• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.298-306
• /
• 2008

The purpose of this study was to consumer's evaluation toward salesperson attributes, satisfaction of salesperson and apparel store on relationship continuity. To this end, a total of 500 questionnaires were distributed to men and women university students and 443 samples were used for the final analysis. Data were analyzed by using frequency, percentage, factor analysis, cluster analysis, One-way ANOVA, crosstabs, Pearson's correlation analysis, regression analysis. The results of this study were as follows; Looking at the effects of evaluation toward salesperson attributes, satisfaction of salesperson on relationship continuity, they showed satisfaction of salesperson had direct influence on relationship continuity extremely when men and women university students are purchasing their clothing. Uniformity, customer orientation, expertise, kindness were as follows. Looking at the effects of evaluation toward salesperson attributes, satisfaction of apparel store on relationship continuity, it showed uniformity has direct influence on maintaining relations extremely when men and women university students are purchasing their clothing. Customer orientation, satisfaction of apparel store, expertise, kindness were as follows. Through this study, it will be applied into program development data for consumer management and education, and salesperson's efficient consumer response as well.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
• /
• v.43 no.3
• /
• pp.191-203
• /
• 2020

This study aims to present the differentiating factors of B2B salesperson competency through comparing the suppliers and buyers in Korean steel industry in their perception on the importance and priority of B2B salesperson competency. Based on previous studies, analysis on B2B salesperson competency has been analyzed using the B2B salesperson performance competency measure factors and appropriately reorganizing them for better application to the steel industry. The required performance competencies of B2B salesperson can be categorized into 3 different types, namely social exchange competency, advisory sales competency, and skill & knowledge competency. AHP analysis was performed for analyzing the relative importance of B2B salesperson competency based on the factors of previous studies, in which categorization of the aforementioned types had been done. As the result, first, it has been confirmed that there is a difference in 1st layer main factors between the supplier group and buyer group. The supplier group valued the advisory sales competency, while the buyer group valued skill & knowledge competency. Second, it has been proved that there is same result of relative importance in 2nd detailed factors between the supplier group and buyer group. Both group confirmed that customer member, identify customer needs and communication skill are very important factors. Third, as the result of analysis on the gap between B2B salesperson competency of the suppliers and buyers, the gap in the product knowledge and sales team member need improvement for buyer's satisfaction according to overall results of relative importance and priority. The steel supplier was able to develop B2B salesperson competency according to the buyers' needs based on the result of this study, and furthermore it is expected that this study will be able to contribute to increase in buyer competitiveness through differentiation in B2B salesperson competency.

• Journal of Distribution Science
• /
• v.16 no.11
• /
• pp.57-64
• /
• 2018

Purpose - As the importance of salesperson attitudes and behaviors enhancing customer perception and loyalty have increased, many retail companies put emphasis on internal marketing activities. The issue also has captured the interest of academics, but most of the previous research tends to be limited to investigating antecedents of salesperson job satisfaction and commitment. Based on the consumer-brand relationship concepts, this study aims to examine the effects of the salesperson-brand relationships on customers' service evaluation and store loyalty. Research design, data, and methodology - In a structural equation model, it is hypothesized that salesperson brand identification influences salespersons' brand trust and affect, which are the two dimensions of consumer-brand relationships. Salespersons' brand trust and affect are expected to increase salespersons' customer orientation, which in turn influences customers' service evaluations and store loyalty. To test this hypotheses a set of data collected from department stores in Seoul is utilized. Results - First, it was found that salesperson brand identification is a significant antecedent to salespersons' brand trust and affects, the two dimensions of salesperson brand relationships. Second, salespersons' brand trust and affect were found to enhance salespersons' customer-oriented behaviors. Third, salespersons' customer orientation showed a significant effect on customers' service evaluation. When a salesperson makes more effort to provide useful information for fulfilling customer needs, customers evaluate the salesperson's service more positively. Finally, customers' service evaluation had a positive impact on customers' store loyalty. Conclusions - This study provides significant academic and practical implications. First, based on the theory of consumer-brand relationships, the concept of salesperson-brand relationships was introduced and found to be an effective motivator of salespersons' customer oriented attitudes and behaviors. Therefore, the two dimensions of brand relationships, brand trust and affect, should be considered as the critical factors both in developing theoretical research and improving long-term company performance. Also, internal marketing activities should focus on maximizing employees' brand identification. That is, retail companies need to put emphasis on sharing their brand values and personality with internal customers to strengthen the brand relationships with salespersons and to enhance customer responses.

