IMPLICATIONS OF CONSUMER PERCEPTION AND PREFERENCES FOR FRANCHISE VERSUS INDEPENDENT HARDWARE STORES

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1 IMPLICATIONS OF CONSUMER PERCEPTION AND PREFERENCES FOR FRANCHISE VERSUS INDEPENDENT HARDWARE STORES Proff J Kroon, P G Mostert, J L van der Walt and Mr A J Meintjes (Work well: Research Unit for Economic and Management Sciences; Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, North-West University: Potchefstroom campus) Contact details:- Aloe.Meintjes@nwu.ac.za. Telephone: /3 Keywords: franchise, independent retailer, marketing mix, store image, service quality, customer perceptions, survey, hardware store 1. INTRODUCTION Retail is a fast-growing industry that is expanding each day (Doherty, 2007:184). As the population grows, the expectations of customers increase. Customer perception has a big influence on a customer s retail preference. It is important for retailers to know what customers preferences are in order to acknowledge future demands and shape their marketing strategies accordingly (Schiffman & Kanuk, 2000:8). Perceptions of customers that lead to their final purchasing decision are to a great extent influenced by the store s image attributes and its marketing mix. The focus of this paper is customers perception of independent hardware retailers versus franchises. Even though extensive research has been done on customers perception of stores in general, not much of this was directed at hardware stores. By identifying elements of the marketing mix and store image attributes that might influence customers perception of hardware stores to the greatest extent, retailers can enhance these elements and gain market share. Store image can be seen as the way in which the customer evaluates and chooses a store in his/her mind (Terblanché, 1998:64) Consumers perceptions have an effect on their actions, buying habits and leisure

2 habits (Du Plessis & Rousseau, 1999:177). These perceptions determine the way in which they see brands, services and stores. It is therefore important for any business to have a successful marketing mix, consisting of the product, price, distribution and promotion, in order to fulfil the needs of its customers (Blem, 1990:3) as well as to provide store image attributes that will affect the consumer s evaluation of the store in the desired way (Schiffman & Kanuk, 2000:150). Apart from the components of the marketing mix, store image attributes include components such as customer service, parking facilities, security, credit card facilities and the relationship of the client with the store owner and/or the employees (Lindquist, :31). 2. THEORETICAL OVERVIEW The theoretical background of this paper firstly focuses on franchises versus independently owned retail stores. This is followed by an overview of consumer perceptions with specific reference to the application thereof within the boundaries of this study. 2.1 Franchise versus independently owned retail stores Retailing is an important industry in the South African economy when considering that it employed more than people and achieved sales amounting to R 304 billion in 2005 (Statistics SA, 2008). Cant, Strydom, Jooste and Du Plessis (2006:362) furthermore explain that South African retailers play a dominant role in the development of society and the satisfaction of their needs, as retailers form the last link between manufacturers and consumers. It is for this reason that businesses should understand their customers and customer perceptions as part of the consumer decision-making process. Of particular interest to this paper are the perceptions of consumers about franchised and independently owned retail stores. Entrepreneurs often consider entering a new market by means of franchising in an effort to reduce the risk of failure. Pride and Ferrell (2010:441) support such a decision by explaining that fewer than 10 per cent of franchised retail businesses fail during their first year of operation, compared to approximately 50 per cent of independently owned stores (Pride & Ferrell, 2010: 441). Franchising is often the

3 preferred alternative to entrepreneurs because of its benefits, including selling products that are already established in the marketplace, receiving technical training and managerial assistance from the franchisor, receiving more advertising exposure (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, Boshoff & Terblanche, 2005: 304), enjoying buying power through the larger organisation and enjoying a well-established corporate identity (Clem, 2007). Franchising, however, also has some drawbacks, including surrendering some control and freedom relating to operating the business, capital outlay in initial franchising-related start-up fees together with continuing payment of royalties and advertising costs often as a percentage of sales (Pride & Ferrell, 2010: 442). It is these drawbacks of the franchise system than often motivate entrepreneurs rather to establish their own, independently owned, stores. Regardless of whether a franchise or independently owned retail store is preferred, entrepreneurs must work at understanding their customers needs and wants better in an effort to remain successful in an increasingly competitive market (Broadbridge & Calderwood, 2002: ). 2.2 Consumer perception Consumers make decisions on a daily basis by means of the consumer decisionmaking process. It is documented in literature (Hawkins & Mothersbaugh, 2010: 27; Schiffman, Kanuk & Hansen, 2008:75; Rousseau, 2007:260; Blackwell, Miniard & Engel, 2006:71; Assael, 2004:31) that the consumer decision-making process comprises a number of stages, namely need recognition, search for information, evaluation of alternative options that could meet the consumer s expressed need, purchase and post-purchase evaluation. The decision-making process as a whole, as well as each stage in the process, is influenced by a number of external influences (for example the family, culture and reference group) as well as internal influences (for example perception, motivation and personality) (Hawkins & Mothersbaugh, 2010: 27; Schiffman et al., 2008:75); Rousseau, 2007:261; Blackwell et al., 2006:71). This paper specifically focuses on the one internal influence on the consumer decision-making process, namely perception.

