Bata Shoe Company Ltd

 Introduction

Bata Shoe Company is the market leader in the footwear industry since its operation in Bangladesh. The name Bata achieved such a position in the customers’ mind that whenever they heard the name of Bata, a footwear with high quality comes into their mind. Bata has been serving its customers with wide assortments of products for about five decades and doing it successfully. It is very difficult to identify the customers’ class of Bata Shoe Company. Bata touches almost every social class possible. Bata meets the footwear demands of the higher class and lower class simultaneously. However to stay closer to the customers, Bata shoe company undertakes an assessment of the customers at a regular interval.

 Bata desires to fulfill the ever changing customer’s needs, and to do so the outcome of the customer assessment plays a significant role. Here the similar study undertaken with a permission of Bata Shoe Company to get the feedback from regular customers. The questionnaire is taken from Bata shoe company Bangladesh ltd to conduct the survey among the regular customers. This study is the analysis of customer satisfaction of Bata Shoe Company which will help to analyze the customers’ level of satisfaction with Bata products and stores. This study will try to compare Bata with other competitors in footwear industry. It will help to get the knowledge of customers’ overall shopping experience at Bata shoe stores.

 Footwear industry in Bangladesh

The Footwear Industry in Bangladesh has started since the colonial era, although its modernization took place only in the late 1980s. During the British period, there was no footwear manufacturing firm producing on a mass scale in East Bengal. However, a traditional cottage type footwear industry with limited production facilities existed in a skeleton form in the district towns during that time. Various types of footwear were imported, mainly from Calcutta. After the partition of Bengal in 1947, foot wears were imported from West Pakistan.

When Bata Shoe Company established its manufacturing plant at Tongi in 1962, it was the first manufacturing plant to produce shoes on a large scale in East Pakistan. In 1967, Eastern Progressive Shoe Industries (EPSI) established its production plant. It began exporting footwear to USSR, Czechoslovakia and England. Both Bata and EPSI held major shares in the local footwear market. The footwear industry suffered a major setback during the war of liberation but was rehabilitated after independence. New footwear manufacturing units have recently been established. Among them are Apex Footwear, Excelsior Shoes, and Paragon Leather and Footwear Industries.

 Japan and Germany are now the biggest markets for Bangladeshi footwear but US buyers are increasingly showing interest in sourcing from Bangladesh. Bangladesh could have a billion dollar footwear export sector by 2013, claim local shoe manufacturers on the basis of both the current growth in shipments and the increased production capacity in factories under construction. If their assessment is correct, in a three-year period the level of exports can increase five-fold from the $205 million worth of shoes that were exported in the last fiscal year that ended in June 2010.

 Multitude of products

Bangladesh has a host of potential products that can earn substantially large amounts of foreign exchange, if only the necessary patronage from the overseas buyers is given for the sake of expanding the country’s export base and thereby reach a sustainable status for the country’s export trade.

 Recently, a new opportunity has opened up to further diversify the range of Bangladesh’s export base by including footwear and other leather goods in the list of exports particularly to the European Union (EU) market.

However, the country has already been exporting finished leather and different kinds of leather products to the overseas markets. These products also enjoyed considerable demand because of their high quality. The main reason for this was the natural advantage of leather that Bangladesh produces. Despite the high quality of local animal hides both in raw and finished form, Bangladesh was still trailing behind Vietnam and China in the export of footwear and other leather products in the European and other markets.

Manufacturing Hub

Bangladesh is set to emerge as the next manufacturing hub for the global footwear industry. The cheap labor is prompting top manufacturers to relocate their factories in the country. The good news is that a number of foreign investors as well as buyers have already shown interest in Bangladesh’s leather and footwear sector.

Recently, the president of the Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leather Goods and Footwear Exporters Association (BFLLGFEA) informed all concerned that three large investors in the footwear sector from Taiwan would set up footwear factories in the Dhaka and Chittagong Exporting zones. The buyers from EU, as well as other very highly developed industrial nations like Japan have reportedly been showing importance in Bangladeshi leather products. All these developments look promising for the local footwear industry.