• Journal of Distribution Science
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.75-82
• /
• 2018

Purpose - As the role of salespersons in retail stores has expanded from selling products to sharing brand experiences with customers, the importance of research on the effects of salesperson-brand relationships has grown. The purpose of this research is to investigate the influences of salespersons' brand identification on conceptual fluency and customers' service and brand evaluations. It was supposed that salespersons' brand identification is affected by brand knowledge, which is a core dimension of internal branding. Research design, data, and methodology - The author developed a structural model in which salespersons' brand knowledge influences brand identification, hence customers' perception of salesperson-brand image congruence. And it is hypothesized that salesperson-brand image congruence influences conceptual fluency which affects customers' satisfaction and brand evaluation. Data were collected from five department stores in Seoul. Results - First, salespersons' brand knowledge was found to have a significant effect on brand identification. The more a salesperson knows about the affiliated brand, the higher her level of brand identification. Second, salespersons' brand identification influenced salesperson-brand image congruence. Third, salesperson-brand image congruence had a significant effect on brand conceptual fluency. Customers who perceive salesperson-brand image congruent are more likely to process information easily. Finally, conceptual fluency was found to be a significant determinant of store loyalty and brand value evaluation. Conclusions - The results of this study verify importance of salesperson's brand identification on customers' service and brand evaluations. To enhance salespersons' brand identification, retailers should emphasize the importance of internal branding and communication, especially by sharing brand vision, values, and identity with employees at customer contact points. Also, as brand conceptual fluency is a significant determinant of customer responses, retailers need to deliver consistent messages through various components of store environments, including salespersons' attitudes, appearances, and manners, as well as physical store design. With a deeper understanding of the effects of salesperson-brand relationship and brand conceptual fluency, retailers will be able to create more effective brand strategies to enhance their performances. Future studies should consider data from various retail types, such as discount stores, to generalize the findings.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
• /
• v.41 no.12
• /
• pp.1-12
• /
• 2003

The purpose of this study was to identify importance of salesperson's selling behavior's such as orientation and loyalty. A total of 350 questionnaires was distributed to high school students in the city of Daegu area and 306 respondents were used for the statistical analysis. The primary methods of the statistical analysis employed in this thesis to test the hypotheses were factor analysis, reliability analysis, correlation, and linear regression. SPSS package program was used to analyze the data. The results are as follows：1. Customers felt dissatisfaction at salesperson's selling-orientation and felt satisfaction at customer-orientation when they buy the clothes. The salesperson's selling behavior was connected with customer's satisfaction directly, and was very important to retail market 2. The customer satisfaction of salesperson shows meaningful relation and has influenced on salesperson loyalty as well as customer satisfaction of store. But the customer satisfaction of salesperson has not influenced on store loyalty. 3. The customer satisfaction of store shows meaningful relation and has influenced on store loyalty, but not on salesperson loyalty. 4. The salesperson loyalty shows meaningful relation with and has influenced on store loyalty. The more salesperson loyalty increases, the more store loyalty increases. Accordingly, it is concluded that the future success of firms and retailers depends on the quality of the relationship between customers and salespersons.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.45-54
• /
• 2008

The purposes of this study are to examine consumer's perception about salesperson services of fashion stores, and how salesperson services influence on consumer's satisfaction, repeat purchase intention by price perception. The data was obtained from a survey of 420 fashion product consumers in their 20's living in Gwangju city in 2006. It was analyzed by factor analyses, reliability, frequency, T-test, regression. The results of the survey were: 1) Salesperson service dimensions perceived by fashion product consumers were 4 dimensions: Customer service orientation,. Relationship orientation, Reliability & sales ability, Salesperson's appearance. 2) Salesperson services influenced on satisfaction of high price perception group and low price perception group. 3) Satisfaction and salesperson service importance influenced on repeat purchase intention of high price perception group and low price perception group. 4) The difference of salesperson services perceptions by store types were examined. The findings of this study are expected to help fashion stores make successful relationship strategy according to price strategy and keep the relationship with their customers for a long time in fashion retail setting.

• Journal of Fashion Business
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.46-58
• /
• 2007

The purpose of this study was to identify the physical surroundings and the salesperson's service in apparel stores, and to examine their effects on customer satisfaction and the intention to repurchase. The data was collected from a questionnaire conducted on 312 female adults who had just finished shopping, and was analyzed by frequency analysis, factor analysis, reliability analysis, regressive analysis and ANOVA analysis with SPSS 10.0. The results were as follows: (1) As a result of the factor analysis, five factors were identified with regard to physical surroundings: spatial layout and functionality, presentation and aesthetics, ambience, convenience, and information. The factors pertaining to the salesperson's service in apparel stores were divided into four dimensions: knowledge and assurance, convenience and responsiveness, etiquette, and empathy. (2) As far as physical surroundings are concerned, spatial layout and functionality, presentation and aesthetics, ambience, and convenience were all found to influence customer satisfaction. In terms of salesperson's service, convenience and responsiveness, etiquette, and empathy each had an influence on customer satisfaction. (3) Furthermore, physical surroundings and the salesperson's service influenced the intention to repurchase. The intention to repurchase is influenced by spatial layout and functionality, ambience, convenience, and information with regard to physical surroundings, by knowledge and assurance, convenience and responsiveness, and empathy with regard to the salesperson's service. (4) It was revealed that the significance of the physical surroundings and salesperson service factors varies depending on the consumer's age, level of education, and income.

