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The purpose of this paper is to determine redesigned product profiles to maximize Erzurum Civil cheese consumption satisfaction of Turkish consumers under an ordinal utility approach.

Data were obtained from a survey conducted in Erzurum in 2014. A conjoint analysis was used to determine the utilities of each level along with the relative importance of Erzurum Civil cheese attributes for measuring the consumption satisfaction as an indicator of the purchase decision and priorities of Turkish consumers.

The results of the study clearly highlighted that Erzurum Civil cheese consumption satisfaction was maximized with the augmented and actual product images redesigned by a private-labelled and local-branded simple product with the highest and medium prices based on organic production techniques for heavy and light consumers, respectively. However, medium consumers appreciated the core benefit obtained from the credence quality attributes supported by the generic branded simple cheese with the lowest price purchased directly from the farmstead villages. Eventually, these marketing tactics and strategies could increase demand, maximizing the cheese consumption and satisfaction of Turkish consumers in each cluster. They could also provide greater consumption satisfaction to Turkish consumers as well as bigger marginal contributions to the market dynamics of the food supply chain.

This study was the first research conducted on Erzurum Civil cheese consumption satisfaction of Turkish consumers using innovative approaches and brand designations, such as Protected Designation of Origin, Protected Geographical Indication, and Traditional Specialty Guaranteed in Turkey using the conjoint and k-mean cluster analyses techniques.

To build a National Consumer Satisfaction Index for Turkey, drawing on models already in existence in Sweden, the USA, Norway and the European Union. In so doing, to remedy observed practical shortcomings of those indices.

Structural equation modelling was applied to the general model, in the specific context of the mobile telephone market in Turkey, based on data collected by questionnaire from more than 1,500 subscribers.

The purpose‐designed new customer satisfaction index exhibits good fit and strong explanatory power. It is the most comprehensive so far developed, by virtue of adding two new factors to the model.

The new Turkish index was tested for validity and reliability only in the context of mobile telephony; it should ideally now be further tested in different sectors, periodically, to validate comparisons with other national variants. More latent variables and economic data should be incorporated to analyse the links among the index itself, loyalty and economic consequences. It is suggested that the partial least squares method could have been more appropriate than the maximum likelihood iteration procedure actually employed.

Apart from its obvious role in assessing customer satisfaction in a domestic market, a customer satisfaction index can be extended to the level of comparing whole economies. This is of considerable significance for Turkey's ambitions to join the European Union.

This article enhances and extends an established but relatively little known quantitative method for evaluating customer satisfaction, and thereby offers an important diagnostic tool to marketing planners

Reports on the results and managerial implications of a Turkish study which investigated relationships between service quality, and customer satisfaction, complaint behaviour and commitment. Concludes that the ultimate success of any service quality programme implemented by a bank can only be gauged by creation and retention of satisfied customers. The role of customer‐contact personnel in the attainment of these goals is of paramount importance. Therefore, in their efforts to deliver high quality services to their external publics (i.e. clients), banks should not ignore the specific needs of their internal publics, notably their customer‐contact employees.

The purpose of this paper is threefold: measure the differences in importance of cultural values between Turkish hosts and European guests; measure perceived cultural difference (distance) to see if importance of cultural values are commensurate with cultural distance perception; and identify potential influence of perceived cultural distance on job satisfaction for Turkish service providers (hosts) and trip satisfaction for European consumers (guests).

A survey research was conducted in tourist towns in the Southwest part of Turkey to gather data from Turkish hosts (service providers) and European tourists. Two stepwise regression analyses were conducted to assess the magnitude of the relative impact of several variables on job satisfaction for hosts and trip satisfaction for guests.

Although results revealed differences in cultural values, cultural distance perception and satisfaction, the stepwise regression analyses did not reveal any influence of perceived cultural distance on satisfaction for either hosts or guests.

The findings of this study may not apply to all tourism consumption settings since respondents were surveyed in a general tourism setting context rather than limiting them to a certain consumption setting such as a restaurant, a hotel or a cruise ship.

By shedding light on cultural distance and its influence on both demand and supply side aspects, this study addresses a long‐neglected aspect in literature. Although several studies provide discussions on the impact of culture on both service providers' and consumers' attitude and behavior, there is a lack of empirical studies on the relationship between cultural distance and satisfaction.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of consumer-based brand authenticity (CBBA) on customer satisfaction (CS) and brand loyalty (BL). The moderating effect of the variable “alternative attractiveness” in the relationship between CS and BL was further investigated. The study compared and analyzed the difference between global sportswear brands and domestic ones and the difference between global chocolate brands and domestic ones in terms of CBBA, CS, BL and attractiveness of alternatives (AA).

Structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis were conducted in order to analyze the data collected from 600 consumers via face-to-face survey.

The results showed that quality commitment and heritage-sincerity, which are subdimensions of CBBA, had a significant positive effect on CS. Additionally, both of them affected CS differently in the comparison of the global brands with the domestic ones. Furthermore, CS had a significant positive effect on BL, and AA had a negative effect on BL.

This study deepens the insights into the effects of antecedents of CBBA on CS and BL, enhancing the research with quantitative analysis through two different product groups. The study provides important cues on which antecedents of CBBA help to strengthen the authenticity of brands of Turkish and global origin, and also differs in that it examines to what extent the effect of CBBA on CS and BL varies across global and domestic brands.

The consumer behaviour literature is evolving towards the assumption that products are inherently experiential bundles, and after all, all businesses are operating within the experienced economy. Experiences are much more advantageous for the consumers because they advance happiness or enjoyment of life (instead of survival or maintenance). Experiential purchases lead to greater happiness levels compared to material purchases. Reliance on materialism and material purchases is shown to be the reason of low happiness levels in even the most affluent countries.

In this chapter, based on theoretical as well as empirical papers, I analyse experiences and the consumption of experiences in the Turkish context. The arguments are supported by up-to-date market analysis of related industries conducted by independent market research agencies. The first section looks at the rise of experientialism in retail industries, such as in the case of shopping malls. The following sections touch upon main experiential categories such as tourism, dining and sports. Finally, the social aspects of experiences are discussed in the context of third-place experiences, and some empirical findings are presented. The chapter concludes with some recommendations for practitioners, experience designers, service providers as well as researchers.

Marketing academics and practitioners have acknowledged that consumers form specific relationships with brands that are able to create unique and memorable qualities. As a result, the concept of consumer–brand relationship has been of great interest for marketers. Indeed, consumer–brand relationships are very complex and multidimensional in nature. A common perception is that brand management should create ultimate offerings and communication to have successful relationships with its consumer base. However, how consumers construe their relationships with brands is mostly out of the brands’ control. It is an emotion-intense realm and necessitates careful study of the consumers as well as the context. After summarising the current literature on brand relationships, we focus on Turkish consumers’ relationships with brands.

By focussing on a range of global and local brand studies, this chapter offers a comprehensive and well-informed analysis of the issues and practices involved in consumer–brand relationships in the Turkish context. The chapter is organised into three parts. The first part focusses on antecedents of consumer–brand relationships such as the global or local identity of the brand and brand personality. The second part presents detailed explorations of various brand relationships such as brand love and brand trust. The third and the final part focusses on an important phenomenon, the stage for various brand relationships, being online brand communities. The chapter concludes with the future research directions in these three main areas together with a discussion of offline and online branding opportunities in the Turkish market.

An exploratory study of consumer acceptance of Internet banking (IB) services is conducted in a Turkish bank. Examines both consumer‐related factors that may affect the adoption of an innovation or a product (such as complexity, perceived risk, and relative advantage) as well as organizational factors such as marketing effort. The results suggest that IB not only reduces operational cost to the bank, but also leads to higher levels of customer satisfaction and retention. Accordingly, it is argued that IB is strategically important to the banking sector in an emerging economy, such as in Turkey.

Researchers have explored the extent to which consumers belonging to minority, ethnic, marginalized, and sub‐cultural groups experience discrimination in retail settings. This study aims to explore the converse of retail racism – namely, reverse retail discrimination. The work shows that gay men in the USA and Turkish people in Germany often secure relational benefits, or “family allowances,” from like employees, for no reason other than that they share a socio‐collective trait.

The study employs grounded theory methodology to put forth a framework regarding five types of family allowances. The framework emerges from two in‐depth interview studies conducted with gay and Turkish people. A third qualitative study reveals insights into how majority groups view family allowances.

This study reveals that consumers who share ethnic and sexual orientation traits with like employees obtain family allowances; these are complementary products, monetary discounts, service improvements, customer comfort, and the sharing of information. The study also reveals that consumers from majority groups realize that reverse retail discrimination exists; however, they react negatively to having their thoughts confirmed.

This study is limited in that respondents were gay men and Turkish people. Studies are needed to further develop understanding of reverse retail discrimination and to investigate the extent to which managers realize that this phenomenon occurs.

Managers should realize that the potential for reverse discrimination exists and that discriminatory victims may become discriminatory agents.

This study develops the concept of family allowances. In addition, the study expands knowledge regarding a new type of marketplace discrimination.