 The Export Processing Zones at present have 18 shoe and leather goods factories but there are at least seven large factories under construction, mostly owned by big manufacturers in the shoe world. The factories under construction include Korean company Young one’s footwear complex which is said to be the largest in Asia. The company started construction of its mega shoe complex in Chittagong six months back. The first part of the complex will go into production by the middle of next year, and the company’s executives said they would be able to manufacture about 30 million pairs of shoes by 2013.

 In addition, Taiwanese shoe manufacturer Pau Chen, which employs about 4,00,000 workers in its factories in China and 50,000 in Vietnam, is also building a large manufacturing facility in Chittagong. Australian manufacturer Bonbon Shoe, a supplier to Hugo Boss, and Xen Chen and Genford of Taiwan., are also building footwear factories in Bangladesh. Apex-Adeichi also has a new factory that will soon start production. With an annual turnover of about $100 million, the Bangladesh-Italy joint venture is now the largest exporter of footwear. However, with a new joint venture factory, Blue Ocean Footwear, due to go into production by February 2011, Apex will get involved with a turnover of nearly $200 million of footwear export by 2013.

Growth rate

The local footwear industry is experiencing an annual growth rate of 21 percent, according to a spokesman from another apex organization, Leather Goods and Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Bangladesh (LGFMEAB). However, to continue the trend, the present level of growth has not only to be attained; it also has to be taken to a still higher level, if Bangladesh is to match the success of its immediate competitor, Vietnam.

According to a newly released statistics from the Export Promotion Bureau of Bangladesh, footwear exports from the country grew from US$61 million in the period of July-November 2007 to $85 million in the same period of 2008, recording a growth of 39 percent. In the first four months of the 2010 fiscal year there has been $98 million worth of exports, a 65 per cent increase from the same period last year. Taking this rate of growth into account, shoe industry executives estimate that the current fiscal year’s footwear export is likely to cross $300 million. Though in the next two years the existing factories are likely to export more shoes, it is the new capacity that will come on stream from early 2011 that is expected to cause the huge spurt in growth.

Growth in exports is due to the low production cost in Bangladesh compared to its neighboring countries: China, India and Vietnam, who also have a very well entrenched leather and footwear export industry. Orders which earlier used to be given to China or India are now being handed out to footwear manufacturers in Bangladesh because they are able to produce low-priced but quality shoes, which have now found its way in to key markets in EU and Japan.

This growth in footwear exports has come as a blessing in disguise at a time when leather exports have fallen by a massive 18 percent in the period under review. Experts attribute the growth in footwear exports, thanks to machineries imported from Italy that is trusted for its quality output. In recessionary trends, high-priced products tend to register a negative growth, as consumers tend to shy away from them in preference for value for money items. In this scenario, it is a golden opportunity for the leather and footwear sector to increase its global market share.

OVERVIEW OF BATA SHOE COMPANY

 Brief History of Bata Shoe Company

Bata Shoe Company was founded by the famous entrepreneur Mr. Tomas Bata who blew the wind of change in the footwear industry in 1894. The company was started from Zlin, Czechoslovakia, now known as the Czech Republic. From that day onwards Bata Shoe Company has been the largest manufacturer and marketer of footwear in the world. The global business of Bata comprises of shoe factories, tanneries, engineering plants, quality control laboratories, product development and research centers.

 Bata has developed a strong distribution channel all over the world through the establishment approximately 6,300 retail outlets, 10,000 franchise and thousands of depots and dealers. More than 50,000 people are directly involved in the production and selling of over 300 million pairs of shoes each year. Bata Shoe Company manages a retail presence in 55 countries, and runs 40 production facilities across 26 countries. Bata international headquarter is located in Switzerland which was previously located at Toronto, in Canada.

