The premise that customer appearance through dress influences customer service quality in retail stores is explored. Research subjects completed instruments designed to measure customer service expectations at a specific retail store of their choice. Then they visited that store three separate times posing as shoppers for the purpose of evaluating customer service quality. Appearances through dress of the research subject (customer) and store type were the independent variables. The dependent variable, quality of customer service, was compared to the previously rated expected customer service level and among customer dress styles. Significant differences were observed between customer expectations of service and service received overall. Furthermore, the level of customer service received by customers differed significantly based on their appearance through dress. Store type also affected the level of customer service offered to customers. Recommendations are provided for retailers who want to offer consistent and positive customer service.
Customer service is a key factor towards generating loyal retail customers, and ultimately, successful retail businesses (Morey, 1980; Parasuraman et al., 1988). Defined as “an activity that supplements or facilitates store sales,” (Beisel, 1993, p. 501) customer service includes such items as free parking, gift wrapping, and delivery. Additionally, sales personnel offer customer service through their interactions and relationships with customers. The customer service offered by salespeople, coined “sales service” by Gagliano and Hathcote (1994), is perhaps the most highly visible customer service attribute, but it is also among the most difficult to measure and for the store to control.
Parasuraman et al., 1985 and Parasuraman et al., 1988 have determined that customer expectations regarding the level of service offered are related to their level of satisfaction with the shopping experience. The higher the expectation, the higher the service level must be for customers to feel satisfied with the service. When expectations are low, customers tend to be satisfied with low levels of service. Previous researchers have investigated the relationships between store type and service expectations (Dotson and Patton, 1992; Lee and Johnson, 1997), customer expectations and retail salesperson service (Stanforth and Lennon, 1997), and service level and retail sales (Morey, 1980). Lee and Johnson (1997) used focus groups to learn more about relationships between store type and customer expectations for apparel customers. They found that there were different expectations for different store types. Furthermore, they identified evidence that indicates customers believe service quality depends on their dress. Lennon and Kim (1998) investigated this relationship and found that customer appearance was significantly related to the friendliness of salespeople in retail stores, with well-dressed customers receiving more friendly service. Lee and Johnson's (1997) study was limited to customer focus groups. They explored customer expectations, but did not collect data from an in-store experience. Lennon and Kim (1998) used observational data, with researchers categorizing the dress and appearance of customers. The purpose of this study is to further explore the relationship between a customer attribute—appearance through dress—and customer service quality offered by store sales personnel during the in-store shopping process. Because of the wide range of store types that are available to consumers, and because previous research has identified store type as a potential differentiating variable in both expectations and delivery of customer service (Dotson and Patton, 1992; Lee and Johnson, 1997), a variety of store types are explored. This research process emphasizes an evaluation of service quality as perceived by the customer.
