Denise Luciana Rieg
Centro Universitário da FEI, Brazil
E-mail: derieg@fei.edu.br
Fernando Cezar Leandro Scramim
Centro Universitário Fundação Santo André, Brazil
E-mail: fernando.scramim@fsa.br
Elaine Paola da Silva
Centro Universitário Fundação Santo André, Brazil
E-mail: paola.elaine@yahoo.com.br
Fabiana Alves Rufino
Centro Universitário Fundação Santo André, Brazil
E-mail: fabiana.a.rufino@gmail.com
Submission: 26/07/2017
Accept: 06/03/2018
ABSTRACT
This paper presents the results of a survey about the influence of the seller’s performance on the consumer purchase of clothes
and personal care, toiletries and
cosmetics (HPPC) and to compare their results.
This study has an exploratory, quantitative and
descriptive nature. The samples surveyed were made up of students enrolled in
engineering courses of a university located in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. In the case of clothes
market, a survey with a sample of 329 respondents was performed through a
structured questionnaire. Regarding PHPC,
the number of respondents was 317. We used descriptive
statistics to describe the basic
features of the data and the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test to compare
the two sample results (significance level of 5%). The results indicate that,
in both sectors, the majority of respondents go to specific stores to carry
their purchases. Price, seller’s performance, style and brands are the main
factors influencing the consumers’ decision about which store to buy.
It
was also found that the seller’s performance influences the costumers’ buying
decision process and loyalty. Aspects of credibility, interest in customer
needs, product knowledge, courtesy and attention were aspects of seller’s
performance considered the most important by respondents in both sectors.
Keywords: seller’s performance; buying decision;
personal care; toiletries and cosmetics (HPPC) retail; apparel retail;
salesperson attributes
1. INTRODUCTION
The last decade of the Brazilian economy has been
marked by a significant breakthrough in the retail sector. According to the
Brazilian Retail Development Institute (IDV), over the last years, retail has
ceased to be a minor collaborator to national economy to become the main
driver. While the Brazilian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 44% between
2003 and 2013, the retail sector grew by 106.2%. The institute says that retail
‘[...] has been, in the recent years, the most remarkable player in economic
development’ (IDV, 2014).
However, in 2015, the sales
volume index in the retail sector dropped by 4.3% YoY, amidst an overwhelming
scenario of economic recession (downturn of 3.8% of the Brazilian GDP in
relation to 2014). In 2016, with recession still lingering, the
Brazilian retail trade achieved the worst sales result in 16 years. ‘The
national trade movement measured by the searches for credit sales, with debit,
credit card and check dropped by 6.6% in relation to 2015, according to Serasa
Experian Trade Activity Indicator ‘ (AGÊNCIA ESTADO, 2017, p. 1).
Despite the current conjuncture,
the retail industry has been responsible, in the recent years, for more than
10% of the Brazilian GDP and for nearly 19% of the labor in
the country (DIEESE, 2016), which shows the
relevance of such sector for the Brazilian economy. This is a scenario
quite similar to that seen in other developing and developed countries.
As a way to keep operating in highly competitive
retail markets, the companies from such sector started to recognize the
importance of understanding the consumers' needs and behavior so they may meet
them when offering their products and services. In this regard, in addition to
the product or service itself being traded, the internal and external
environment of the stores, salesperson performance is recognized as one of the
main factors that foster retail sales (CHOI; CHOO, 2016). The salesperson's
role is to identify the customers' needs and meet them (REDAY; MARSHALL; PARASURAMAN, 2009).
There are plenty of works on salesperson performance,
regarding the industrial (business-to-business)
and retail trade (CHOI; CHOO, 2016; DARIAN;
WIMAN; TUCCI, 2005; DARLEYA; LUETHGEB; THATTEC, 2008; HAWES; RAO; BAKER, 1993; REDAY; MARSHALL; PARASURAMAN, 2009)
In general, the surveys on what main attributes a
salesperson should have in order to achieve success in their role comprise:
friendliness, good communication, honesty, concern for the customer's needs,
courtesy, readiness, knowledge of the products and services being sold and
credibility. However, one cannot know the relative importance of such
salesperson attributes in different market segments.
