The current structure of retail trade (shoe stores, hardware stores, clothing stores, grocery stores, electrical appliances, furniture stores, stationery stores, etc.) The country is characterized by the vigorous expansion of large stores, chain stores, franchises and new sales channels that operate with modern and innovative business techniques and by the presence of a large segment of small independent traditional establishments that require having efficient management systems that allow them to respond properly to the challenges of the competitive environment in which they operate.
Among the administrative tasks to be developed that can be considered essential for this smaller-scale business sector to face such challenges is the systematic implementation of value propositions that respond to changing competitive market conditions and tools such as measurement surveys of customer satisfaction that provide elements of judgment for evaluation and adjustment.
A value proposition is generally constituted by a combination of basic and differentiating tangible and intangible benefits that the company offers and delivers to its target customers and that as a whole will allow them to create in their mind a favorable and distinctive perception with respect to which they have from their competitors. Some proposals can be completely innovative, or integrated by several basic attributes similar to those of the competition and a group of distinctive attributes.
If in the minds of customers a store is perceived as the same as the rest of the shops, why should they prefer it? In addition, if a clear and appreciated position is not chosen in the conscience of consumers, they will always spontaneously form their own image of the business with the great risk of being a negative or undesirable vision. For example, they may see it as attractive and comfortable or unpleasant and uncomfortable, high or low prices, with good or poor customer service, with a wide or limited variety of products, items of good or poor quality, fashionable or outdated; as organized or untidy, mainly for a young or older audience, distinguishing or not differentiating from competitors.
With the measurement of customer satisfaction it is intended to determine their level of satisfaction with the offer of products and services provided, the attention received and the infrastructure available to the commercial establishment. The foregoing having as the main frame of reference to capture customer perceptions the dimensions and attributes selected by each particular business to form the value proposition that defines its competitive positioning. Generic retail examples of these dimensions and attributes are as follows:
Exterior design: signs, sideboards, entrances, illuminated signs, awnings or canopies and exterior materials and colors.
Decoration and interior setting: distribution of space, product display, display furniture, decorative styles and themes, sound and images, fitting rooms, lighting, fragrances, air conditioning, and furniture and equipment for collection.
Assortment structure: breadth, width, depth and consistency of the assortment and product availability.
Product qualities: brand, price, guarantee, specialization, savings to be generated, respectful with the environment, ecological, exclusive and attributes of a physical and functional nature (quality, design, degree of novelty, ease of use, functionality, durability, dimensions, repairability, power, performance, healthy, provenance, etc.).
Customer service: schedules, courtesy, communication, kindness, responsibility, security, accessibility, reliability, personalized treatment, professional advice, speed of service, payment methods, complaints and suggestions, returns, home delivery, payment of various services, section of merchandise, delivery times and getting items that are not part of your inventory.
Sales channels: in establishment, by phone and via internet
Sales promotion: promotions based on monetary incentives and gifts in kind and the organization of promotional events.
Complementary services to its core activity: installation and maintenance services, training and education, clothing, pet accommodation, event organization, copying and internet, and food and beverage preparation.
Prestige and tradition: seniority in the field, experience, professionalism and outstanding people who have been and are clients.
Location of the establishment: access facilities to the establishment, visibility of the site, parking and security in the area.
As an example, a series of attributes that could be part of a value proposition of a bookstore are described below:
| I totally disagree | 0 |
| I disagree | one |
| I agree | two |
| I totally agree | 3 |
- Example of a closed question with a rating scale:
How satisfied are you with the care our employees gave you?
| Dissatisfied | 0 |
| Satisfied | one |
| Very satisfied | two |
Also, the table below includes a series of sample answer options for statements and questions that can be used to determine response frequencies only and with scales that assign a rating to each answer.
