The interpersonal factors identified in this study may also
help retailers understand how employees can more effectively
interact with customers. For example, an examination
of Tables 1 and 2 reveals some interesting information.
Interpersonal effort and interpersonal engagement, or lack
thereof, each account for large percentages of the total
number of critical incidents for both the delightful (39.8%
and 25.7%, respectively) and terrible (28.3% and 35.4%,
respectively) shopping experiences. This suggests that these
two interpersonal aspects of service would appear to be
especially important in discriminating between delightful
and terrible shopping experiences. Information, such as this,
can be useful in frontline employee training and performance
rewards. Further examination of Tables 1 and 2
suggests opportunities for retailers in the non-interpersonal
aspect of product assortment issues. Because unanticipated
acquisition and lack of expected acquisition each account
for larger percentages of the total number of critical incidents,
retailers may wish to examine their segmentation
strategy to ensure that their product assortments are closely
aligned with the targeted populations.
The findings reported here can also assist retailers in
differentiating their offering relative to competitors. Many
retailers are recognizing the importance of the shopping
experience as the key differentiating variable in the retail
marketplace. Today’s shopping experience is increasingly
defined by customers as including elements of exclusivity
(unique product assortment), identification (customer’s desire
to identify with certain stores), interactivity (hands-on
shopping), and entertainment (Lisanti, 2000). The delight
factors identified here can play a role in defining each of
these elements of the shopping experience in the minds of
consumers and assist retailers in their positioning strategy.
For example, in some industries, it might be beneficial for a
retailer to position on the factor of interpersonal distance,
emphasizing the ‘‘space’’ given to its customers (as many
automobile dealers have attempted in recent years). Focusing
on non-interpersonal factors might suggest that a retailer
position on a unique product assortment. One mall in the
Midwest United States even has the slogan, ‘‘expect the
unexpected’’ (Machleit and Eroglu, 2000).
Terrible shopping experiences present special challenges
to retailers. Recent statistics show that nearly one in four
customers who experience bad customer service indicate
they will tell their friends about the negative experience and
never patronize the retailer again (Anonymous, 2001a).
Furthermore, while consumers are often fickle about the
brands they buy and stores they patronize, they are adamant
about the ones they do not buy, with nearly half of
consumers surveyed making a point of avoiding certain
brands and stores when they shop due to past bad experiences
(Dolliver, 2001). In fact, studies consistently show
that poor service results in more intense negative feelings
and behaviors by customers than would be the case when
they have positive shopping experiences.
The reason for this is that customer responses to bad
experiences are fundamentally different than responses to
positive experiences. Research has shown that negative
experiences that people have are more emotionally taxing,
distinctive, and more easily and frequently recalled from
memory than similar positive experiences (e.g., Folkes,
1988). Furthermore, people tend to take credit for successes
and deny responsibility for failure (Bitner et al., 1994). As a
result, customers who are treated poorly are more likely to
blame the retailer, more vividly remember the bad experience,
be energized to take action and tell others, and be
motivated to alter their own patronage behavior.
Not only is this reflected in prevailing marketplace
statistics, this is clearly reflected in the results, where five
respondents offered positive outcomes associated with their
delightful experiences (e.g., ‘‘I will tell all my friends about
this store.’’), while 87 respondents offered negative outcomes
associated with their terrible experiences. Furthermore,
many of the comments illustrated the intensity of
emotion generated from the terrible shopping experience,
and the certain degree of revenge or finality in consumers’
actions. A male, describing his terrible experience at a major
electronics store, sums up his conversation as follows:
First, I never went back there and I never will. For me,
they only sell products with poor quality. And when you
need service from the store, they will not give you any
attention. So, when somebody says that they are going to
that store, I tell them to stay away from it. I will never
recommend this store to anyone. I will never go back.
Never.
The results provide retailers with specific factors that are
associated with terrible shopping experiences. For example,
many of the interpersonal factors identified here suggest
improvement opportunities in frontline employee training
and recruitment (e.g., lack of skills, unfriendly/rude employees).
In a similar manner, Schneider and Bowen (1999)
recommend developing and implementing performance
management systems designed to reward employee behaviors
that create conditions for customer delight. Additionally,
an examination of the non-interpersonal factors suggest
opportunities be investigated in areas such as store atmospherics
(e.g., to reduce perceptions of crowding) and
product assortment (e.g., avoiding out-of-stock conditions).
Even factors identified here that might appear to be beyond
a retailer’s control, like customer mood, can be influenced
with strategies based on creating an entertaining and fun
retail environment (Burke, 1997; Wakefield and Baker,
1998).