There are no studies assessing whether a same audience
takes into account the importance of such attributes in a different way in
distinguished segments in which they are customers. Such analyses help providing an even more
accurate view on the competences of a salesperson that should be valued in the
salesperson-customer relationship in specific segments.
In view of the foregoing, the general goal of this
article is to identify the impact of salesperson performance on the purchase
decision by the customers in the apparel and accessories, personal care,
toiletries and cosmetics retail market (HPPC), as well as establishing a
comparison of such impact in both sectors.
Regarding the selection of the segments being
analyzed, the reason lies in the importance of the apparel and accessory and
personal care products, toiletries and cosmetics segment in the Brazilian
retail sector.
Brazil is the fourth largest consumption market for
personal care products, cosmetics and toiletries, behind China, USA, and Japan.
The national personal care, toiletries and cosmetics industry, in the last 19
years, achieved a net income of R$ 43.2 billion in 2014 up from
R$ 4.9 billion in 1996 (ABIHPEC, 2015).
In 2015, the sales shrank by 8% and the net income was of R$ 42.6
billion. Today, the Brazilian cosmetics industry represents more than 1.8% of the national GDP (GONZALES, 2016).
Regarding the apparel and accessories segment, Brazil
ranks fifth among the largest global consumption markets. Currently, this highly spread segment
consists of ‘[...] 780 thousand apparel, footwear and accessories stores: 318
thousand individual microentrepreneurs, in addition to 383 thousand
microcompanies and 79 thousand small companies (MENEZES, 2015, p. 6). In 2015,
the apparel and accessories segment reached a sales volume of R$ 93
billion and represented 2.54% of the GDP for services in the country (O
SETOR..., 2016).
According to the goal proposed in this article, it is
structured as follows: section 2 shows the attributes of the sales
professional being considered in several studies on such subject and the work
hypotheses; section 3 describes the research method; section 4 shows
the analyses performed and the results obtained; lastly, section 5 shows
the conclusions of this work.
2. CONCEPTUALIZATION AND HYPOTHESES
The works in the literature examining the
customer-salesperson in retailing and trading among companies are numberless
and based on different approaches. Specifically regarding the influence of
salesperson attributes in the customer's purchase behavior, the works show
different groups of numbers and types of attributes. However, one can notice a
trend of aspects to be considered.
In Table 1, in addition to the pioneering work by
Hawes, Rao and Baker (1993) on salesperson performance in the traditional
retail purchase of durable goods, other examples of studies are shown, which
collectively summarize the attributes that are the most addressed in surveys on
the subject, both in intercompany trade and direct retail to consumers. See
below the description of the core ideas of such works.
Hawes, Rao and Baker
(1993) initially examined 25 items and, through the exploratory factor
analysis, they identified as relevant the following salesperson traits in the
retail purchase of durable goods: friendly relationship, patient buying
assistance product, competence, trustworthiness, quick service, personable
style and enthusiastic solutions. Trustworthiness was identified in the study
as the most important attribute.
Marshalla, Goebelb, and Moncrief (2003) investigated, with 215 sales managers from several
manufacturing and service companies, 60 aspects
of the salesperson related to their success.
