Abstract

To identify the factors whose perception has the greatest influence on customer satisfaction, the authors analyse a database of 422 Spanish consumers who purchase from different types of self-service grocery stores in a representative Spanish city. The findings reveal that among consumers who exhibit a low propensity to buy store brands, perceptions of the quality image, as well as perceptions of service and convenience, have positive and significant influences on the maximum level of customer satisfaction. However, for those consumers who are not prone to buying store brands, only the perception of services and convenience influence their maximum level of satisfaction. This research outlines which features can help retailers focus their strategies on appropriate consumer targets, according to the retailer’s own features, and thus attain a sustainable competitive advantage though their differentiation.

Key words: Grocery retailing, maximum level of customer satisfaction, store brand proneness.