CUSTOMER NET VALUE: A SERVICE GAP PERSPECTIVE FROM SAUDI ARABIA

The identification and creation of customer value is regarded as an essential prerequisite for the success, long-term survival and competitive advantage of firms. However, the current customer value construct is too narrow and simplistic. The advice provided to companies also rest on little scientific understanding of what and how customers’ derived their desired value as the current customer value construct adopts a received value conceptualization. Therefore, the main aim of this article is to discuss, operationalized and proposed the measurement for a comprehensive customer value construct comprising of customer desired value, received value and customer net value. In the process of validating the measurements, 800 questionnaires were distributed to grocery shoppers in different shopping outlets in Saudi Arabia of which 407 questionnaires were completed. The findings indicated that the proposed constructs were valid and have practical and theoretical significance especially in the customer satisfaction management.