Table 1:
Salesperson attributes
Hawes, Rao and Baker (1993) |
Durable goods retail sector |
-
Concern and
Friendliness: salesperson’s concern for the customers' needs; pleasant
conversation; customer identification by the salesperson after the end of the
sale; -
Patience: non-intimidation of the customer by the
salesperson, pushing them to make the purchase, to make a decision quickly
and buy the most expensive items; -
Knowledge: knowledge
of the products being sold; -
Credibility:
credibility in the information transmitted to the customer; -
Responsiveness:
readiness in customer service, during and after making the purchase, if some
problem occurs; smooth and calm service; -
Personal style:
courtesy, good personal presentation and congeniality; -
Enthusiasm:
initiative, assistance to the customer in the decision-making process
whenever requested. |
Marshalla, Goebelb, and Moncrief (2003)* |
Intercompany trade |
-
Knowing to listen; -
Knowing to follow up
the order (Follow-up skills); -
Ability to adapt from
situation to situation -
Tenacity and
perseverance with the task; -
Being well organized; -
Adequate verbal
communication -
Interacting with
personnel from all organization-customer levels; -
Ability to overcome
obstacles throughout the sale; -
Visual appearance; -
Time planning; -
Interacting with
personnel from all levels of their organization; -
Knowing how to
negotiate; -
Empathy towards the
customer; *Main attributes obtained from the survey among 60 attributes
surveyed. |
Darian, Wiman and Tucci (2005) |
Electronics retail sector |
-
Respect towards the
consumer; -
Knowledge of the
products being sold; -
Congeniality and
Friendliness; -
Responsiveness:
readiness in customer service, during and after making the purchase, if some
problem occurs; smooth and calm service. |
Darleya; Luethgeb; Thattec (2008) |
Automotive retail sector |
-
Courtesy; -
Sincerity; -
Honesty; -
Proactive behavior; -
Easy of doing
business; -
Knowledge of the
products being sold; -
Congeniality and
friendliness; -
Concern by the salesperson
for the customers' needs. |
Reday, Marshall and Parasuraman (2009) |
Intercompany trade |
-
Tact towards the
customers: perception of what is convenient to say or do when dealing with
the customer; pleasant conversation, patience, good personal appearance; -
Persuasion: power to
convince; -
Competitive drive; -
Confidence:
confidence in their own salesperson's skills. -
Opinion leadership:
reference, reliable source of information to the customer, mainly in
situations where the technological features of the product being sold are
beyond the customer's knowledge domain;
-
Geocentrism: capacity
to work with people of several races, cultures, and religious beliefs when
requested to do it; -
Responsibility:
responsibility, carefulness when giving advice to someone; -
Attention to the
innovations: knowledge of the technological novelties of the area where they
work in. |
Guenzi and Georges (2010) |
Financial service companies |
-
Knowledge -
Congeniality -
Customer orientation -
Sales orientation |
Rutherford (2012) |
Intercompany retail and trade |
-
Trust -
Commitment
with the salesperson-customer relationship |
Echchakoui (2015) |
Banks |
- Knowledge - Trust |
Choi, Huang and Sternquist (2015) |
Intercompany trade |
- Organizational commitment - Willingness to innovate |
Choi and Choo (2016) |
Fashion retail sector |
- Agility - Fashion orientation ability - Likability attributes implied in the functional and
social benefits from the salesperson-customer relationship studied by the
authors) |
Source: Prepared by the
authors (2017).
The aspects deemed the most important by
the respondents were: follow-up skills, ability to adapt sales style from
situation to situation, tenacity-sticking with a task, well-organized, verbal
communication skills, proficiency in interacting with people at all levels of a
customer’s organization.
Darian,
Wiman and Tucci (2005) analyzed the relative importance of product price and
the following salesperson attributes for the consumer when buying electronics
and home appliances: respect for customer; friendliness, product knowledge and
responsiveness. According to the survey results, all salesperson attributes and
price are important for the consumer. Among them,
respect for the customer and price were found to be of the greatest and equal
importance. These are followed by
salesperson’s friendliness, salesperson’s knowledge and salesperson’s
responsiveness.
Darley;
Luethgeb; Thattec (2008) investigated correlations
between perceived automotive salesperson attributes and customer
satisfaction behavior in the automotive purchase and his/her intentions to
recommend to another person to the patronage of a service.
