Abstract:
Purpose: Retailing in Sri Lanka is growing exponentially and the shopping behavior
is also changing from small retail outlets to major supermarkets. Retailers’
benevolence in fact plays a vital role in the creation of customer loyalty towards
retailers. The purpose of the study was to explore impact of retailers’ benevolence on
the consumer loyalty towards retail supermarkets in Sri Lanka and the role of
consumers’ specific trust on retailers.
Design/methodology/approach: The study was quantitative in nature. Primary data
was used for this study. Questionnaire was developed and administered among 578
customers in Sri Lanka who had experience in shopping in supermarkets. Data was
analyzed using SPSS. The sampling technique adapted for this study was convenient
sampling as.
Findings: Findings reveal that retailer’s benevolence creates consumers specific trust
and it leads to consumer loyalty towards the supermarkets in Sri Lanka. Findings also
indicate that consumers’ specific trust also mediating between retailer’s benevolence
and consumers loyalty towards retailers in Sri Lanka. Thus, retail industry may
enhance its investment on the retailers’ benevolence strategies and obtain a good
lucrative result by creating consumer specific trust. This study further implies that
retailers are committed to the satisfaction of customers and they are doing right things
to the customers.
Practical implications: Supermarket retailers in Sri Lanka may further increase the
strategies for increasing the benevolence strategies to attract more customers and
enhance the profitability of the retailing industry. Further, benevolence also positively
influence the customer loyalty towards supermarkets by creating consumer specific
trust on the retail supermarkets. This study also finds that the consumer trust is also
one of the important factors for the success of retail supermarket in Sri Lanka.
Originality value:
This study is important for the retail supermarket industry in Sri Lanka to grow further
while changing the consumer behavior towards shopping.
