Customer Satisfaction in Retail: Analysis of Apple Retail UK Feedback

This report examines customer satisfaction within Apple Retail UK, aiming to analyze how the company measures and enhances customer satisfaction. It delves into the importance of customer satisfaction for customer retention and business profitability. The report investigates various methods for measuring customer feedback, including survey methods, rating scales, and the use of questionnaires. It explores the SERVQUAL and KANO models for assessing service quality and customer needs. The study further analyzes methods for meeting and exceeding customer expectations, highlighting the significance of customer feedback and attention. The report also outlines the research methodology, including the research aim, objectives, questions, and limitations. It reviews the preliminary literature, including conceptual frameworks, definitions of customer satisfaction, and the benefits of satisfied customers. The report concludes with recommendations for Apple Retail UK to further improve its customer satisfaction and loyalty. The report uses a variety of sources to support its findings.

Running head: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN RETAIL
Customer satisfaction in retail
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN RETAIL
Table of Contents
1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................3
Research Aim:.............................................................................................................................3
Research Questions:.........................................................................................................................4
2. Preliminary literature review.......................................................................................................5
2.1 Conceptual framework:.........................................................................................................5
2.2 Meaning of customer satisfaction:.........................................................................................6
2.3 Measurement of customer satisfaction:.................................................................................7
2.3.1 Survey method....................................................................................................................7
2.3.2 Survey rating method..........................................................................................................8
2.3.3 Survey questions.................................................................................................................8
2.3.4 SERVQUAL model............................................................................................................9
2.3.5 KANO model:...................................................................................................................10
2.4 Methods of meeting and satisfying customer expectations:................................................12
2.5 Benefits of satisfying customers:.........................................................................................12
3. Method:......................................................................................................................................14
3.1 Outline of the research methodology:..................................................................................14
3.2 Research philosophy:...........................................................................................................14
3.3 Types of investigation:........................................................................................................14
3.4 Data collection method:.......................................................................................................15

2CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN RETAIL
3.5 Sampling methods:..............................................................................................................15
3.6 Accessibility issues:.............................................................................................................16
3.7 Ethical issues:......................................................................................................................16
3.8 Research limitations:...........................................................................................................16
4. Time scale or Gannt chart:.........................................................................................................17
5. Resources...................................................................................................................................18
References......................................................................................................................................19
Appendix:......................................................................................................................................21

3CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN RETAIL
1. Introduction
The research study is carried out on Apple retail in UK to identify how the company has
satisfied its customers and the ways in which it can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. In
the rapidly changing business environment, the organizations are required to emphasize upon
improving the level of satisfaction of its customers in order to retain them and ensure their long-
term profitability. Therefore, it is necessary for the organizations to satisfy their customers and
obtain regular feedback from them in order to improve their products and services to remain
ahead of the competitors. A satisfied customer is deemed to provide recurring revenues to an
organization. This report will enable the researcher to carry out his or her research in a proper
manner, which would help in determining how Apple Retail UK meets the expectations of the
customers and the manner in which it measures the satisfaction level of the customers. The
researcher shall be able to conduct the research while considering the limitations and in
accordance with the time scale developed.
Research Aim:
The aim of the research study is to analyze how Apple retail measures customer
satisfaction feedback in UK and the ways in which the organization meets and enhances the level
of customer satisfaction. The research shall analyze the importance of customer satisfaction that
help in retaining the customers and ensure business profitability.
Research Objectives:
The following are the objectives of the research study:

4CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN RETAIL
 To investigate the methods used by organizations for measuring customer satisfaction or
feedback
 To find what are the customer satisfaction methods used by Apple Retail UK
 To investigate the manner in which organizations can meet and exceed the customer
needs and satisfaction
 To measure the quality of the customer service provided by Apple Retail UK
 To recommend the ways in which Apple Retail UK can further improve its customer
satisfaction
Research Questions:
The following are the research questions:
 What are the common methods used by the organizations to evaluate the satisfaction of
their customers?
 What are the specific methods used by Apple Retail UK for analyzing the customer
satisfaction levels?
 What are the measures taken by the organziation in order to meet and exceed the
customer needs and satisfaction?
 What are the provisions for customer services provided by Apple Retail UK to its
customers?
 What are the complaint procedures followed by the company in order to ensure customer
loyalty?

5CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN RETAIL
2. Preliminary literature review
2.1 Conceptual framework:
Figure 1: Customer satisfaction and customer loyalty
(Source: As created by author)
The above figure states the ways in which an organization can attain loyal customers.
According to Lin et al. (2017), customer satisfaction and proper customer retention strategies

6CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN RETAIL
help an organization to obtain loyal customers. A customer is satisfied when his or her
expectations from a product or service are satisfied.
On the other hand, according to Oliver (2014), an organization is able to retain its
customers by ensure good quality products and services along with maintaining good relations
with the customers. The customers become loyal when they are satisfied with the products and
services of an organization and the organization makes efforts to retain them in the long- run.
2.2 Meaning of customer satisfaction:
Consumer satisfaction is a after purchase evaluation of a product or service. According to
Botreau et al. (2014), consumer satisfaction as a perspective in which the needs, wants, and
desires of the customers all through the product or service span have been met or not, which
decides the future repurchases and reliability of the customers. He gave a more present approach
and mentioned that in order to have a fruitful business, all associations apply a portion of defense
and offense techniques – the offense for acquisition of new customers while defense involves
securing or retaining the existing client base. Earlier, organizations used to emphasize more upon
acquiring new clients than retaining the existing customers. Be that as it may, in a highly
competitive environment comprising of organizations that offer more or less the same products
and services, great defense is essential. Ensuring consumer satisfaction is a defensive technique
and its ultimate objective is to obtain client loyalty. A satisfied customer is deemed to provide
recurring revenues to an organization. Acquiring new customers from the market is relatively a
more difficult job than retaining the old customers. Customer satisfaction is highly important
because it helps in the growth and profitability of an organization. It helps the organizations to
develop products and services according to the need and preferences of the customer. Taking

7CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN RETAIL
proper feedbacks from the customers and implementing the necessary changes in the products
and services enables an organization to easily retain the customers and obtain loyal customers.
On the other hand, Oliver (2014) mentioned that consumer loyalty will be impacted if the
demand and supply are unique. The level of satisfaction will be fall when the client request is
heterogeneous and the supply is homogeneous. Exchanging boundaries make it exorbitant for
client to change to competing firms and consumer satisfaction makes it expensive for rival
organizations to acquire existing customers of the other competing firms. As indicated by Dube
(2015), high consumer loyalty decreases the competition as far as price promotion while
exchanging boundary enormously includes in price promotion. For a client to stay loyal towards
an organization, he or she should trust that the association's administration keeps on serving the
best choice alternatives. Moreover, he or she will be less delicate to the cost of the products and
services (Suryonaningsih 2016).
2.3 Measurement of customer satisfaction:
2.3.1 Survey method
According to Bansal and Taylor (2015), there are several methods using which an
organization can contact its customers. These methods involve outbound phone, inbound phone,
SMS, E mail, Direct mail, Web, Application based and in- store. Outbound phones have a strong
rate of response however; it is an expensive approach for the organizations to adopt. Inbound
phones help in obtaining immediate feedback and have a good rate of response however; this
method requires hiring technical experts. SMS help in obtaining immediate response however; it
is not an effective method of collecting feedback. E- mails are relatively cheaper way of
conducting surveys however; it has lower rate of response. Direct mails are capable of obtaining

8CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN RETAIL
detailed feedback however; they are costlier than e-mails and have lower rate of response. Web
is usually used for e-mail based survey and requires knowledge of internet. In store survey
involves paper- based or device- based survey for obtaining relevant feedback.
2.3.2 Survey rating method
According to Oda and Billore (2017), there are several methods of rating the response of
the customer in a customer satisfaction survey. However, there are several errors associated with
this method such as imbalanced rating scales. These errors have the capability of skewing the
results. Some of the rating scales comprise of the options of above expectation, met expectation,
below expectation and no opinion while some comprise of the options of excellent, good, fair
and poor.
Figure 2: Sample of survey rating method
(Source: Oda and Billore 2017)
2.3.3 Survey questions:

9CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN RETAIL
This method involves preparing questionnaires that comprise of several relevant
questions that help in determining the level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction among the
customers. The questionnaires can be close- ended or open- ended. In case of close- ended
questionnaires, the respondent is required to just select any one of the options available for a
question however; in case of open- ended questionnaires, the respondents are required to provide
their feedback in long sentences (Dillman, Smyth and Christian 2014).
2.3.4 SERVQUAL model:
According to Akbari and Darabi (2015), Tte SERVQUAL model represents the quality of
service as the inconsistency between a client's wants of offerings and the client's evaluation of
the products and services got. This makes it a state of attitude measure. This model emphasizes
upon the differences between the expectations of the customers and the actual benefits derived
from the products and the services. This estimation of service quality depends on both the
manner in which the purchaser evaluates the service conveyance process and the benefits
obtained from the service. A decent service quality meets the desire of the customers of the
services.
On the other hand according to Ali and Raza (2017), it is prescribed that the SERVQUAL
model is a decent method to be utilized when evaluating service quality in different ventures yet
that it is suitable to pick the most vital measurements of this model fit to that specific services
being measured keeping in mind the end goal to guarantee solid and substantial outcomes. In
such manner, this model is utilized to measure customer satisfaction since it considers client's
desire of a service.

10CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN RETAIL
Figure 3: SERVQUAL model
(Source: Oliver 2014)
2.3.5 KANO model:
These days, consumer satisfaction is one of the key objectives for all associations. In
service sector it is incredibly critical, in light of the fact that consumer loyalty is most likely the
primary "key" to an effective business, acknowledgment and maintenance of clients. It is
essential to clarify not just the most vital determinants of consumer loyalty with the services of
variables, yet additionally strategies that permit to discover it, investigating in the best way.
According to Tontini, Søilen and Silveira (2013), Kano model clarifies what data can be normal
and got from clients keeping in mind the end goal to discover fulfillment factors. In his model,
Lin et al. (2017), recognizes three item prerequisites (highlights) used to decide consumer
satisfaction:

11CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN RETAIL
a) Must- be prerequisites (highlights): If these are not satisfied and do not perform out the
fundamental capacities, the customer shall be to a great degree dissatisfied. The must-be
necessities are the principle criteria of the product or service. These perquisites are the
necessary perquisites, which are to be satisfied at any cost.
b) One- dimensional necessities (highlights): As indicated by these prerequisites,
consumer satisfaction is dependent upon the requirements of the level. The more is the
fulfillment level, the higher becomes the level of consumer satisfaction and vice- versa.
One-dimensional prerequisites are a reasonable client's necessities.
c) Alluring necessities (includes): Alluring necessities are neither pressing nor expected by
the client. According to Verhoeven and Sha (2017), if any association can provide both
the must- be and one- dimensional necessities along with alluring attributes, it is deemed
to be energetic and surprising.
Figure 4: KANO model
(Source: Lin et al. 2017)