The
salesperson attributes considered in the survey were: courtesy, sincerity,
honesty, attitude of the salesperson, ease of doing business with the
salesperson, knowledge of the dealer’s products, how the salesperson greeted
the subject, concern for subject’s needs, dealer sells foreign cars, and dealer
sells domestic cars.
Reday, Marshall and Parasuraman (2009) assessed
the influence of sales skills persuasion and tact, the interpersonal
competences and also the technical competences of the salespersons in sales
performance, within a high-technology company-to-company context. The skills
and competences considered in the study were: innovativeness, geocentrism,
accountability, persuasion, tact competitiveness and confidence.
The survey carried out by Guenzi and
Georges (2010) had its focus placed on the salesperson-customer relationship at
financial service companies. The salesperson attributes analyzed were:
knowledge, congeniality, customer orientation and sales orientation. The
results showed that knowledge and customer orientation positively impact the
consumer's trust in salespeople. However, congeniality did not show to have any
influence while sales orientation showed to have a negative influence.
Rutherford
(2012) examined the economic satisfaction, non-specific satisfaction, the
conflict, the confidence and commitment in the salesperson-customer
relationship, in several sectors, the two last aspects being those related to
salesperson performance. The author emphasizes in his study the importance of
examining the salesperson-customer relationship based on economic and
non-economic aspects.
Echchakoui
(2015) empirically assessed the relationship between the salesperson attributes
(knowledge and confidence), the value added by the salesperson (pleasant
interaction and perceived risk) and the consumer's response (loyalty and
equality) at five companies from the bank sector. The
results disclosed that the two value dimensions added by the salesperson
partially mediate the relation between salesperson attributes and the
consumer's response.
Choi,
Huang and Sternquist (2015) analyzed the salesperson's role in the development
and maintenance of the consumer-dealer relationship at manufacturing companies
in Japan. The authors found that organizational commitment and willingness to
innovate are salesperson attributes that favorably contribute to long-term
relationships between consumer and dealer.
Lastly,
we present the last work comprising Chart 1, where Choi and Choo (2016)
analyzed the effects of the benefits from the consumer-salesperson relationship
on consumer satisfaction and purchase behavior. Based on a survey with 300
Chinese consumers, the results show that both the social and functional
benefits positively influence consumer satisfaction in relation to salesperson
performance and the consumer's satisfaction positively affects their decision
to buy. The functional benefits are fashion orientation, customer convenience,
quick service and good purchasing. And the social benefits refer to the
pleasure of relating with the salesperson, enjoying a pleasant companion during
the process of doing business.
One
can see, from such works, as already discussed in the introduction, that there
is a convergence in relation to the salesperson attributes to be considered in
a survey, mainly, when we analyze them separately, within the retail context
and the intercompany trade context.
Thus, given the convergence shown in the literature of
those that would be the main attributes a salesperson should have in order to
achieve success in their role and given the importance of the apparel and
personal care products, toiletries and cosmetics segment in the retail sales in
Brazil, the questions guiding this research are: Is the importance of such
sales professional attributes the same as in purchasing in both sectors? Is the
influence of salesperson performance in purchasing and customer loyalty equal
in these two sectors? When selecting the stores, is there a significant
difference in relation to the importance of the aspects of salesperson
performance, brands, style, location, layout and price in both sectors?
Based on such questions and considering
that the purchase of a piece of fashion apparel or accessory is less
deterministic than the purchase of personal care products, toiletries and
cosmetics, as the latter are generally used on a daily basis, the following
hypotheses were formulated:
H1:
There is a significant difference in relation to the importance of the
characteristic aspects of the sales professional's performance
(enthusiasm/initiative, communicability, personality, concern, product
knowledge and credibility in the information transmitted, courtesy, personal
appearance and attention offered/patience) in purchasing in both sectors, i.e.,
apparel and personal care products, toiletries, cosmetics.
H2:
The influence of salesperson performance in purchasing is higher for the
apparel segment than for the personal care products, toiletries and cosmetics segment.
