Problem: Modeindustrin har varit omtalad under senare tid och eftersom konkurrensen på denna marknad är hög har det lett till en ökad medvetenhet bland konsumenter och speciellt bland manliga konsumenterna. En förundersökning utfärdad av författarna visade att skapandet av kundrelationer möjliggör för modeföretag att bibehålla en konkurrenskraftig position på marknaden. Undersökningen visade även att eftersom män har en tendens att förbli lojala kunder och tvivlar oftast på att köpa kläder från nya butiker är det viktigt för modeföretag att utveckla och bibehålla relationer med dessa kunder. Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att avgöra vad en relation mellan konsumenter och återförsäljare är i ett modeföretag för män och när den existerar för att kunna identifiera de viktigaste aspekterna för att utveckla och bibehålla dessa relationer. Metod: En hermeneutik och en abduktiv ansats har använts genom hela uppsatsen medan en fallstudie har tillämpats. För att kunna uppfylla uppsatsens syfte har författarna gjort fem semi-strukturerade intervjuer. Författarna intervjuade olika chefer med olika hierarkiska positioner och butikspersonal från det valda fallföretaget. Teorier: De teoretiska områden som har använts i denna uppsats består av teorier angående Customer Relationship Management, Fashion management, relationer mellan konsumenter och återförsäljare, konsumentbeteende, kundtillfredställelse, kommunikation i mode m.m. Slutsatser: Författarna har fastställt att de befintliga definitionerna på relationer inte definierar vad en relation mellan konsumenter och återförsäljare är, inom det studerade sammanhanget. Därför fann författarna det lämpligt att introducera en ny definition för relationer mellan konsumenter och återförsäljare i modeföretag för män, nämligen semi-intima relationer. Dessa är långvariga relationer som karaktäriseras av ständiga personliga interaktioner, utbyte av personlig information, ett gemensamt tankesätt, tvåsidig åtagande och ömsesidiga värderingar. Författarna drog även slutsatsen att en semi-intim relation existerar när kunden är inkluderad i företaget och interaktioner är på interpersonella nivåer. En semi-intim relation existerar inte genom en handlig utan utvecklas snarare från en rad handlingar. Författarna har även fastställt att en kundfokuserad kultur, förtroende, åtagande och lojalitet, de anställdas tillfredställelse, kund tillfredställelse, värde ökande förmåner och kommunicering av varumärket till de manliga kunderna är de viktigaste aspekterna för att utveckla och bibehålla semi-intima relationer med manliga kunder. Slutligen ansåg författarna att koncepten för relationsskapande verktyg är missledande i modeföretags sammanhang och introducerade därför nya implikationer för dessa verktyg. Butikspersonalen identifierades som det viktigaste relationsskapande verktyget i modeföretag som strävar efter att utveckla och bibehålla kundrelationer. / Problem: The Fashion industry is a highly discussed issue today, and as it is very competitive, the awareness among consumers, especially male consumers, has increased. Through a preliminary research conducted by the authors, it was evident that creating customer relationships enables Fashion companies to maintain a competitive position in the market. Also, it was believed that since men tend to stay loyal and are hesitant to purchase apparel from new stores, developing and maintaining relationships with them is crucial. Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to determine what a customer-supplier relationship in Fashion companies for men’s wear is and when it exists, in order to identify the most important aspects when developing and maintaining this relationship. Method: A hermeneutic and an abductive approach have been used throughout this thesis, while a case study was performed. In order to fulfill the purpose of this thesis, five semistructured interviews were conducted with managers, at different hierarchical levels, and salesclerks of the chosen case company. Theories: The theoretical areas that were used in this thesis consisted of theories regarding Customer Relationship Management, Fashion management, Customer-supplier relationships, Consumer behavior, Customer satisfaction, Communication in Fashion etc. Conclusions: The authors came to the conclusion that the existing definitions of relationships do not identify a customer-supplier relationship in Fashion retailing. Therefore, the authors found it necessary to introduce a new definition for a customer-supplier relationship in Fashion companies for men’s wear, namely semi- intimate relationships. These relationships are long-term relationships that are characterized by frequent personal interactions, personal information exchange, a shared mode of thinking, two-way commitment and mutual values beyond monetary terms. Moreover, the authors concluded that a semiintimate relationship exists when the customers are included in the company and interactions are on interpersonal levels. Furthermore, a semi-intimate relationship does not exist through one action; it is rather developed through a series of actions. The authors also determined that a customer focused culture, trust, commitment and loyalty, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, adding value through benefits and communicating the brand to the male customer are the most important aspects when developing and maintaining semi-intimate relationships. Finally, the authors found the concept of relational tools misleading in the context of this thesis and therefore, new implications for relational tools were introduced, with the sales force being the most important one, when developing and maintaining semi-intimate relationships.