Examples of answer options
| Very
dissatisfied |
Dissatisfied |
Satisfied |
Very satisfied |
_ |
| Strongly disagree | In disagreement | Agree | Strongly agree | _ |
| Very inferior | lower | Same | Higher | Very superior |
| Without importance | Of little importance | Moderately important | Important | Very important |
| Never | Rarely | Sometimes | Frequently | Very often |
| Very unfriendly | Unfriendly | Friendly | Very friendly | _
|
| Deficient | Regular | Okay | Very good | Excellent |
| Not acceptable | Acceptable | Very acceptable | Excellent | - |
| Low | Moderate | Tall | - | - |
| Never | Hardly ever | Sometimes | Usually | Always |
Examples of responses with rating scales
| Response value:
0 points |
Response value:
1 point |
Response value:
2 points |
Response value:
3 points |
Response value:
4 points |
| Very
dissatisfied |
Dissatisfied | Satisfied | Very
satisfied |
_ |
| Never | Hardly ever | Sometimes | Usually | Always |
Profile of respondents
It is convenient to include in the questionnaire a special space to capture some personal data and purchasing behaviors of the customers to be interviewed. This is to complement the client directory and have some duly selected elements to group respondents by categories for analysis purposes. For example, through variables such as sex, age, level of education, products that you usually purchase, to whom the products you buy are intended, frequency of purchase, services that you use, competitive establishments where you usually buy the same or similar items, and reasons shopping.
Most common mistakes in questionnaire design
Among the most common mistakes to avoid when designing a questionnaire are the following:
- The questionnaire is too long. Questions are included that do not answer the objective of the study. There are important answer options not incorporated. Questions that are ambiguous, can be interpreted in different ways. Uncommon or highly technical words are used that prevent people understand and respond to what is asked. They are asked about two or more concepts in a single statement that may confuse the interviewees. Scales whose categories are very similar to each other are used, with little ability to distinguish. There is no proper relationship between the questions and the answer alternatives.
There are missing or overlapping number ranges.
- The phenomenon known as "favorable response bias" occurs due to the incorrect way of asking certain questions.
Test and adjust the questionnaire
Once the first version of the questionnaire has been completed, a test should be carried out by applying it to a small number of clients that is representative of the group of people who buy in the business. The foregoing in order to identify possible design errors and once corrected proceed to prepare the final questionnaire.
Interview methods
There are different interview methods which can be applied individually or in combination. Given the characteristics of a customer satisfaction survey, it is best to ask them to fill out the questionnaire when visiting the business and if you have the email address of some of them you can also use this medium.
Selection of clients to be surveyed and application of the questionnaire
When you do not have a complete directory of clients and access to them depends to a great extent on their frequency of purchase, as is the case in the commercial sector, the most convenient thing is to systematically apply the questionnaire through the aforementioned channels. This is until the answers obtained adequately cover all the questions and they become relatively repetitive.
In the event that there are traits among customers that give rise to substantially different purchasing behaviors and consequently to the possibility of grouping them by segment, it is suggested that the number of surveys to be carried out for each segment is proportional to its size. Examples of such traits are sex, age, education, volume and frequency of purchase.
Processing and analysis of results
The processing phase includes reviewing the questionnaires to detect errors or eliminating contradictory answers, examining open questions to identify the different answer alternatives and defining keys for each one of them, incorporating in each questionnaire the answer keys that require it, defining the customer satisfaction indices that will be derived from the responses and carry out the corresponding operations to obtain these indicators.
If the number of questionnaires is large, it is advisable to use an electronic spreadsheet such as Excel to capture the data, perform the arithmetic calculations and statistical measurements related to the satisfaction rates such as response percentages, arithmetic means, frequency distributions and standard deviations. Likewise, graph the results that will be the object of interpretation and analysis in order to structure the conclusions of the study, plan the tasks to be carried out to correct the deficiencies identified and meet new needs.
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Retail trade, also known as retail, retail and retail trade, comprises traders who buy final consumer goods to be sold, without transformation, mainly to individuals and households.
Shops not associated or linked to any type of establishment.