Bata’s website (2010) mentioned in BATA Today:

Bata Business

Bata Shoe Organization companies are involved in every facet of the business of shoes. Throughout the world, Bata services customers from the store sales floor to the factory floor.

• Retailing

Bata Shoe Organization companies have built successful retail store concepts to satisfy changing consumer tastes and needs. Each store features merchandise targeted to different lifestyles and people. The merchandise ranges from footwear to clothing and goods complementing shoe offerings. Sensitivity to and satisfaction of customer wants and needs has allowed the Bata Shoe Organization (BSO) to become a world leader in footwear.

• Manufacturing

Tomas Bata’s revolutionary business concept was to industrialize the shoemaking process of that day. That type of thinking has been the driving force behind the Bata Shoe Organization success. The Bata Shoe Organization has been an innovator in the manufacturing of shoes over the years. Bata personnel have made important advances in DVP (Direct Vulcanization Process), PVC, athletic footwear production and slush-molded footwear production.

• Wholesaling

The Bata Shoe Organization [BSO] enjoys a unique position in the wholesale marketplace. Global economies of scale enable BSO plants to offer quality products at local prices, with many are operating at ISO standards. Bata Shoe Organization production facilities are world renowned for their commitment to quality and customers, and have attracted production contracts from many international footwear brands.

• Brands & Product Development

Throughout the world, the Bata ® brand distinguishes well-made and well-priced footwear. Many core articles for Bata ® branded collections are designed in product development centers in Italy, the Far East and Canada. Designers and merchandisers in Bata Shoe Organization companies broaden the collections by developing complementary styles to reflect tastes, budgets and climates within their own market. Strict quality controls govern the selection of materials and all production stages.

Business Units of Bata Shoe Company

Bata is operating business in five business units such as Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, North America, and Africa. Bata announces its worldwide presence through these five business units.

Worldwide Coverage of Bata

Red zones have already been entered by Bata Shoe Organization.

 Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) Ltd.

Bata Shoe Organization started its operation in Bangladesh in 1962. The company was incorporated in 1972. The company is affiliated to the Bata Shoe Company, the largest footwear manufacturing and marketing organization.

According to Bata Bangladesh website (2010) it is mentioned that currently, Bata Bangladesh operates 2 manufacturing plants at Tongi and Dhamrai, have production capacity of around 110000 pairs of shoes daily. It has a modem tannery with the latest technological facilities to process 5 million square feet of leather yearly. The Tannery is equipped with a high-tech effluent treatment plant ensuring a pollution free environment for both workers and the environment. Bangladesh’s regional headquarter is located in Singapore.

Bata is playing a pivotal role in developing the leather industry of the country. Bata has a firm commitment to eco-friendly business and a state of the art Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) has been set up to provide a pollution free environment for both workers and the locality.

Fashion would never be complete without a well designed pair of shoes. This marketing insight has prompted Bata to introduce a number of designers’ collections for men, women and children. Internationally renowned brands such as Bata Comfit, Marie Claire, Hush Puppies, Scholl, Nike, Bubblegummers, Sandak, Weinbrenner and B’first are a few names that testify to the momentous change towards branded shoe marketing in Bangladesh. Specialized shoe categories such as athletic shoes have been targeted through development of the Power brand. Uncompromising quality with striking designs have put Bata shoes in a key position to appeal to different segments of consumers.

Another major change in the Bata business policy is the segmentation of retail outlets according to profiles of different market segments and the introduction of novel concepts such as Bata City Stores. These selective outlets, in conjunction with other types of outlets such as Bata Bazar and Bata Family Stores, are adding a new level of consumer satisfaction. The City Stores incorporate spacious floor space allowing a comfortable shopping experience, modem interior decor enriched with novel shelving systems, fittings, fixtures and lighting that can be found in the large retail shops in the Far East and Europe. Bata has a network of 242 retail outlets located strategically in different parts of the country. These retail outlets are an integral part of our brand marketing. This extensive retail network is supplemented by an equally extensive network of depots and dealers. Bata has 13 Wholesale depots covering Bangladesh. Under these depots 390 RWD (Registered Wholesale Dealers) and 553 DSP (Dealer Support Program) stores are operating. Bata Bangladesh has already developed its vision up to 2013 showing significant business growth as well as increased market share.

