Alignment of consumer purchasing preferences with retailing activities in the South African branded clothing industry

Abstract

The continually evolving and increasing competitive retail environment has placed pressure on the retailers and their bottom line. In order for the retailers to develop a sustainable competitive advantage and be seen as the retailer of choice, the retailers have to continually reassess and re-evaluate their strategies in light of the changing needs, purchasing preferences and behaviour of the consumers. This research investigated the degree of alignment in the thinking and views of the consumers and the individuals responsible for establishing and implementing the strategy within the retail stores related to the relative importance of the various dimensions of the retail model. The research was conducted utilising a closed ended questionnaire. 202 consumers, over the age of 18, completed this in-store survey questionnaire by rating the relative importance of the various dimensions of the retail model on a five point Likert scale. The views and opinions of management were also obtained by requesting 14 members of the executive management team of the retailer to complete the questionnaire. The study demonstrated alignment and consistency in the thinking of management and the consumers. Both parties have demonstrated a clear preference for a store that will provide the consumers with a magical shopping experience in terms of the atmosphere created by the store, the store’s customer relationship marketing initiatives and the range of merchandise available within the store. With limited time available to the consumers due to our current lifestyles and with the research being conducted in the latter part of November, in the peak trading period leading up to the Christmas rush, there was also an expectation and acceptance that the store should also provide the consumers with knowledgeable and courteous employees and other services that will be able to and will assist the consumers in locating and purchasing the desired products within the expected and available time frames