REGIONAL VARIATIONS IN SHOPPING MALL SERVICE QUALITY PERCEPTIONS: THE ROLE OF DEMOGRAPHICS AND CUSTOMER ADVOCACY

Abstract

Shopping mall has emerged as a very important retail format in India and an integral part in the lives of
urban shoppers. Thus, service quality has become an important component critical for sustaining
customer satisfaction. This study attempts to evaluate the service quality perceptions of shopping mall visitors in four major
metropolitan cities such as Delhi NCR, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai and establish the regional variations in perceptions of
shoppers. Primary data is obtained from 525 mall visitors and the dataset is subjected to statistical techniques. The ndings
suggest signicant regional variations in service quality perceptions of mall visitors, suggesting that both geographic context
and demographic characteristics impact mall visitors' perceptions. Age and occupation emerge as the key demographic
determinants across the regions. The customer advocacy levels vary across regions, with strong advocacy observed in
Mumbai, average levels in Delhi NCR, and comparatively weak advocacy in Chennai and Kolkata. This study provides a novel
contribution by comparing the service quality perception of Indian shopping mall visitors across four major regions. The study
suggests that a uniform service strategy may not be suitable to address the diverse expectations of the shoppers. The ndings
provide valuable managerial insights for the shopping mall management for developing localized service strategies and
thereby enhancing the shoppers' loyalty.