One of the critical areas associated with external shareholders and the community at large is the Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the company. From supporting nationwide sports sponsorships and disabled persons to addressing environmental concerns, scholarship programs, charity contributions etc — Bata has always supported individuals and communities in need. Partnerships with other voluntary and charitable organizations are another prominent feature of Bata’s corporate social responsibility. Bata, in partnership with CARE, extends assistance to over two thousand rural women in order to become independent entrepreneurs in the Rajshahi, Comilla and Chittagong division selling shoes from door to door under its Rural Sales Programme.

Since its inception, Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) Ltd. has strived towards one goal — customer satisfaction. With the vision of building a worldwide family of satisfied customers and dedicated workers the legacy of Tomas Bata continues strong and unabated to this day — the tradition is safe. Bata Bangladesh has about 1500 regular and efficient employees and workers, who are highly committed to uplift the company’s performance with high productivity and sales through maintaining the quality. In recent times Bata Bangladesh has launched more than 180 new designs for different brands in their men, women, children and infant categories. Eventually they have received excellent responses from their various target groups on the new designs.

 Customer service

• Personalized service: Qualified and enthusiastic sales associates are engaged who take customers’ satisfaction to heart. In many countries customer service goes beyond the stores with home deliveries, orders made possible via catalogues, the web or even call centers.
• Guaranteed customer satisfaction. In any Bata store in the world they repair, exchange or refund any products with defects. They also exchange or refund on unworn merchandise if one change one’s mind. Proof of purchase is required for refunds.
• Bata Gift Vouchers. Bata Gift Vouchers are like cash coupons that can be used by customers to make purchases of Bata products from selected Bata shoe stores. Gift vouchers are available in three denominations — Tk. 500, Tk. 1,000 and Tk. 2,000.
• Customer service center. Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) Ltd has a customer service centre and the contact address is: Phone: +8802 9800501-5 Ext: 209

 Mission & Vision

Bata Shoe Company has been successfully running for years with a mission and vision at the heart of all its operations.

 Mission

“Introduction of a strong shoe line targeted to various market segments to maintain leadership through increased market share.”

Vision

“To provide good quality shoes at an affordable price by keeping in mind the comfort that needs to be there and providing new designs with it.”

                    Tongi Factory                                                            Dhamrai Factory              

 Management of Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) Ltd.

Table 1: Management of Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) Ltd.

Bata Business Types

Bata business policy is the segmentation of retail outlets according to profiles of different market segments and the introduction of novel concepts. Bata retail store are categorized into four types:

 City Stores

Bata city stores offer the urban customers a wide variety of current fashion footwear and accessories. There are 25 city stores in Bangladesh, 16 in Dhaka Metropolitan area, others in

Chittagong, Sylhet, and in Mymensingh metropolitan area. These stores are established in prime locations, and provide a high level of customer service, exclusive shoe lines with complementary accessories and contemporary shopping environments are to discerning shoppers.

Family Stores

Bata Shoe Company is undoubtedly the world’s leading family footwear chain. The company offers a wide assortment of everyday’s fashion footwear. The products are primarily of the brand Bata. Nevertheless very carefully selected articles from both local and international brands are also marketed by the company. There are 60 family stores till date that has been successfully operated all over the Bangladesh.

 Bata Bazar

Bata Bazar is the largest display of Bata’s products among all others store concepts. It provides the customers with broadest range of products and accessories possible. This concept was introduced in 2003. They are ideally located in power centers commercial parks and outlet centers with easy parking facilities. There are 73 Bata Bazars being operated.