H3:
The influence of salesperson performance in gaining consumer loyalty is higher
for the apparel segment than for the personal care products, toiletries and
cosmetics segment.
H4:
There is a significant difference in relation to the importance of aspects
brands, style, location, layout, salesperson performance and price for
selecting the stores in both sectors, i.e., apparel and personal care products,
toiletries and cosmetics.
3. STUDY METHOD
This research is of exploratory, quantitative, descriptive nature, and
used, to achieve its goals, the survey sampling approach. That is, from a
methodological perspective, according to several ways of classification shown
in Cauchick Miguel (2007), this work can be understood as:
·
Regarding the goal: of exploratory nature, since the
goal is obtaining an initial comparative view on the influence of salesperson
performance in the retail segments selected for the research;
·
Regarding the nature of the variables researched:
quantitative;
·
Regarding the nature of the relationship between the
variables: descriptive;
·
Regarding the intensity of control capable to be
exercised over the variables being studied: field experimental nature;
·
Regarding the research scope, in terms of thoroughness
and extent: survey sampling.
3.1.
Questionnaire
The questionnaire used for conducting the survey
consists of closed-ended questions (5-point Likert scale), through which the
following was assessed: the fashion of selecting apparel and personal care
products, toiletries and cosmetics stores; the importance of some aspects in
store selection, including the influence of salesperson performance; the
influence of salesperson performance in purchasing and customer loyalty; and
the influence of some attributes of the sales professional in purchasing.
The
selection of the attributes researched was based on such data in Darian, Wiman
and Tucci (2005), Darleya, Luethgeb and Thattec (2008), Guenzi and Georges
(2010) and Choi and Choo (2016), considering that
such works are focused on analyzing the salesperson attributes specifically in
the retail sector. The attributes selected were: enthusiasm/initiative,
communicability, courtesy, personality, personal appearance, attention
offered/patience, concern for the consumer's needs, product knowledge and
credibility in the information/guidance provided.
3.2.
Data
Collection Procedures and Sample
For this exploratory survey, young university students
belonging to the low social class were defined as target population. The
university audience was selected since they are critical people, taking into
consideration the existing education level. In this regard, the sample surveyed
was made up by students from a university located in the ABC Region, in the
State of São Paulo. The questionnaires were applied in June and August 2015.
The application pilot test was carried out with 50
people in each sector being analyzed. In total, 317 valid questionnaires were
obtained for the apparel retail sector and 317 for the personal care products,
toiletries and cosmetics retail sector (answered by the same respondents). The
questionnaires were delivered to the respondents and explained before the
completion, always accompanied by one of the authors in order to settle any
eventual doubts.
For
the data analysis in each sector, descriptive statistics was used. In order to
establish a comparison of the results for both sectors, the Mann-Whitney
nonparametric test was used, with 5% significance level.
Regarding
the sample surveyed, it is mostly composed of women (64%). In relation to age
bracket, the respondents are from 18 and 25 years old. Regarding family income,
the respondents have 4 to 10 minimum wages, i.e., they belong to the low class
in Brazil, according to the minimum wage range criterion (IBGE).
4. DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
Prior to specifically considering the salesperson
attributes, other analyses were carried out.
The survey questionnaire started with the following
examination: before purchasing apparel/personal care products, toiletries and
cosmetics, people search for prices in different stores or have already decided
in which stores they will make their purchases. There was no difference in
consumer behavior for the two segments analyzed (U =
47661, p = 0.29) in this respect, and most respondents go to specific
stores to make their purchases Table 2.
Table 2.
Selection of the apparel and personal care, toiletries and cosmetics (HPPC)
retail stores
When you are willing to purchase apparel/HPPC, you generally: |
Search for prices in different stores |
Go to a specific store(s) |
Total |
Apparel |
33% |
67% |
100% |
HPPC |
41% |
59% |
100% |
Source:
Prepared by the authors (2015)
Then, the respondents who buy in specific stores
assessed the importance of the aspects contained in Table 3, when
selecting the apparel/personal care products, toiletries and cosmetics stores.
