The Garden of the Self-Service Store: A Study of Customer Perceptions of the Fruit and Vegetable Department's Influence on Store Image

摘要

As a result of the increased competition between self-service chains, retail managers to an increasing degree try to strengthen store identity and customer loyalty. Based on a broad range of consumer choice and environmental psychology theories, thisarticle discusses a number of reasons why the fruit and vegetable department can be one of the keys to differentiating retail chains and creating positive store image. The article describes the results of two empirical studies (a focus group and a survey) which explore customer-perceived quality dimensions of the fruit and vegetable department and the extent to which these dimensions influence customer attitudes towards the fruit and vegetable department and store image in general.