4 Hawkins and Mothersbaugh (2010:278) explain that perception begins with consumers exposure and attention to marketing stimuli and ends with their interpretation of the stimuli. Etzel, Walker and Stanton (2007:102) and Longenecker, Moore, Petty and Palich (2006:270) add that consumers perception is not only determined by the characteristics of the stimuli, but also the characteristics of the consumer him- or herself. It is therefore essential that marketers obtain a thorough understanding of their target markets as well as how consumers will perceive various marketing-related stimuli. For example, Etzel et al. (2007:16) explain that the four elements of the marketing mix, namely product, place, distribution (or location in the case of a store) and promotion, could influence consumers perceptions of the business, and therefore their selection of a store. Manning and Reece (2007:202), Longenecker et al. (2006: ), and Wood (2004:201) suggest that customers perceive the product s value based on its benefits which, in turn, is influenced by the product s performance, features, quality, warranties, packaging and labelling. The price of its merchandise is another marketing mix element which could influence consumers willingness to support a store (Schiffman & Kanuk, 2004:186). Smaller retailers often charge higher prices for their products as they could be restricted by less financial resources, resulting in higher purchasing costs, as they cannot afford to buy in bulk (Litz & Stewart, 1998:132), whereas franchise prices may be lower because of higher volume purchases (Berman & Evans, 2007:112). Du Plessis and Rosseau (1999:359) explain that price s effect on consumer behaviour is more direct and immediate and that consumers perception of price, whether high, low or fair, could have a strong influence on their purchase intentions and, ultimately, their satisfaction. Ghosh and Craig (2001:373) suggest that retailers can capture a larger share of potential customers by choosing a better location than their competitors. Hawkins and Mothersbaugh (2010:598) support this view by explaining that a store s location plays an important role in consumer store choice as consumers would generally choose a store that is located closest to them when all other things (for example price, product variety, brand names) offered by competing stores are equal.

5 Promotion includes advertisements, sales presentations and exhibits that could influence consumers perceptions of a retail store, as consumers are made aware of the products and services businesses sell through their promotional activities (Fam & Merrilees, 1998: ). Other aspects under marketers control that could also influence consumers perceptions of a retailer or store include a store s image and related store image attributes (Pride & Ferrell, 2010:434) (for example accessibility to the store, parking facilities offered, credit card facilities, displays, lighting, cleanliness), quality of supporting services provided and whether a personal relationship exists with the store owner or employees. 3. PROBLEM STATEMENT AND MOTIVATION OF THE STUDY Understanding consumers buying behaviour is of the utmost importance for retailers to enable them to maintain their competitive edge. Consumer characteristics, store attributes, store image, store choice and retailing strategies are some of the key concepts that play a role in successful retailing (Schiffman & Kanuk, 2000:4; Assael, 1995:102). The marketing mix as well as store image attributes all contribute to the overall store image, which consumers apply to evaluate the store on a multi-attribute utility function (Schiffman & Kanuk, 2000:150). Limited research has been done on the South African consumer s perception of store image attributes and hardly any research could be found with reference to hardware stores. Consequently, hardware store owners will benefit greatly from information on hardware store customers perception of the store image and preference for various types of hardware stores. This study will endeavour to gather information on customers perception of and preference for two different types of hardware stores. 4. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK A conceptual framework (Figure. 1) was developed, which could serve as a research framework to gather information on hardware store customers perception of and preference for independent and franchise hardware stores.