Table 3:
Importance of some aspects in the selection of apparel, personal care,
toiletries and cosmetics (HPPC) stores already frequented by the customers
Aspects |
Retail |
Level of Importance |
|||||
Not at all important |
Low important |
Neutral |
Very Important |
Extremely important |
Total |
||
Brands |
Apparel |
5% |
13% |
28% |
41% |
12% |
99% |
HPPC |
2% |
4% |
14% |
48% |
32% |
100% |
|
Style |
Apparel |
0% |
1% |
9% |
53% |
36% |
99% |
HPPC |
5% |
9% |
40% |
32% |
14% |
100% |
|
Price |
Apparel |
0% |
1% |
6% |
41% |
50% |
99% |
HPPC |
1% |
2% |
12% |
41% |
45% |
100% |
|
Location |
Apparel |
4% |
11% |
37% |
35% |
12% |
99% |
HPPC |
3% |
6% |
37% |
39% |
15% |
100% |
|
Layout
|
Apparel |
6% |
14% |
34% |
33% |
12% |
99% |
HPPC |
5% |
5% |
32% |
38% |
20% |
100% |
|
Salesperson
performance |
Apparel |
3% |
5% |
17% |
41% |
33% |
99% |
HPPC |
4% |
6% |
23% |
42% |
25% |
100% |
Source:
Prepared by the authors (2015)
As outlined in Table 3, for the apparel sector,
the aspects that most influence the selection of stores by the consumers
surveyed are price, style, and salesperson performance, considered as important
or very important by more than 74% of the respondents.
For the personal care products, toiletries and
cosmetics, prices (for 86% of the respondents), and salesperson performance
(67%) are also among the most important aspects together with the brands
offered (80%).
Regarding the comparison between the two consumer groups
(Hypothesis 1), some statistically significant differences were found,
according to the Mann-Whitney test, in relation to the aspects analyzed: brands
(U = 33835, p = 0.000), style (U = 27002, p = 0.000), location (U = 46492, p = 0.028),
layout (U = 42958, p = 0.000) and salesperson performance (U = 45329, p =
0.004). Only for prices (U = 47410, p = 0.060), where no significant
statistical difference was found at a level of 0.05, such aspect being highly
influential in the selection of stores for both segments. Therefore,
only in relation to aspect price Hypothesis 1 was not validated.
It is
found, based on the data shown, that although most of the respondents, for both
sectors, go to specific stores to make their purchases rather than searching
for prices, price is indeed a determining factor when selecting stores. Thus,
one can conclude that, first of all, when a consumer decides on the store or
the subset of stores that are effectively considered in the purchase, among all
those existing in the market and known by the consumers, the price analysis
takes place.
The
major statistic differences refer to the influence of the brands offered and
styles in the selection of the stores where the consumers will make their
purchases. The brands offered influence more the consumers of personal care
products, toiletries and cosmetics. Style, in its turn, influences more the
consumers of apparel, according to the data shown in Table 3.
These
results show to be coherent when one reflects on the fact that the use of
personal care products, toiletries and cosmetics may pose a risk to the
consumer's health, leading them to choose well-known brands already assessed or
proven to be quality products. Regarding
apparel, style is a key factor, as it is related to the taste, preference and
identity of each consumer.
In relation to the influence of salesperson
performance, not for the selection of possible stores, but rather for
purchasing (U = 45501, p = 0.006) and for becoming a
loyal customer (U = 47402, p = 0.042),
some significant statistical differences were found as well, and such
influences are greater for the apparel segment, which corroborates Hypotheses 2
and 3. The data concerning the two sectors for these
questions is shown in Tables 4 and 5.