<p>Problem: Modeindustrin har varit omtalad under senare tid och eftersom konkurrensen på denna marknad är hög har det lett till en ökad medvetenhet bland konsumenter och speciellt bland manliga konsumenterna. En förundersökning utfärdad av författarna visade att skapandet av kundrelationer möjliggör för modeföretag att bibehålla en konkurrenskraftig position på marknaden. Undersökningen visade även att eftersom män har en tendens att förbli lojala kunder och tvivlar oftast på att köpa kläder från nya butiker är det viktigt för modeföretag att utveckla och bibehålla relationer med dessa kunder.</p><p>Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att avgöra vad en relation mellan konsumenter och återförsäljare är i ett modeföretag för män och när den existerar för att kunna identifiera de viktigaste aspekterna för att utveckla och bibehålla dessa relationer.</p><p>Metod: En hermeneutik och en abduktiv ansats har använts genom hela uppsatsen medan en fallstudie har tillämpats. För att kunna uppfylla uppsatsens syfte har författarna gjort fem semi-strukturerade intervjuer. Författarna intervjuade olika chefer med olika hierarkiska positioner och butikspersonal från det valda fallföretaget.</p><p>Teorier: De teoretiska områden som har använts i denna uppsats består av teorier angående Customer Relationship Management, Fashion management, relationer mellan konsumenter och återförsäljare, konsumentbeteende, kundtillfredställelse, kommunikation i mode m.m.</p><p>Slutsatser: Författarna har fastställt att de befintliga definitionerna på relationer inte definierar vad en relation mellan konsumenter och återförsäljare är, inom det studerade sammanhanget. Därför fann författarna det lämpligt att introducera en ny definition för relationer mellan konsumenter och återförsäljare i modeföretag för män, nämligen semi-intima relationer. Dessa är långvariga relationer som karaktäriseras av ständiga personliga interaktioner, utbyte av personlig information, ett gemensamt tankesätt, tvåsidig åtagande och ömsesidiga värderingar. Författarna drog även slutsatsen att en semi-intim relation existerar när kunden är inkluderad i företaget och interaktioner är på interpersonella nivåer. En semi-intim relation existerar inte genom en handlig utan utvecklas snarare från en rad handlingar. Författarna har även fastställt att en kundfokuserad kultur, förtroende, åtagande och lojalitet, de anställdas tillfredställelse, kund tillfredställelse, värde ökande förmåner och kommunicering av varumärket till de manliga kunderna är de viktigaste aspekterna för att utveckla och bibehålla semi-intima relationer med manliga kunder. Slutligen ansåg författarna att koncepten för relationsskapande verktyg är missledande i modeföretags sammanhang och introducerade därför nya implikationer för dessa verktyg. Butikspersonalen identifierades som det viktigaste relationsskapande verktyget i modeföretag som strävar efter att utveckla och bibehålla kundrelationer.</p> / <p>Problem: The Fashion industry is a highly discussed issue today, and as it is very competitive, the awareness among consumers, especially male consumers, has increased. Through a preliminary research conducted by the authors, it was evident that creating customer relationships enables Fashion companies to maintain a competitive position in the market. Also, it was believed that since men tend to stay loyal and are hesitant to purchase apparel from new stores, developing and maintaining relationships with them is crucial. Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to determine what a customer-supplier relationship in Fashion companies for men’s wear is and when it exists, in order to identify the most important aspects when developing and maintaining this relationship.</p><p>Method: A hermeneutic and an abductive approach have been used throughout this thesis, while a case study was performed. In order to fulfill the purpose of this thesis, five semistructured interviews were conducted with managers, at different hierarchical levels, and salesclerks of the chosen case company.</p><p>Theories: The theoretical areas that were used in this thesis consisted of theories regarding Customer Relationship Management, Fashion management, Customer-supplier relationships, Consumer behavior, Customer satisfaction, Communication in Fashion etc.</p><p>Conclusions: The authors came to the conclusion that the existing definitions of relationships do not identify a customer-supplier relationship in Fashion retailing. Therefore, the authors found it necessary to introduce a new definition for a customer-supplier relationship in Fashion companies for men’s wear, namely semi- intimate relationships. These relationships are long-term relationships that are characterized by frequent personal interactions, personal information exchange, a shared mode of thinking, two-way commitment and mutual values beyond monetary terms. Moreover, the authors concluded that a semiintimate relationship exists when the customers are included in the company and interactions are on interpersonal levels. Furthermore, a semi-intimate relationship does not exist through one action; it is rather developed through a series of actions. The authors also determined that a customer focused culture, trust, commitment and loyalty, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, adding value through benefits and communicating the brand to the male customer are the most important aspects when developing and maintaining semi-intimate relationships. Finally, the authors found the concept of relational tools misleading in the context of this thesis and therefore, new implications for relational tools were introduced, with the sales force being the most important one, when developing and maintaining semi-intimate relationships.</p>