Clearance Outlets

There are 3 Clearance outlets of Bata Shoe Company where discounted shoes are sold.

SWOT Analysis of Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) Ltd.

 Current Marketing Mix

 Product

Bata offers a number of product lines to the prospective consumers in the existing market, Bata has a truly international team whose diversity of ideas to develop new style foot wear, shocks, sneakers, etc. Bata has introduced huge product line of men footwear- shoes, sandal, sneakers, shocks, women footwear, kid’s footwear and many other types of footwear line the company is operating in the market. About half line of product the company imports and sells under the franchising. Bata also sell ten international brands footwear at their retail shop.

 Premium Collection

4ta has been delivering hand-crafted quality footwear over 100 years to maintain and build on heritage of creating high quality, comfortable and stylish shoes.

Brands

Bata stores carry following shoe brands:

• Hush Puppies
• Weinbrenner
• Nike
• Power North-Star
• Bata Comfit
• Sandak
• Bubble Gummers
• Marie Claire
• Scholl
• Bata
• Ambassador
• Bata Industrial
• B’First
• Island
• Pata Pata

Bata Brands:

Hush Puppies:

Hush Puppies is the international brand, Bata uses the franchising power to supply the product in the Bangladeshi market. The target customers of this model are rich people.

Weinbrenner:

The weinbrenner shoe line is made up of leather shoes and boots, style in low, mid, and high cut. Cuts or design are directly fashion, but can include materials which help to feel comfort in doing outdoor strong works. The shoes are casual in style closures generally with laces and eyelets, sometimes supplemented with hooks, D-rings and straps with buckles.

 Nike:

Nike is a worldwide famous and popular athletic shoe brand. Bata carries this brand as a licensing. This brand is for a different segment of customers in Bangladesh. Though it is an athlete shoe but in Bangladesh young generation wear it as a fashionable product. The target customer of this product is higher income group people.

 Power:

Power is also an athlete shoe which is considered as the alternative of Nike. Power shoes are cheaper than Nike shoes. The target customer of this shoe is middle class people.

North-Star:

North-Star is a trendy shoe focused to the young customer group. This shoe is cheaper than Nike and Power. This is considered as a seasonal product as the demand increase in winter.

Bata Comfit:

Comfit has an important feature in design and assembly of all the comfit shoes. This brand is focused on both comfort and style of shoes. Unit rubber, PVC, PU or TRR sole are commonly used in this brand. “Get comfortable today” is a tagline commonly associated with this range of shoes.

Sandak:

Sandak is plastic made bata product for lower income people to use in every season of the year. This shoe is also made for rough use for all level of customers.

Bubblegummers:

Bubblegummers is the leading children’s footwear brand in Latin America and has developed an extensive presence in Asia and in Europe. Bubblegummers offers quality, comfortable, funny and colorful shoes for the 0 to 9 old that assure the healthy growth of a child’s foot.

Bata:

Bata is the old and own brand of Bata Shoe Company. But by the time being this brand is updated to fulfill the customers demand.

 Marie Claire:

Marie Claire shoes are for women with an active lifestyle who seek contemporary modern styles. Marie Claire shoe stores successfully opened in Latin America and Asia. Bata Brands is the trademark owner of Marie Claire for shoes worldwide (except in Japan and Korea).

Bata Industrials:

Footwear beyond Safety Bata Industrials is a specialized division of the Bata Group producing industrial and work-related footwear, hosiery and accessories.

Scholl:

Scholl is a female brand which is focused for the school going girls.

 Placement (Location)

Bata has a network of 242 retail outlets located strategically in different parts of the country This extensive retail network is also supplemented by an equally extensive network of depots and• dealers. The retail outlets are segmented according to the profile of customer and different market segments. According to the segmentation the three different types of outlets are

Bata City: The City Stores incorporate spacious floor space allowing a comfortable shopping experience, modern interior decor enriched with novel shelving systems, fittings, fixtures and lighting. The city stores are established in prime location of metropolitan city. Among the 25 city stores 16 are established in Dhaka and others in major business area.