Table 4: Quality
in the service provided by the salesperson in the apparel and personal care,
toiletries and cosmetics (HPPC) retail
Does the quality of the service provided by the salesperson influence
your decision to purchase clothes / personal care, toiletries and cosmetics? |
Level of Influence |
|||||
Not at all influential |
Slightly influential |
Somewhat influential |
Very influential |
Extremely influential |
Total |
|
Apparel |
8% |
18% |
17% |
35% |
22% |
100% |
HPPC |
13% |
14% |
27% |
33% |
12% |
100% |
Source:
Prepared by the authors (2015)
Table 5:
Importance of salesperson performance for customer loyalty in the apparel and
personal care, toiletries and cosmetics (HPPC) retail
How important is the salesperson performance for
customer loyalty in the apparel and personal care, toiletries and cosmetics
(HPPC) retail? |
Level of Importance |
|||||
Not at all important |
Low important |
Neutral |
Very Important |
Extremely important |
Total |
|
Apparel |
4% |
8% |
21% |
43% |
23% |
99% |
HPPC |
8% |
9% |
25% |
39% |
20% |
100% |
Source:
Prepared by the authors (2015)
Such lesser influence (although important) of the
quality in the service by the salesperson in purchasing in the personal care,
toiletries and cosmetics sector makes sense since there are many HPPC products
of daily use by the consumers, as previously considered. In contrast to the
above, in the apparel sector, although there are styles already conceived by
each consumer, among these, there is always the search for something different,
and such type of purchase is therefore more influential and less deterministic.
Regarding the importance of salesperson performance
for them to become frequent customers, the results agree with those shown in
Table 3 as to the influence of salesperson performance in the selection of
the store. Most of the customers, for
both segments, with an emphasis placed on the apparel sector, come back to the
stores because of the salesperson's performance and many of them become loyal
customers.
Offering a satisfactory purchase
experience to the customer is one of the most important factors in creating a
positive image of the company among them. The data shown above corroborates
such statement. The data shows how important is salesperson performance in the
making of a purchase. This is when the company is tested by the consumer and
where a trust relationship is established, which may lead to customer loyalty.
The results above (Table 4 and 5) also show that,
if the salesperson's service is an important factor in the making of the
purchase, it is even more so for creating a good image for a company in the
market and for the customers to become loyal to the stores. A good service,
according to most respondents, makes them to come back to the stores for new
purchases, increasing the chances of a company's profitability over time.
Lastly, an assessment was carried out on the influence
of some characteristic aspects of the sales professional performance
(Table 6) in the making of purchase of apparel and personal care products,
toiletries and cosmetics (when the salesperson performance actually contributes
to the making of the purchase) for the analysis of Hypothesis 4.
No statistically significant differences were found in the comparison
between the two consumer groups (Mann-Whitney test), regarding aspects
enthusiasm/initiative (U = 48506, p = 0.128), communicability (U = 49905, p =
0.348), personality (U = 51349, p = 0.830), concern (U = 50316, p = 0.539),
product knowledge (U = 49473 p = 0.352) and credibility in the information
transmitted (U = 50691 p = 0.609), which refuted Hypothesis 4
in relation to such aspects.
Aspects enthusiasm/initiative, communicability and personality were
considered by most respondents with medium or high influence and credibility in
the information transmitted, with high or very high influence. Regarding
aspects concern for the customer's needs and product knowledge, there was
balanced results for medium/high or high/very high.
However, the results of the Mann-Whitney
test showed significant differences as to the influence of characteristics courtesy
(U = 43684, p = 0.000), personal appearance (U = 46462, p = 0.021) and
attention offered/patience (U = 46149, p = 0.015) in the making of purchase of
apparel and personal care products, toiletries and cosmetics. Courtesy and
attention offered have greater influence in the making of purchase of apparel,
and personal appearance in the making of purchase of personal care products,
toiletries and cosmetics, according to the data shown in Table 6.