The overall focus of this doctoral thesis is the examination of the role of store design-architecture in consumer perceptions of retail brand loyalty. More specifically, it examines how consumers’ perceptions at the store design-architecture level promote brand loyalty and attachment at the overall retail-level. This research, therefore, aims to address the underdeveloped extant knowledge of the role of the store design-architecture in retail branding. This thesis addresses two research questions: 1) is it possible to improve on the specification or measurement of the store environment beyond the novelty, complexity collative constructs proposed in traditional studies of the store environment?; and 2) what effect, if any, do these improved store environment constructs (from answering research question number one) have in explaining the role of store design-architecture in consumer perceptions of retail brand loyalty? In its examination of the role of store-level design-architecture in overall retail-level branding, the theoretical significance of this thesis is based on two activities. First, this thesis proposes a conceptual framework that draws on multiple, diverse literatures from design-architecture, psychology and marketing. The critical review of pertinent literatures from these three sources then enables the second activity: the generation of novel empirical insights based on surveys of consumer perceptions of store-level design-architecture. A research instrument is developed that compares higher and lower levels of design in two stores of Penneys, a discount fashion retailer. The responses of 145 consumers are examined in an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). A separate dataset of 403 consumer responses are analysed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equations Modelling (SEM). Multiple-group invariance testing is also completed on this dataset. The primary theoretical contributions of this thesis to the extant literature are five-fold. First, the principal contribution of this thesis confirms that store aesthetic preference is positively associated with retail brand loyalty. Thus, the second research question is satisfactorily addressed; I explain that there is a mild association between store aesthetic preference and the emotionally valenced retail brand attachment construct in higher-level design contexts. Instead, a store aesthetic preference association is observed with the more behaviourally valenced retail brand loyalty construct in lower-level designs. Consequently, this principal contribution to the extant literature reveals the perceptive dynamic of how consumers processing of store-level design-architecture correspond with their perceptions of retail-level brand loyalty. A host of global-attribute, objective-subjective, and cognitive-emotional perceptive processing at the store and retail levels are observed in the proposed theoretical framework. Second, to confirm the role of store design-architecture in retail brand loyalty, I develop: a new scale for retail brand product; modify scales for store prototype, store novelty, store aesthetic preference, store complexity and retail brand price; and introduce scales for brand attachment and brand loyalty from non-retail contexts into a retail context for the first time. This research, therefore, addresses research question number one by making a notable conceptual and measurement contribution to the specification of the store environment. Third, as a progression from the previous contribution, I use these improved store environments constructs to better specify the store environment, and examine the associations between store prototype, store novelty and store aesthetic preference. I demonstrate that theory such as the preference-for-prototypes literature helps to improve the extant understanding of the associations between store prototype, store novelty and store aesthetic preference. The confirmation of the existence of these associations essentially means that the proposed model is robust, credible and able to account for consumers objective-subjective, global-attribute discriminations of the store-level aesthetic. Fourth, in an effort to explain the relative visual and non-visual contributions to retail brand attachment and retail brand loyalty, I examine associations concerning retail brand product and retail brand price. Retail brand product is confirmed to have stronger associations with retail brand attachment than store aesthetic preference or store prototypicality. Thus, this research extends the extant knowledge of the relative contributions of visual and non-visual constructs to understanding retail brand loyalty. Fifth, this research contributes to the extant understanding of how non-invariance analysis can be employed in Structural Equations Modelling (SEM) to confirm differences between groups. This research examines differences in parameter values to confirm differences in perception of the higher and lower levels of store design-architecture. This type of use of non-invariance analysis is not frequently employed in SEM and I propose that this research instrument can be generalised to other retail contexts also. Finally, this thesis concludes by presenting the limitations of this research. It makes suggestions on potential future research that could be completed, and raises some pertinent implications for practitioners arising from this research.