• Asia Marketing Journal
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.31-56
• /
• 2009

As the competition intensifies and the market matures, marketers are more and more concerned with the relationship marketing. Many of the previous researches have pointed out that not all of the consumers are relationship-oriented. But none of the previous research has systematically investigated this issue. This research investigated the relationship among the three concepts: consumers' intrinsic characteristics, perceived importance of relational benefits, and relationship building intention with the salesperson. In this research the perceived importance of relational benefits is treated as mediating variable in the relationship between consumers' intrinsic characteristics and relationship building intention with the salesperson. The conceptual model in this study can be depicted as follows. From the consumers' perspective relational benefits can be defined as "the additional benefits consumers can receive in addition to core services through the long-term relationship with the service provider." And in this study two kinds of relational benefits are adopted by reviewing the previous research: confidence benefits and social benefits. Relational benefit received from the salesperson is very important to predict consumers' relationship building intention with the salesperson. The more relational benefits consumer wants from the salesperson, the more relationship building intention he/she has. From this point two hypotheses are derived as follows. Hypothesis 1: As the perceived importance of confidence benefit from the salesperson increases, the relationship building intention with the salesperson increases. Hypothesis 2: As the perceived importance of social benefit from the salesperson increases, the relationship building intention with the salesperson increases. In this study four individual characteristics(risk taking tendency, variety-seeking tendency, product knowledge, trust orientation) are hypothesized to influence the perceived importance of confidence benefits from the salesperson. And three individual characteristics(interpersonal orientation, price consciousness, trust orientation) are hypothesized to influence the perceived importance of social benefits from the salesperson. These 7 hypotheses are as follows. Hypothesis 3: As the risk taking tendency increases, the perceived importance of confidence benefits from the salesperson decreases. Hypothesis 4: As the variety-seeking tendency increases, the perceived importance of confidence benefits from the salesperson decreases. Hypothesis 5: As the product knowledge increases, the perceived importance of confidence benefits from the salesperson decreases. Hypothesis 6: As the trust orientation increases, the perceived importance of confidence benefits from the salesperson increases. Hypothesis 7: As the interpersonal orientation increases, the perceived importance of social benefits from the salesperson increases. Hypothesis 8: As the price consciousness increases, the perceived importance of social benefits from the salesperson decreases. Hypothesis 9: As the trust orientation increases, the perceived importance of social benefits from the salesperson increases. The whole model in this study can be depicted as follows: Data were collected from the 396 consumers who actually trade stocks through the salesperson and were analyzed using structural equation model. The analysis results show that consumers' perceived importance of relational benefits(confidence benefit and social benefit) play the roles of mediating variables in the causal relationship between consumers' inherent characteristics and their relationship building intention with the salesperson. As for the individual characteristics, the influences of variety-seeking tendency, trust orientation, and price consciousness are statistically significant. It was found that variety-seeking tendency has a significant negative effect on the perceived importance of confidence benefit, and that trust orientation has a significant positive effect on the perceived importance of both of confidence and social benefit. Finally it was also found that, on the contrary to the influence direction suggested in the hypothesis, price consciousness has a significant positive effect on the perceived importance of social benefit.

• Korean Business Review
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.151-178
• /
• 2005

This research proposed leader's supervisory behavior as antecedent variables of salesperson's job satisfaction which had been not tested at Brown and Peterson's (1993) empirical study and used organization citizenship as consequences of job satisfaction which was widely tested at the organization related literatures. According to research outcomes, leader behavior influence job satisfaction and organizational citizenship was turned out. to be outcome of salesperson's job satisfaction. But, on the contrary to our expectation, organizational citizenship has nothing to do with salesperson's intention to stay organization. Thus, it could be said that salesperson's intention to stay and organizational citizenship were mutually exclusive outcomes variables of job satisfaction and there is no causal relationship between these two constructs. Also, as it was to be in Brown and Peterson's (1993) empirical study, it was confirmed that leader's supervisory behavior influences commitment and citizenship behavior indirectly through salesperson's job satisfaction. We proposed that sales managers concern about salesperson's job satisfaction and commitment to prevent salespersons from turnover. Especially, commitment to organization is turned out to be very important factor in salesperson management in considering that it influences salesperson's intention to stay and accommodates salesperson's prosocial behavior.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.30 no.2 s.150
• /
• pp.358-368
• /
• 2006

Today apparel finns make much effort to build a long-term relationship with their customers. The studies of salesperson-customer relationship emphasized the importance of customer's commitment on the formation of the continuous salesperson-consumer relationship. Therefore, the current study deals with the psychological relationship commitment development and from this prospective examines how consumers maintain the continuous relationship with a particular salesperson. The data were collected from January to February 2005 and analyzed by using SPSS 11.5 and Amos 5.0 with factor analysis, regression, ANOVA, path analysis. The results are as follows: First, the hypothetical model of multidimensional consumer commitment which showed a better fit of data than the rival model is unintentionally conceptualized. Second, the result showed that the affective commitment did the most effective role among the three dimensions of commitment consulted in this study. Especially the data indicated that for the establishment of the affective commitment in the salesperson-customer relationship. it is very important that a customer has deep trust in salesperson's ability, benevolence and honesty.