Customer Expectation, Satisfaction and Loyalty : A Study of Grocery Retail Sector in South Africa

This study investigates the grocery retail sector in South Africa and what factors drive consumer behavior. The literature emphasizes the importance of understanding what shapes customer satisfaction and how this can then lead to customer loyalty. A quantitative approach was used for this study, and the data was collected using a questionnaire. The study looked at convenience, service, promotion, store atmosphere and expectation and how they impact customer satisfaction. Only expectation factor had an impact on customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the study also showed that customer satisfaction had an impact on customer loyalty which was in line with the literature and answered the overall research question. Future studies need to explore the impact of quality on customer satisfaction, as this is a key measurement that the expectation factor is tested against. An analysis of how technology impacts the process also needs to be done, as a large number of sales in the physical channel start online and there is an advent of price comparison mechanisms