ICA AB is Sweden’s largest retail and wholesale firm, a cooperation of retail proprietors. Here it is studied as the nation’s largest media firm. It is the largest advertiser, the largest publisher of consumer magazines, and plausibly the most advanced user of household shopping data for marketing purposes. ICA’s marketing media system is operated by a constellation of different professional groups, and the study at hand asks questions about how practitioners in different professional communities relate to the idea of value and value creation, how their social practices pushes them towards divergent understandings and priorities, and what such differences do to their opportunities to collaborate within ICA’s marketing processes. We are all ‘practitioners’ in the sense that we go about our daily lives conducting various practices that create value for ourselves and for others. We act in routinized fashions surrounded by social codes that guides us in how to combine and integrate tools, skills and products in different combinations. Since they seem to capture the very purpose of marketing, ‘value’ and ‘value creation’ are concepts which long have been central to the academic debate. However, if our value-creating practices are guided by social codes, this has consequences for marketers and marketing that has been largely left aside in the mainstream marketing theory. Over two years, 2007-2008, through qualitative interviewing and participant observation, the study follows ICA’s marketing communications process and some of its most central practitioners – marketing managers, media agency specialists, editorial staff, and TV network sales representatives. It describes their involvement in TV advertising campaigns, in the customer magazine Buffé, and in the introduction of mass-customized direct marketing in the project Mina varor. Combining some of the most widely cited marketing theories on value creation with a sociological view on activity forwarded by Practice Theory, this thesis suggests that value is best seen as being formed along two intertwined processes – value creation which is the process of physical activity, and value construction which is a social process of understanding what is to be regarded valuable. The findings provide firstly a detailed mapping of how practitioners articulate marketing communications value, what aspects they emphasize, and how they interpret the objective of their practices. Secondly, the study links the articulations of value to 16 value-forming marketing communications practices. Marketing managers, media agency specialists, editorial staff, and TV network sales representatives are all described as acting according to a ‘practical logic’ of their respective professional communities. These logics combine practices for marketing communications production, for mutual interaction, and for valuation of processes, products and outcomes. The benefits of coordination and collaboration have been forwarded in marketing (relationships and networks) and marketing communications (integrated marketing communications) literature over the past decades. The concluding discussion concerns how and to which extent practical logics can be altered, changed, or aligned towards mutually rewarding goals. In other words, how can two parties work together if they have divergent understandings of value, and conversely how can two parties learn to understand value by working together? It thereby puts focus on marketing communications management, and contrary to many textbooks in the field, this study does not describe marketing communications as a de-humanized instrument in the marketer’s toolbox, but as a challenge of coordinating practitioners, practices, and understandings.