Bata Bazar: Bata Bazar holds the largest display of Bata’s products consisting wide range of assortment. It provides the customers with broadest range of products and accessories in a different price range possible. But exclusive brands and products are not been sold here. This concept was introduced in 2003.

Bata family: It is more a like a clearance outlet. Most of the products which are been sold here are in sale.

These three types of stores are serving different segment of target market and adding a new value in customer satisfaction.

Price

Bata use Price-Quality Leadership approach. They set the price based on value. In some country they target high quality niche and in some country price sensitive segment. Everywhere they set the price based on value they delivered.

Bata follow geocentric pricing techniques. According to the demographic features the local pricing for Bata shoes for men, women and children is given bellow:

Table 2: Pricing of Bata Shoes

Promotion:

Bata has put less effort in promoting their products. They think the 242 retail outlet throughout the country helps Bata to do integral brand marketing. Other than that they are the official clothing sponsor of Bangladesh Cricket team. However Bangladesh, Bata has done many promotional activities like:

• TV campaign
• Print Advertisement
• Outdoor (Billboard)
• Web based E-flyer, SMS

Among all those promotional activities they have emphasized on outdoor advertising in Bangladesh.

PART II

 INTRODUCTION OF RESEARCH PROJECT

 Introduction

Footwear Industry is one of the promising sectors in Bangladesh. However, the country has already been exporting finished leather and different kinds of leather products to the overseas markets. These products also enjoyed considerable demand because of their high quality. The main reason for this was the natural advantage of leather that Bangladesh produces. Recently, a new opportunity has opened up to further diversify the range of Bangladesh’s export base by including footwear and other leather goods in the list of exports particularly to the European Union (EU) market. At Present, Bata is dominating in the footwear industry in Bangladesh. Bata Bangladesh is affiliated to the Bata Shoe Organization, the world’s largest footwear manufacturing and marketing organization. Bata Shoe Company Started its operation in Bangladesh in 1962, Incorporation in Bangladesh in 1972. Currently, Bata Bangladesh operates 2 manufacturing plant Tongi and Dhamrai, Bata Bangladesh is producing around 110,000 pairs of shoes daily. It has a modern tannery with the latest technological facilities to process 5 million square feet of leather yearly. The Tannery is equipped with a high-tech effluent treatment plant ensuring a pollution free environment for both workers and locality where they operate.

Bata’s strength lies in its worldwide presence. While local companies are self-governing, each one benefits from its link to the international organization for back-office systems, product innovations and sourcing. Although Bata operates in a wide variety of markets, climates and buying power Bata companies share the same leadership points. Two important ones are product concept development and constant improvement of business processes in order to offer customers great value and the best possible service. Bata strives to supply the right products, at the right time, at the right price, and in a manner that fulfils its service commitments to both retail and wholesale customers. Historical strong presence in many developing countries provides them with a deep understanding of the local cultures and needs. Therefore their position entices them tackle concerns in priority with local initiatives in close partnership with specialists on the field. However to stay closer to the customers and to fulfill the ever changing customer’s needs, the customer assessment plays a significant role.

Background of the Study

Bata Shoe Company is the market leader in the footwear industry since its operation in Bangladesh. The name Bata achieved such a position in the customers’ mind that whenever they heard the name of Bata, a footwear with high quality comes into their mind. Bata has been serving its customers with wide assortments of products for about five decades and doing it successfully. It is very difficult to identify the customers’ class of Bata Shoe Company. Bata touches almost every social class possible. Bata meets the footwear demands of the higher class and lower class simultaneously. However to stay closer to the customers Bata shoe company undertakes an assessment of the customers at a regular interval. Bata desires to fulfill the ever changing customer’s needs, and to do so the outcome of the customer assessment plays a significant role. Here the similar study undertaken with a permission of Bata Shoe Company to get the feedback from regular customers. The questionnaire is taken from Bata shoe company Bangladesh ltd to conduct the survey among the regular customers. This study is the analysis of customer satisfaction of Bata Shoe Company which will help to analyze the customers’ level of satisfaction with Bata products and stores. This study will try to compare Bata with other competitors in footwear industry. It will help to get the knowledge of customers’ overall shopping experience at Bata shoe stores.