6 Figure 1: Conceptual framework MARKETING MIX Product Price Place/Location Promotion DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES Age Gender Type of client / occupation Income STORE IMAGE Overall store image Customer service Parking facilities Security Credit card facilities Relationship with owner / employees CONSUMER PERCEPTION AND PREFERENCE Independent hardware stores Franchise hardware stores 5. AIM OF THE STUDY To determine consumers perception of and preference for independent and franchise hardware stores with special reference to the marketing mix, the store image and selected demographic variables. 6. OBJECTIVES To determine consumers perception of franchise and independent hardware stores, based on these stores marketing mix. (Table 3) To determine consumers perception of franchise and independent hardware stores, based on these stores store image attributes. (Table 4) To determine hardware store customers preference for franchise or independent hardware stores. (Table 5)

7 To determine the importance of individual components of marketing mix and store image attributes in consumers perception of franchise and independent hardware stores respectively. (Tables 3 and 4, ranking order) To determine how many of the customers of franchise and independent hardware stores respectively are full-time builders, owners of repair and maintenance businesses, and private and general customers. (Table 5 ) To determine selected aspects of the demographic profile (age, gender, occupation and income) of the customers visiting hardware stores. (Table 2) 7. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This section discusses the measuring instrument, sampling method, data collection and data analysis. The nature of the study was quantitative, descriptive and exploratory. It was conducted in June and July 2008 and was executed with the help of trained field workers who targeted customers leaving the chosen hardware stores who were willing to participate in the study. 7.1 The measuring instrument A structured questionnaire was compiled and completed by way of interviews. The questionnaire consisted of different sections and was compiled in accordance with the conceptual framework and study objectives. The first section dealt with marketing mix, followed by a question on preference for independent or franchise hardware stores. The third section dealt with store image and store attributes, while section four was compiled to gather demographic information. A Likert-type scale varying from 1 to 4 was used to measure the degree to which the variables in sections one and three are encountered in the two types of hardware stores, with 1 = very small degree and 4 = very large degree.

8 7.2 Study population and sample selection The target population of the survey was South-African customers of independent and franchise hardware stores. Apart from being a customer at the chosen hardware retail store, there were no other requirements based on age, gender, income or ethnicity. A non-probability, convenience sampling method was followed to choose both the stores and the respondents, as there is no existing national database for the customers of hardware retailers (Tustin, Ligthelm, Martins & Van Wyk, 2005:346). The stores were chosen arbitrarily in convenient locations across the country. The study was conducted in five different provinces in South- Africa to make sure that the sample would be representative of the larger part of the country. Equal numbers of voluntary customers were targeted at independent and franchise hardware stores in each town or city. Table 1 depicts the location of the five provinces and nine cities or towns where the survey was conducted, as well as the number of respondents targeted at each type of hardware store in the various towns and cities. As shown, the target sample of willing participants consisted of 475 respondents leaving independent hardware stores and 475 respondents leaving franchise hardware stores (a total of 950 hardware store clients) in various cities across South Africa. The final sample supplied 950 completed questionnaires, which could all be used. Table 1: A layout of the locations and number of questionnaires completed Province City/Town Questionnaires completed Total Franchise Independent Western-Cape Plettenberg Bay Western Cape Mossel Bay North-West Potchefstroom North-West Klerksdorp North-West Brits North-West Vryburg Gauteng Krugersdorp Gauteng Johannesburg Mpumalanga Nelspruit Mpumalanga Secunda Free State Hoopstad TOTAL

9 7.3 Demographic profile A limited socio-demographic profile of the respondents who participated in the study is shown in Table 2. The sample was dominated by male respondents (78.1%) and the majority of the respondents (74%) were evenly distributed between the ages of years. The occupation of the respondents could be classified into three main groups, of which the general/private customers formed the majority (73.4%) while 17.3 percent of the respondents owned repair/maintenance businesses and 9.3 per cent were full-time builders. As can be seen in Table 2, most respondents (59.1%) were nearly evenly distributed between monthly income levels of R , R and R (approximately 20% each), while 22.7 per cent had a monthly income of R or more. Thirty-five respondents (3.7%) chose not to provide the detail of their monthly income. Table 2: A socio-demographic profile of respondents (n=950) n % GENDER Female Male AGE Younger than OCCUPATION Full-time builder General/private customer Repair/maintenance/business owner INCOME R0 R R5 001 R R R R R R Missing responses Data collection and statistical analysis To save time and to make sure that the respondents understood the questions posed, interviewer-administrated intercept surveys were used to optimise the quality of the collected data. All the fieldworkers were trained beforehand and told what

10 exactly was expected from the respondents when answering the questions. One of the mayor drawbacks of intercept surveys is lack of control over the sample, and interviewers who tend to select people who look more accessible create an opportunity for bias, as seemingly inaccessible people are not selected, therefore close supervision has to be done to make sure that no bias exists in the study (Tustin et al., 2005: ). Twelve field workers completed the questionnaires during June and July Each field worker received 80 questionnaires, which he/she had to make sure, were completed by the targeted respondents. The fieldworkers were organised and divided into groups to ensure that several provinces were included in this study. The raw data were checked, entered into the computer and analysed using the SPSS statistical program. Frequency analyses were performed for all the sections and ranking orders were computed for sections one and three. 8. RESULTS The main aim of the study was to determine consumers perception of and preference for independent and franchise hardware stores with special reference to the marketing mix, the store image and selected demographic variables. The results will be discussed in co-ordination with the objectives of the study. 8.1 Consumers overall perception of franchise and independent hardware stores with reference to these stores marketing mix and store image attributes Concerning objective one, data conveying the perception of franchise and independent hardware store customers regarding these stores marketing mix are depicted in Table 3.