På senare tid har en ny trend inom multikanalförsäljning uppmärksammats, där renodlade e-handlare inser vikten av att finnas tillgängliga för kunden i flera försäljningskanaler och därför adderar en fysisk butik som försäljningskanal. Den nya trenden benämns i studien för Clicks to Bricks. När flera försäljningskanaler opererar under samma varumärke kan svårigheter uppstå i att förmedla en enhetlig bild av varumärket, vilket lyfts fram i befintlig litteratur kring multikanalförsäljning. Det finns dock inga tidigare studier som undersöker utmaningar i att förmedla en enhetlig bild av varumärket specifikt för företag som går från Clicks to Bricks. Baserat på att Clicks to Bricks är ett relativt nytt fenomen som växt fram är forskningen inom området bristfällig och ytterligare studier krävs därför för att ge en ökad förståelse för fenomenet. / Background: Recently, a new trend in multichannel retailing has been growing where pure eretailersare realizing the importance of being available to the customer in several sales channelsand therefore adds a physical store to its existing e-commerce. The new trend is further referredto as Clicks to Bricks. When multiple sales channels operate under the same brand difficultiesmay arise in conveying a consistent image of the brand, which is highlighted in the existingliterature on multi-channel retailing. However, there are no previous studies that examinechallenges in conveying a consistent image of the brand specifically for companies going fromClicks to Bricks. Based on the fact that Clicks to Bricks is a relatively new phenomenon thearea is fairly unexplored in the academic world, which means that further studies are needed toprovide a greater understanding of the phenomenon. Purpose: The study aims to provide a greater understanding of the phenomenon Clicks toBricks, by examining the reasons for pure e-tailers to add a physical store as a sales channel andhow they work to convey a consistent brand image. Completion: The study has the design of a multiple case study and has been conducted with aqualitative approach. The study's empirical data is collected from interviews with people onnine different companies that have gone from Clicks to Bricks. Conclusion: This study observes the fact that companies going from Clicks to Bricks haverecognized the importance of communicating a consistent brand across their sales channels.Companies have, however, started its work towards communicating a consistent image of thebrand at a late stage in the establishment process. The study identifies opportunities forimprovement in terms of conveying a consistent brand when it comes to companies going fromClicks to Bricks.

Abstrakt Titel: Leksaker i den digitala tidsåldern – Leksaksbranschens bemötande av nya preferenser Författare: Sandra Nilsson och Victor Tydesjö Handledare: Leif Rytting Kurs: Företagsekonomi III – examensarbete 15 hp. Linnéuniversitetet VT 2014 Syfte Vårt syfte med uppsatsen är att undersöka hur leksaksbranschen har förändrat och kommer att förändra sin verksamhet i den teknologiska tidsåldern. För att genomföra detta har vi fastställt några aspekter att undersöka: Butikernas nuvarande tillstånd gällande sortiment och arbetssätt Förändringar som har skett gällande sortiment som en konsekvens av barns förändrade teknologianvändning Leksaksbranschens framtid som en följd av den fortsatta teknologiutvecklingen Forskningsfrågan lyder: Hur påverkas leksaksbranschen av barns tidiga användande av olika former av digital teknologi? Metod Vi har för denna uppsats valt att använda den kvalitativa metoden. Detta för att på ett djupt sätt kunna få specifik data om branschens företeelser. Undersökningen har genomförts med en abduktiv ansats, där vald teori har format empirin men där empiri även har inverkat på den teori som presenteras. Det teoretiska materialet har präglats av akademisk litteratur och elektroniska källor. Empiriinsamlingen skedde genom kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra leksaksbutiker och en representant från branschorganisationen Leksaksbranschen. Slutsatser Gällande branschens nuläge framkom att inköp på speciella inköpsmässor för leksakshandlare och deras leverantörer bär stor betydelse för leksaksbutiker och inverkar även på utformning av deras sortiment. Samordning mellan mindre aktörer i en enda katalog föreslås vara ett sätt för de mindre starka butikerna att hävda sig bättre mot de stora kedjorna. Vi fann att lekåldern har minskat, vilket medför att barn är kunder under en kortare tid. Vissa sortimentsanpassningar har skett på grund av detta, men inte i särskilt stor skala. Gällande branschens framtid tydliggörs att aktörerna kan behöva göra vissa förändringar i sin verksamhet, där exakt vad detta skulle vara inte är självklart. / Abstract Our purpose with this study is to investigate how the toy industry has changed and will change its operations in the technological era. In order to do this, we determined a few aspects to investigate: The toy stores’ current state regarding assortment and ways of working Changes that have occurred regarding assortment as a consequence of children’s’ changed technological usage The future of the toy industry as a result of the continued technological development The research question goes as follows: How is the toy industry impacted by children’s early usage of different kinds of digital technology? In this study we decided to use the qualitative research method in order to gather profound and specific data about the happenings of the toy industry. The study has been carried out with an abductive methodology, allowing theoretical data to impact empirical data and also allowing empirical data to impact theoretical data. The theoretical data is characterized by usage of academic literature and electronic sources. The empirical data gathering was carried out by qualitative interviews with four toy stores as well as a representative from the Swedish toy industry association. Regarding the current state of the industry, it showed that purchasing at special toy dealer’s purchasing fairs is of significant importance for toy stores and also impacts the shaping of their assortments. Coordination between smaller actors in one single toy catalog is proposed as a way for the less powerful stores to assert themselves against large toy chains. We found that children stop playing with toys at an earlier age, which means that children are customers during a shorter time span. Certain assortment adaptations have happened due to this, but not in a very significant manner. Regarding the future of the industry it is conveyed that the actors may have to perform certain changes in their operations, but precisely what this would entail is not obvious.