Table 6: Aspects
of salesperson performance in the apparel and personal care, toiletries and
cosmetics (HPPC) retail
Aspects |
Retail |
Level of Influence |
|||||
Not at all influential |
Slightly influential |
Somewhat influential |
Very influential |
Extremely influential |
Total |
||
Enthusiasm/initiative |
Apparel |
6% |
16% |
51% |
22% |
4% |
99% |
HPPC |
5% |
14% |
49% |
27% |
5% |
100% |
|
Communicability |
Apparel |
2% |
8% |
33% |
44% |
12% |
99% |
HPPC |
3% |
9% |
35% |
41% |
11% |
100% |
|
Courtesy |
Apparel |
1% |
2% |
15% |
36% |
45% |
100% |
HPPC |
1% |
4% |
20% |
45% |
30% |
100% |
|
Personality |
Apparel |
5% |
17% |
40% |
29% |
9% |
100% |
HPPC |
5% |
15% |
43% |
29% |
8% |
100% |
|
Personal appearance |
Apparel |
12% |
17% |
37% |
23% |
10% |
99% |
HPPC |
7% |
14% |
38% |
29% |
12% |
100% |
|
Attention
offered/patience |
Apparel |
2% |
5% |
19% |
46% |
29% |
99% |
HPPC |
2% |
3% |
27% |
47% |
21% |
100% |
|
Concern for the customers' needs |
Apparel |
5% |
6% |
19% |
44% |
26% |
99% |
HPPC |
2% |
4% |
24% |
49% |
21% |
100% |
|
Product knowledge
|
Apparel |
3% |
4% |
23% |
46% |
22% |
99% |
HPPC |
2% |
4% |
22% |
48% |
24% |
100% |
|
Credibility in the information transmitted |
Apparel |
3% |
4% |
20% |
40% |
32% |
99% |
HPPC |
3% |
3% |
20% |
40% |
34% |
100% |
Source:
Prepared by the authors (2015)
Such greater influence of personal appearance in the
making of purchase in the HPPC sector than in the apparel sector shows that the
fact of the salesperson being clean and tidy in appearance, with a neat
make-up, good scent etc. is an aspect having more impact on the customer's
perception as to quality and the potential benefit of the product they are
after.
Most personal care products, toiletries and cosmetics
stores have their salespeople using the same products being sold, which can
explain the greater influence in this case. However, such aspect does not outdo
the importance of factors such as courtesy, credibility, product knowledge,
concern and attention offered to the customer in the personal care products,
toiletries and cosmetics stores, which are also the most important aspects in
the apparel sector.
5. CONCLUSION
From this research, it was found that, both for the
apparel sector and the personal care products, toiletries and cosmetics sector,
most respondents go to specific stores to make their purchases. For both sectors, the aspects that most
influence the selection of the stores by the consumers surveyed are price and
salesperson performance, together with style, in the case of apparel retail,
and brands offered, in the case of HPPC retail.
Such results show to be coherent since the use of
personal care products, toiletries and cosmetics are related to greater levels
of perception of physical risk (consumer's health), leading them to choose
well-known brand products. Regarding apparel, style is related to the taste and
preferences of the consumer.
In relation to the influence of salesperson
performance for making the purchase and for customer loyalty, such influence
was found to be high for both sectors and greater in the case of the apparel
segment. This can be justified by the fact that
there are many HPPC products of daily use by the consumers, unlike apparel,
where the purchase of something new, although within a certain style, is more
influential.
Lastly, an analysis was carried out on the influence
of some attributes of the sales professional in the making of a purchase. It
was found that aspects credibility, concern for the customer's needs, product
knowledge, courtesy and attention were considered the most important for both
sectors.
By comparing the results, some significant differences
were obtained as to the influence of aspects courtesy, personal appearance and
attention offered in the purchasing of apparel and personal care products,
toiletries and cosmetics. Courtesy and attention offered have greater influence
in the making of purchase of apparel, while personal appearance influences most
in the making of purchase of HPPC products.
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