Keeping the customer (relatively) satisfied: Organizational characteristics can trump category considerations

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Findings

Customers are often satisfied with a service or product when it falls short of the value or quality they can find from another firm which is in the same business. On the face of it that might sound, to fall back on a currently over-used word, counter-intuitive. However, it is not. The highly successful UK supermarkets Aldi, which focusses on a more basic value for money shopping “experience”, and posh Waitrose could hardly be considered rivals in the way that Sainsbury and Tesco are. They operate fundamentally in the same sphere without having to worry too much about one another. The satisfied customers at Aldi and Waitrose have very different expectations from one another.

Practical implications

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Citation

(2014), "Keeping the customer (relatively) satisfied: Organizational characteristics can trump category considerations", Strategic Direction, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp. 13-15. https://doi.org/10.1108/SD-02-2014-0016