Diss. Stockholm : Univ., 2004. / Pp. 202-213: Bibliography.

Στην σημερινή εποχή, τα προϊόντα ιδιωτικής ετικέτας αποτελούν τα πλέον ανταγωνιστικά προϊόντα για τις επώνυμες μάρκες και κατέχουν ένα μεγάλο μέρος στα ράφια των σούπερ μάρκετ, καθώς παρατηρούνται παράλληλα αυξημένα μερίδια αγοράς σε διάφορες κατηγορίες προϊόντων σε σχέση με το παρελθόν που λειτουργούσαν ως υποστηρικτικά των αντίστοιχων επώνυμων προϊόντων. Με δεδομένη την ραγδαία ανάπτυξη των προϊόντων ιδιωτικής ετικέτας στα σούπερ μάρκετ, τα τελευταία χρόνια, τόσο στο προϊοντικό εύρος που καλύπτουν όσο και στην μεγαλύτερη αποδοχή τους από το καταναλωτικό κοινό, η εξέτασή τους κρίνεται σαφώς πολύ ενδιαφέρουσα. Έτσι, λοιπόν, οι στόχοι της συγκεκριμένης έρευνας που διενεργείται στα πλαίσια της παρούσας διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι να διερευνηθεί η στάση και η συμπεριφορά των καταναλωτών στα προϊόντα ιδιωτικής ετικέτας των σούπερ μάρκετ, να αναζητηθούν συσχετίσεις και στατιστικά σημαντικές διαφορές μεταξύ προφίλ καταναλωτή και αγοραστικής συμπεριφοράς για τα προϊόντα ιδιωτικής ετικέτας και να προσδιοριστούν ομάδες καταναλωτών αγοράς προϊόντων ιδιωτικής ετικέτας. / Nowadays, private label products are the most competitive products for brands and own a large part on the shelves of supermarkets, there are also increased market share in several product categories compared with the past functioned as supportive of branded products. Given the rapid growth of private label products in supermarkets, in recent years, both product range covering and in greater acceptance by consumers, their examination is clearly very interesting. So, the objectives of this research carried out in the context of this thesis is to investigate the attitudes and behavior of consumers to private label products in supermarkets, explore correlations were statistically significant differences between profiles and consumer purchasing behavior for private label products and to identify groups of consumers purchase private label products.

The context of this study is Bangladesh`s food retailing sector. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) and customer retention. Since Independence in 1971, Bangladesh has made solid progress and made substantial improvements in its economy, with GDP growth of 5-6% consistently over the past decade. With the real economic growth coupled with rapid urbanisation, the country has witnessed a new form of organised retailing that started to emerge in early 2000. This organised retail format is undergoing a period of unprecedented expansion, something that is driving additional demand and as well as creating opportunities for further enterprise. There are clear signs of substantial and potential growth in future. The economic growth coupled with the growth of urbanisation, changes in demographic factors, increases in employment and income levels has had a profound influence on consumers shopping behaviour and hence, Customer Relationship Marketing. The core aim of Relationship Marketing is to build a long lasting mutually bonded relationships with customers and various other important stakeholders. The concept has attracted considerable attention among scholars in recent decades and has appeared in service marketing literature as a new marketing paradigm. The concept is considered to be critical to the success of any organisation as it has been an accepted phenomenon that maintains that existing customers are far easier to retain than is the process of acquiring new customers. In order to stay in business and cope with the challenging business dynamism, organisations are continuously searching for reliable and serviceable strategies to be employed in order to increase customer retention. However, there is a lack of an accepted level of consensus among researchers on the core antecedents of relationship marketing that can be used to achieve the above aims, especially while the concept is new in the context of organised retailing sectors in Bangladesh. In response, this thesis developed a conceptual framework of customer retention strategy to conduct an empirical investigation in one holistic model: (i) the relationships between relationship quality and customer retention; (ii) how bonds influences the relationship quality? As well as (iii) the effect of CRM on customer loyalty and retention. The model incorporates bonds, service quality and components of relational quality (Trust, commitment and satisfaction) into one relationship model to show the relationship between these five constructs and customer loyalty and finally the independent variable of customer retention. The model establishes eleven hypotheses to understand the relationships between various constructs. Furthermore, in order to understand the intensity of grocery food