that enables correct perceptions about emotional situations in sales interactions. The EI is expected to work as psychological resources for different types of EL (i.e., deep acting and surface acting) to be performed by salesperson as emotional expression strategies (e.g., Lie et al. 2008). It is, then, expected that the features of EL selected by the salesperson would lead to different levels of adaptive selling behavior (ASB) and thereby sales performance (Monaghan 2006). Further, given that salesperson's customer orientation (CO) is found to be an important correlate of ASB (Franke and Park 2006), it is expected that CO would moderate the relationship between EL and ASB (Rozell, Pettijohn, and Parker 2004). Hence, this research attempts to shed additional light on emotionally-driven (EL) as well as cognitively-driven (CO) antecedents of ASB (Frank and Park 2006). The findings of the survey research, done with 336 salespersons in insurance and financial companies, are summarized as follows. First, salespersons with a high level of EI are found to use both deep acting (regulating the emotions themselves) and surface acting (controlling only emotional expressions) in a versatile way, when implementing EL. Second, the more the salesperson performs deep acting, the more he or she shows ASB. It is, then, important for salespersons to use deep acting more frequently in the EL process in order to enhance the quality of interacting with customers through ASB. On the other hand, the salesperson's surface acting did not have a significant relationship with ASB. Moreover, CO was found to moderate the relationship between the salesperson's deep acting and ASB. That is, the context of high CO culture and individual salesperson's deep acting would synergistically make the selling efforts adaptive to customer preferences. Conceptualizing and empirically verifying the antecedent roles of important emotional constructs such as EI and EL in salesperson's effective selling behavior (ASB) and sales performance is a major theoretical contribution in the sales literature. Managerially, this research provides a deeper understanding on the nature of tasks performed by salespersons in service industries and a few guidelines for managing the sales force. First, sales organizations had better consciously assess EI capacity in the selection and nurturing processes of salespersons, given that EI can efficiently drive EL and the resulting effective selling behavior and performance. Further, the concept of EL could provide a framework to understand the salespersons' emotional experiences in depth. Especially, sales organizations may well think over how to develop deep acting capabilities of their sales representatives. In this direction, the training on deep acting strategies would be an essential task for improving effective selling behavior and performance of salespersons. This kind of training had better incorporate the perspectives of customers such that many customers can actually discern whether salespersons are doing either surface acting or deep acting. Finally, based on the synergistic effects of deep acting and CO culture, how to build and sustain CO is always an ever-important task in sales organizations. While the prior sales literature has emphasized the process and structure of highly customer-oriented sales organization, our research not only corroborates the important aspects of customer-oriented sales organization, but also adds the important dimension of competent sales representatives who can resonate with customers by deep acting for sales excellence.