Drivers of customer store choice behavior

This research examines customer store choice behavior that is based on different kinds of drivers and various customer characteristics. The analyses review grocery customers who decide to do their shopping at various supermarkets. Basically, this thesis explores why and how different kinds of customers determine to which specific supermarkets they decide to go. These decision processes are influenced by several store drivers, for instance prices of products, service quality of stores, product variation of assortments, location of supermarkets and store atmospheres. Besides these factors, those decision processes are affected by several customer characteristics, for example emotional attachment and orientation levels of customers. Based on all these elements, customers decide to attend particular supermarkets. As a result of the above defined research dimensions, supermarkets should obtain knowledge and information about customer decision processes with respect to individual supermarket choices. As a consequence, supermarkets should adjust and improve their marketing strategies and policies in favor of those specific store drivers and customer characteristics in order to better and more easily attract and retain loyal customers. Thus, the purpose of this thesis is to answer the following research question: How do supermarkets acquire and retain loyal customers? This basic question is tested with the help of multiple constructed hypotheses which measure the influences of store drivers and customer characteristics on the actual supermarket choice behavior of customers. The results indicate that supermarkets should only focus on the examined drivers of customer store choice behavior in order to better and more easily attract and retain loyal customers.