consumers loyalty, Oliver`s Four Stages loyalty model was used. A sample of 202 grocery food retail customers were selected in a random sample from four selected superstores located in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Data were collected via mail questionnaires. The questionnaires content validity was tested by conducting a pre-test of 50 households before conducting the final survey. The results support hypothesized relationships built on the model. Correlation analysis indicates that all the coefficient correlate significantly except commitment that shows the least strengths of the correlation coefficient. Nevertheless, correlations were statistically significant. Therefore, all eleven hypotheses are confirmed to some degree. The findings indicate that service quality, trust, bond and customer satisfactions are vital for creating positive customer loyalty which in turn creates customer retention. In regards to the intensity of four types of loyalty (cognitive, affective, co-native and action) results indicate that the intensity of cognitive loyalty was higher than affective loyalty, co-native and action loyalty. Co-native loyalty is also higher than action loyalty. This thesis provides evidence for the first time in Bangladesh of various linkages between bonds, service quality, relationship quality, loyalty and retention and hence, contributes to both theoretical and practical knowledge. The findings suggest that by employing adequate service quality provisions and bonds it is possible to enhance and build quality relationships between parties.

Bakgrund I takt med en ökad digitalisering sker handel idag inte endast i fysiska butiker. Fler och fler klädföretag använder idag e-handel som försäljningskanal för att sälja sina produkter, samtidigt som efterfrågan från konsumenter är i ständig förändring. Trycket på att tillgodose kundernas behov och skapa kundnöjdhet sätter press på företagsledningar att använda flera kanaler, känt som multikanalförsäljning. Som följd har begreppet multichannel customer management vuxit fram som lyfter vikten av att utvärdera sina kanaler för att i sin tur kunna allokera resurser till respektive kanal. Syfte Syftet med studien är att inom klädbranschen undersöka hur ett antal nyckelfaktorer påverkar kundnöjdheten inom fysiska försäljningskanaler respektive e-handelskanaler. Vidare ämnar studien förklara vilka av nyckelfaktorerna företag för respektive försäljningskanal bör fokusera på i syfte att uppnå kundnöjdhet och i sin tur kundlojalitet. Genomförande Med ett realistiskt perspektiv, en deduktiv ansats och en kvantitativ metod har 8 hypoteser tagits fram utifrån befintlig forskning. Den empiriska undersökningen bestod av en enkät som delades ut på Linköpings universitet och besvarades av 224 studenter inom Generation Y. Vidare användes programmet SPSS för att genomföra en statistisk analys av insamlad primärdata. Slutsats För att uppnå kundnöjdhet och i sin tur kundlojalitet visar studiens resultat att företag, för sin fysiska försäljningskanal, bör fokusera på faktorerna service, tillgänglighet, tid och säkerhet. Studiens resultat visar även att företag för sin e-handelskanal bör fokusera på produktgaranti, tid och säkerhet för att uppnå kundnöjdhet och kundlojalitet. / Background: Companies today are, due to an increased digitization, forced to use more than traditional stores to reach out to their customers. More and more retailers are now using online stores to meet an even broader market and to attain customer satisfaction. Using more than one channel has become known as multichannel retailing, from which a concept known as multichannel customer management has started to grow. The concept says that as the number of channels used increase, companies need to evaluate their channels in order to allocate resources to each one. Purpose: The purpose with the study is to examine how a couple of key factors, in the apparel industry, affect customer satisfaction in traditional and online channels. The study aims to explain which one of these factors each channel should focus on to achieve customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Completion: With a realistic perspective, deductive approach and quantitative method 8 hypothesis have been tested. The empirical study was conducted by handing out a survey on Linköping University and in total 224 respondents within Generation Y answered. To analyze the collected data, the statistical software SPSS was used. Conclusion: In order to accomplish customer satisfaction and customer loyalty the study shows that companies, for their traditional stores, should focus on service, accessibility, time and safety. The results of the study shows that companies, for their online stores, should focus on product guarantee, time and safety.