Purpose In today's competitive environment, where service quality is paramount, delivering exceptional services has become a key retail strategy. This study aims to identify the critical elements of service quality from the shopper's perspective and assess customer experiences in supermarkets and hypermarkets. Design/methodology/approach The research was conducted in South India with a sample of 170 final respondents. The study utilized six service quality dimensions drawn from the RSQS model (Dabholkar et al., 1996): physical aspects, reliability, personal interaction, problem-solving, policy and accessibility. The purposive sampling technique was employed to collect the data from the shoppers. Findings The service quality dimensions significantly differ between hypermarkets and supermarkets. The study has found that physical aspects, accessibility and problem solving have a significant impact on shopping satisfaction in the case of hypermarkets. In the case of supermarkets reliability, personal interaction and accessibility have significant impact on shopping satisfaction. Research limitations/implications The focus of this study was on supermarkets and hypermarkets in South India. The study needs to be expanded to other states, cities and especially to other emerging and changing economies. Originality/value The study offers fresh, evidence-based insights that enable hypermarkets and supermarkets to identify priority areas for enhancement, refine their operational practices, optimize costs and design more effective customer-centric service strategies.
Somasekhar et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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