Recently the consumption behaviors of consumers have been rapidly changing in different forms from the past, and those changes are attributed to the changing distribution environment of the nation. Following the full opening of the distribution market, domestic distribution corporations have set up big stores and started competing with foreign distribution corporations. This study thus set out to investigate the effects of store selection criteria on store loyalty and customer satisfaction.
The study put the greatest focus on survey as methodology and applied random sampling to consumers shopping at Nonghyup Hanaro Mart and other big marts in Gyeongnam Province.
The analysis results of effects of store selection criteria on store loyalty and customer satisfaction were as follows:
First, the store selection criteria factors influencing the customer satisfaction of Nonghyup Hanaro Mart were store reputation and physical environment, which had significant positive(+) effects on customer satisfaction. That is, Nonghyup Hanaro Mart increased customer satisfaction with its store reputation including its unique celebrity, recommendations from people around, and word-of-mouth and its physical factors including the clerk's kindness, cleanness, pleasantness, and convenience.
Second, customer satisfaction had significant impacts on store loyalty both at Nonghyup Hanaro Mart and other big marts. Nonghyup Hanaro Mart seems to need to make ongoing efforts to maintain its current store reputation and physical factors. Other big marts also need to make efforts to improve customer satisfaction by enhancing the store atmosphere including appearance, brightness of lighting, product display methods, and interior and securing street and transportation convenience.
Finally, Nonghyup Hanaro Mart had no store selection criteria factors to affect store loyalty compared with other big marts, which indicates like the analysis results above that the plans and efforts to increase customer satisfaction can also improve store loyalty.