Retail service excellence: antecedents and consequences

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a model of antecedents and consequences of service excellence (SE) in the retail industry. Design/methodology/approach Based on an extensive literature review, this paper has come up with the definition of potential antecedents and their consequences for SE in the retail service. Findings While the seven factors, service leadership, service culture, quality management and business excellence, service innovation, customer engagement, service brand image and service encounters have been proposed as antecedents of SE in retail service, employee loyalty, employee pride, customer delight, customer commitment and brand love, have been identified as consequences. Research limitations/implications A major limitation of the study is that the developed model is not empirically validated. Practical implications The current research asserts that leadership in service firms has to build a professional service culture system in order to achieve business/competition advantages of SE. Social implications This paper has emphasised that businesses cannot only act with the perspective of gaining short-term profit on every customer transaction. Customers have to be valued and firms have to focus on building long-term relationships with their customers. Originality/value This study has extended the research on SE by developing a new model with possible antecedents and outcomes in the retail context.