11 Table 3: Perception of franchise and independent hardware store customers regarding marketing mix (n=950) Marketing mix % Positive franchise store customers (n=475) Ranking order % Positive independent store customers (n=475) Ranking order Product: variety, warranties, quality Lower price Accessible location Promotion activities Average Regarding the marketing mix of hardware stores (Table 3), 89.3 per cent of the franchise hardware store customers evaluated the products of these stores positively with reference to variety, warranties and quality, while 72.6 per cent of the independent hardware store customers evaluated independent stores positively in these respects. With reference to price, 82.5 per cent of the franchise customers agreed that franchise stores offer lower prices, while 78.3 per cent of the independent store customers were of the opinion that these stores offer lower prices. Regarding location, 85.8 per cent of the franchise store customers were positive regarding the accessibility of the franchise stores, while 88.3 per cent of the independent store customers were positive about the accessibility of independent stores. Regarding promotion and prominence of advertising, 78.3 per cent of the franchise customers indicated that franchise stores offer good promotions and prominent advertising, while only 45.4 per cent of the independent store customers were positive about these aspects. In summary, it can be said that franchise hardware store customers were more positive about the variety, warranties offered and quality of products in these stores, as well as about lower prices and promotions offered and prominent advertising than customers of independent hardware stores, while the latter group were slightly more positive about the location of independent hardware stores but rather negative about the promotions offered and the prominence of advertisements by independent hardware stores.

12 Concerning objective two, data conveying the perception of franchise and independent hardware store customers regarding these stores store image attributes are depicted in Table 4. Table 4: Perception of franchise and independent hardware store customers regarding store image attributes (n=950) Store image attributes % Positive franchise store customers (n=475) Ranking order % Positive independent store customers (n=475) Ranking order Overall store image Customer service Relationships with owner/employees Parking facilities Effective security Credit card facilities Average Regarding store image attributes of hardware stores (Table 4), 89.3 per cent of the franchise hardware store customers were of the opinion that these stores reflect a good general store image, while somewhat fewer of the independent hardware store customers (73.6%) were of the same opinion regarding these stores. When asked about customer service quality, nearly equal numbers of franchise and independent hardware store customers (86.8% and 85.1% respectively) were convinced that the store type where they shopped offered a good quality of customer service. The personal relationship with the store s owner and/or employees revealed a different situation, as considerably more independent store customers (65.2%) than franchise store customers (41.8%) indicated that they had good relationships with the store s owner and/or employees. Participants opinion with reference to parking facilities did not differ remarkably, as 80.8 per cent of the franchise store customers signified that these stores offered good parking facilities, in comparison to 77.5 per cent of the independent hardware store customers. In summary, it is clear that franchise hardware store customers were more positive about these stores overall store image and slightly more positive about the customer

13 service, while independent hardware store customers were more positive about the personal relationships they had with the store owner and/or employees. 8.2 Hardware store customers preferences for franchise or independent hardware stores In order to discuss objective three, namely to investigate hardware store customers preference for franchise or independent hardware stores, the data with reference to these preferences are presented in Table 5 Table 5: Customer preferences for franchise versus independent hardware stores (n=950) Occupation Preference Franchise Independent Irrelevant n % n % n % Full-time builder (n=88) Repair/maintenance business (n=164) General/private customer (n=698) Total sample (n=950) Regarding preference for franchise or independent hardware stores (Table 5), from the total sample of 950 respondents, almost 40 per cent preferred franchises and 24.5 per cent preferred independent stores, while 35.8 per cent found the store type irrelevant. When distinguishing between three different occupations of the respondents, 62.5 per cent of the full-time builders preferred franchises, 21.8 per cent preferred independent stores and for 15.9 per cent the store type was irrelevant. For owners of maintenance businesses these figures were 38.7 per cent, 27 per cent and 34.3 per cent respectively, while for general or private clients the figures were 37.2 per cent, 17.8 per cent and 28.4 per cent respectively. Objective four concerns the importance of individual aspects of marketing mix and store image attributes as evaluated by the two groups of hardware store customers. From the ranking order in Table 3 it is clear that when considering marketing mix,

