International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue VII, July 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186
Impact of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction: Evidence from A Mini Supermarket
RTLA De Silva, TP Ekanayake, HPDSN Karunasekara, WGAL Wijerathne, WDH De Mel*
Department of Management and Finance, Faculty of Management, Social Sciences and Humanities, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University
*Corresponding Author
Abstract: Service quality in retail establishments is important for customer satisfaction, retention and also to enhance customer loyalty towards the organization and its products or services. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of service quality factors on customer satisfaction with reference to a University based mini supermarket. Service quality was measured using the SERVQUAL model. Five dimensions of Service Quality namely Tangibles, Reliability, Responsiveness, Empathy and Assurance are considered for this research. The study employs quantitative research methodology. Primary data for the study is gathered through a structured questionnaire distributed among undergraduates. The sample has been selected based on convenient sampling method. Accordingly, the final sample size consisted of 153 respondents after removing the missing data and outliers. Regression analysis was carried out in order to study the impact of service quality dimensions on customer satisfaction. Results revealed that there is a significant positive impact of tangibility, reliability and empathy on customer satisfaction. Responsiveness and assurance have an insignificant impact on customer satisfaction. The findings of the study will be beneficial for practitioners in ensuring the service quality aspect of mini-supermarkets in order to ensure customer satisfaction.
Keywords: Service quality, Customer satisfaction, Tangibles, Reliability, Empathy
I.INTRODUCTION
Service quality is a widely discussed concept in the marketing paradigm. Service quality is defined as the difference between what the customers expect from a particular service before the service is received and how the customers perceive the service afterwards (Asubongteng et al., 1996). Accordingly, service quality requires a comparison between before service expectations and actual experience of the service. Service quality would enable the organizations to achieve competitive advantage through improved quality which will ultimately affect the profitability of the organization. (Chumpitaz & Paparoidamis, 2004).
Service quality in retailing is different from other products or services. The supermarket concept has been popular in Sri Lanka mainly because of the convenience aspect of grocery shopping ever since it was introduced in 1983 (Wanninayake & Randiwela, 2007). Currently, there are approximately 600 supermarkets and hypermarkets established in Sri Lanka, where a majority of them are centred in urban areas (Habaragoda, 2021).