دانلود رایگان مقاله بررسی افزایش وفاداری با خرده فروشی CSR

ABSTRACT

We study the effects of consumer perceptions of four types of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities on their behavioral loyalty toward retailers. The four activities are environmental friendliness, community support, selling locally produced products, and treating employees fairly. Behavioral loyalty is measured by share-ofwallet (SOW).We control for other retailer attributes that drive attitudes and SOW, and examine how the market is segmented in terms of consumer response. We partition the total effect of CSR on SOW into a direct effect and an indirect effect mediated through attitude towards the store. These effects differ by CSR activity and customer segment. The effects on attitude are positive and positive attitude enhances SOW, so the indirect effects on SOW are positive. While we generally find positive total effects, the total effect of one of the CSR activities, environmental friendliness, is significantly negative for one group of consumers. The magnitude of CSR's total impact on SOW is not only statistically significant but also managerially meaningful in an industry where every share point carries a substantial dollar amount. We characterize the customer segments and conclude with implications for how best a retailer can manage its CSR initiatives.

5. Conclusion

We have used field data to quantify the impact of competing grocery retailers' CSR activities on consumers' behavioral loyalty towards these firms. We measure behavioral loyalty as share of wallet and distinguish among four types of CSR and among consumer segments. We investigate the role of consumers' attitude toward the store, allowing it to mediate the impact of CSR and other store attributes on SOW. Our key findings are as follows: (a) CSR perceptions have a direct effect on SOW as well as an indirect effect through attitude toward the store. The effects on attitudes are generally positive and attitudes enhance SOW. However, some of the direct effects are negative reducing the total effect on SOW, which is a combination of indirect and direct effects. (b) The total effect on SOW varies substantially across segments and CSR activities. Among the four types of CSR activities in our study, selling locally produced products has strong universal appeal. Employee fairness also has a positive, albeit weaker, impact across segments. Environmental friendliness is a double-edged sword with respect to SOW. A substantial segment of consumers reacts negatively to it. (c) For the largest group comprising over 50% of our sample, a oneunit improvement in perception (on a 1–5 scale) of local products or employee fairness increases SOW by 1.5 and 1.8 points respectively. However, this group is turned off by environmental friendliness – a similar effort on this dimension loses 1.9 SOW points. For two other groups, comprising approximately 25% of our sample, the SOW gain from local products is much larger and improvements in environmental friendliness and community support also garner substantial increases in SOW. Thus, there is a strong case for benefit segmentation in CSR efforts. (d) These groups can be distinguished based on education, age, income, and belief that CSR activities limits a firm's ability to effectively serve its customers. They can also be distinguished based on their response to other store attributes. Compared to the smaller groups that respond positively to all CSR, members of the group with negative SOW response to environmental friendliness and community support are more price sensitive and place greater value on assortment and location convenience. They are turned off by perceptions of exclusivity such as unique items and a wealthy clientele, have a smaller weekly grocery budget, and are more likely to believe that CSR efforts hinders the retailer's ability to serve its customers effectively.