In this research study, grocery shoppers were interviewed to identify the factors that influence satisfaction with their primary store and the factors that encourage them to continue patronising this store despite being presented with an inducement to shop at another store. The study estimated two models; one predicting store satisfaction and the other predicting store loyalty. The results demonstrate that the significant factors that contribute to store satisfaction have little in common with the factors that impel shoppers to stay store loyal. Moreover, there was no evidence from this study that shoppers' overall store satisfaction was by itself a significant influence on their continued patronage of the store. Retail firms often do not recognise that the elements that contribute to customer satisfaction are different from those factors that help sustain store loyalty and consequently do not separate their resources between the two sets. Unless retail firms remain vigilant to changing consumer behaviour patterns, they will not be able to tell apart the elements of the retail mix that could typically insulate their primary customers from responding to special competitive offers.
Australia's comparative advantage and competitiveness in textile and clothing (TAC) industries are analysed, using Balassa's revealed comparative advantage index and Vollrath's measures of competitiveness. The analysis based on Balassa's indices shows that Australia has a strong comparative disadvantage in textiles and clothing as aggregate commodity groups, but there is comparative advantage in sub–categories of ‘special textile products’, ‘floor coverage, tapestry etc’, and ‘fur clothing’. The analysis based on Vollrath's indices shows that Australia is not competitive in the world market with respect to aggregate commodity groups of textiles and clothing. Grubel–Loyd index of intra–industry trade was calculated for seven categories of textiles and two categories of clothing. The results show a rising trend in intra–industry trade in some of these categories of TAC products, implying that Australia increasingly exports and imports differentiated TAC products. Australian TAC industries may look to further promote exports of their products in the global market through increased product differentiation and improved quality and design.
This paper applies the hedonic price function approach to identify and estimate the variations in meal prices according to various characteristics of a sample of restaurants in Melbourne, Australia. The estimated hedonic price functions have important implications for restaurant marketing strategies and provide useful information to customers, and may serve to improve the efficiency in the market for restaurant dining. From the point of view of restaurant operators, the results indicate how short-term and long-term investment decisions may be made to impart particular characteristics. From the perspective of customers, the results provide information on price premia and discounts for restaurant meals according to each of the characteristics, including locations.
Significant number of consumers in Australia patronize non-scanning stores in spite of not being issued itemized receipts for the goods they purchase. In order to understand the attitude of consumers to receipts that give only limited information, shoppers exiting non-scanning stores were surveyed for their use of purchase receipts. This study compares consumers' use of purchase receipts issued by non-price scanning stores and those issued by price scanning stores. It appears that shoppers are largely indifferent to the details on the purchase receipt except when they are concerned with returning or exchanging the item(s) purchased.
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