The Impact of Customer Complaints on Customer Satisfaction in the Retail Industry: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Because consumer complaints affect customer happiness, they provide a problem to the retail industry. As a result, failing to meet a customer satisfaction standard suggests that the customer and the company’s connection has suffered, which could have a detrimental effect on customer retention. The study’s problem was to better understand the root cause of the increasing number of customer complaints in a retail setting and to connect the reason that allow customers to make complaints. In response to declining levels of retail response to customer complaints, the purpose of this study was to investigate and comprehend the lives experiences of customers in the retail industry related to their well-being. Understanding the real lived experiences of Walmart shoppers in Worcester County, Massachusetts was the goal of this qualitative phenomenology study. The theoretical framework applied to this study was the Complaint Behavior Theory (CCB). Fifty Walmart shoppers from Worcester County, Massachusetts, made up the participants. The most practical and economical way was to gather data from a sample of customers from various backgrounds and intercept them at Walmart outlets. The methodology of the study was predicated on the age, ethnicity, and duration of the customer’s relationship with Walmart. For the study, the author selected 50 clients, which made it more convenient, affordable, and easier to manage. Based on a questionnaire to gather data for the study, fifteen questions were asked. Answers to all study questions essential to comprehending consumer complaints into retail management’s non-acknowledgment were supplied by the data collected, which was crucial for data collecting. The findings demonstrated a strong inverse link between Walmart’s customer service quality and customer satisfaction. Retailers may use the finding of this study to inform future research and practice by creating and implementing policies that will both improve the lived experiences of customers in Worcester County, Massachusetts, and strengthen the retail industry’s commitment to the Customer Complaint Behavior (CCB) theory.