ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I'd like to express my gratitude to the following people without whom it would not have been possible to complete this study:
• My heavenly Father, for blessing me with the wisdom and knowledge and to partake in this experience.
• My family my father Dirk, who taught me determination and perseverance and for giving me the opportunity to study_ My mother, Marie, who is my pillar in life. Also a special thanks to Kobus, Elzaan, Dirk, Maggie and my grandmother (Martie) for their love and support.
• My supervisor, Prof. Pierre Mostert and co-supervisor, Dr. Christine De Meyer, for their unremitting support, guidance and encouragement throughout this study.
• Me Wilma Breytenbach for the guidance she offered during the statistical processing. • A special thank you to Jackie van der Merwe and Me Petro Beukes for their
assistance this year.
• I would also like Ito thank Lindi for her support throughout past tWo years who kept me strong and focused throughout this study_
Abstract
ABSTRACT
With the rapid growth and competitiveness in the South African apparel retail industry, retailers and marketers face numerous challenges to remain competitive. Contributing to the dynamic nature of this phenomenon is the impulsive nature and individual preferences of consumers when buying apparel, which necessitate retailers to be more responsive towards consumer needs and preferences in order to attract potential, and retain existing, customers. This can done by formulating a retail strategy that will enrich consumers' total retail experience. When developing a total retail experience, all the elements that would encourage or inhibit the consumer to buy from the retailer should be considered, which among others include the store attributes applied within the store environment. This implies that apparel retailers, and especially those sefling casual wear, should identify the importance attached to store attributes of their particular target market and how satisfied they are with the attributes offered. Since consumers use store attributes during store selection, it is essential for retailers and marketers to understand consumer behaviour, and more specifically the consumer decision-making process, since store attributes are used as evaluative criteria during this process.
To satisfy consumer needs, retailers should meet consumer expectations in order to generate a positive attitude towards the store, which will increase the chances of repeat patronage. Consumer expectations form an essential part throughout the consumer decision-making process, which in the end will determine whether consumers experience post-purchase satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Since consumer expectations are formed by previous experiences, marketers should ensure that they offer the necessary store attributes consumers perceive as important when purchasing products, services or selecting a store. Evidently, this will influence both consumers' satisfaction towards a certain retail store, as well as future store selection.
The primary objective of this study was to determine the importance of, and satisfaction with, store attributes to black Generation X consumers when choosing a store seHing casual wear. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to survey 252 black respondents at a mall in Soweto. The questionnaire aimed to determine which store attributes are important to black Generation X consumers when selecting a store selling casual wear, and how satisfied they were with the store attributes offered by the they most often buy casual wear from.