14 franchise hardware store clients rated these stores products (variety, quality and warranties) as the most positive marketing mix attribute, followed by accessible location, lower prices and lastly promotion activities, which embrace promotions offered and prominence of advertising. Independent hardware store customers rated accessible location first, followed by lower prices, product attributes and lastly, at a much lower level, promotion activities. From this it follows that both types of stores received the lowest rating in promotion activities, but the rating for independent stores was very low, so these stores should be concerned about this aspect of their business. When looking at store image attributes (Table 4), franchise hardware store customers ranked customer service first, followed by parking facilities. Overall store image was ranked third, quite low, and lastly, much lower, personal relationship with the store owner and/or employees. Independent hardware store customers ranked customer service first, followed by parking facilities, personal relationship with the store owner and/or employees and lastly, at a very low level, overall store image. Concerning store image attributes, it can be concluded that the overall store image was rated low for both types of stores and consequently an aspect which should receive attention, while personal relationships with the store owner and/or employees were rated lowest for franchise stores and should be a matter of concern for these stores. Objective five is concerned with the occupation of customers at both types of stores. From Table 2 it is clear that by far the majority of customers (n=698, or 73.5% of the total sample) at both types of stores were general or private clients, followed by owners of repair or maintenance businesses (n=164, or 17.3% of the total sample), while the smallest group of customers (n=88, or 9.3% of the total sample) were fulltime builders. This information may serve as a guideline for both types of store when planning for their target market and its needs. Objective six is to investigate selected aspects of the demographic profile of customers visiting hardware stores. The information is depicted in Table 2 and discussed in paragraph 6.3. This information can also be used fruitfully in targeting and planning the marketing mix.

15 9. CONCLUSION This study investigated the perceptions customers have of both independent retailers and franchises and to determine what influence the marketing mix, store image and service quality have on these perceptions. In general, the results indicate that the respondents prefer franchises (40%) although the choice between independent retailers and franchises is irrelevant for more than a third of the customers. Further, the study has shown that customers perceptions of franchises with reference to product variety, quality and availability are better than those of independent hardware store customers. Of the customers intercepted in front of franchises, 82.5% believe that the prices are better than those of independent hardware stores. Respondents also believe that franchises are usually better situated and have better parking than that of independent retailers. Almost 86 per cent of the respondents intercepted in front of franchises believe this. The perceptions of franchise hardware store customers regarding promotional activities of these stores are considerably better than those of independent hardware store customers, with 78 per cent% believing that franchises offer good promotions and prominent advertising, as opposed to only per cent of the independent store customers. Almost 90 per cent of the respondents believe that franchises reflect a positive overall store image, as opposed to almost 74 per cent of independent hardware store customers. Customers further believe that they receive good service at both independent retailers and franchises, but more (65% versus 42%) independent store customers believe that they have a positive relationship with owners and/or employees of independent stores. The customers did not differ greatly in their perception of parking facilities at the two types of stores. Although the study did not set out to measure it specifically, it was found that most customers are general or private customers. This could be because the bulk of the questionnaires were completed during the June school holidays. The researchers found that 78.1 per cent of the respondents were male and 21.9 per cent were female and although the

16 theory exists that it has become a boy and girl market, the female participation still does not seem very big (Underhill, 1999:122). 10. MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS This study uses the marketing mix and store image attribute perceptions of customers to determine what the overall perceptions are of franchises versus independent retailers. There is currently a clear preference for franchises in the market, making it a popular choice when opening a retail store. The study indicated that males are still the primary market of hardware stores, although the female segment is not to be ignored. The researchers also concluded that the vast majority of the customers are between 20 and 50 years of age, making the target population difficult to choose, as customers of all ages and income groups support these stores. The study has also shown that a large part of the respondents were general and private customers, meaning that the perception of the different types of hardware stores is almost certainly true for these types of customers that support hardware stores. Franchise customers specifically believe that the products provided, the locations where these stores are situated and the prices are superior to those of independent retailers. This study has also revealed to independent retailers what the perceptions in the current market are, and now they can work at those challenges, such as their product variety and quality, prices and their store image. Franchises, on the other hand, require more focus on personal relationships with their customers. There is also a kind of warning for both franchises and independent retailers to keep their service quality and accessibility to locations as good as possible because they are neck-on-neck, meaning that a slip in either of these fields could lead to a preference change. Both store types should, therefore, pay serious attention to overall general management, excellent customer service and their general store image.

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