Origin of the Report:

Customer satisfaction analysis evaluates customers’ attitude and perception towards product of a company. Bata Shoe Company, the largest footwear manufacturer and marketer in Bangladesh conducts an assessment of customers’ satisfaction in a regular interval. The purpose of this study is to measure the satisfaction level of the customers of the company. Due to the entrance of new competitors, this assessment program has become an important tool to know the market condition, customer’s attitude towards competitors” products, customer shopping behavior and experience at Bata store. In this research researcher try to analyze the customer satisfaction level and give necessary recommendations.

 Management Problem

Satisfying customers are the only way to stay competitive in today’s marketplace. The balancing act between what customers want and what company can provide must be optimized in order to maximize company’s long-term profits. Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) Ltd already is in a good position in the consumer mind but by understanding the customer satisfaction level; it will help the company to exceed the present level of customer satisfaction. The management currently wants to have aspiration of knowledge of the customer satisfaction level of Bata footwear users, and how to improve the level of customer satisfaction.

 Research Problem

To stay closer to the customers Bata Shoe Company undertakes an assessment of the customers at a regular interval. Bata desires to fulfill the ever changing customer’s needs, and to do so the outcome of the customer satisfaction assessment plays an important part. To analyze the impact of Bata’s marketing tactics have on its customers and whether these tactics are effective or not are the major concerns. To assess what level of consumer loyalty, satisfaction and awareness they have can help to design future strategies to retain existing customers or to attract and obtain new ones. For this study the research problems are as follows:

• To find out the market prospect or potential of Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) Ltd.
• To determine the customer satisfaction with the current assortment of shoes, customer services and the effectiveness of the competitors’ price.
• To determine the effectiveness of current promotional activities.

Problem statements

To survive in an ever growing industry, it is very important for any company to know its customers level of satisfaction to the products and service provided by the company. The company can take immediate action if customers needs identify clearly. Though Bata Shoe Company has been running successfully over the years, as a member of an ever growing footwear industry, it also has to understand the customers’ mind to take corrective measures to improve the satisfaction level toward Bata shoe stores and Bata products. To stay at top in this competitive market, continually shifting customer’s needs and requirements are required to address and the problems related to customer satisfaction is necessary to assess. The statement of the problem is “Customer Satisfaction Assessment of Footwear Industry in Bangladesh: A Study Based on Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) Ltd.”

 Research Objectives

The research objectives are broken down into broad and specific objectives which are enumerated below:

Broad Objective

The broad objective of the study is to assess the Customer Satisfaction of Shoe Industry in Bangladesh focusing on Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) Ltd. This has been broken into following specific objectives:

Specific Objective

• To examine the current state of Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) ltd in the market
• To examine the perception about Bata shoe in consumer mind
• To analyze the impact of Convenient Store Location on customer satisfaction
• To analyze the impact of Quality of shoes on customer satisfaction
• To analyze the impact of Comfort of shoes on customer satisfaction
• To analyze the impact of Knowledge of the staff on customer satisfaction
• To analyze the impact of Helpfulness of the staffs on customer satisfaction
• To analyze the impact of Value for price offered by store on customer satisfaction
• To analyze the impact of Fashionable style offered by the store on customer satisfaction
• To analyze the impact of Brands of shoe offered by the store on customer satisfaction
• To analyze the impact of Selection of colors, style and sizes on customer satisfaction
• To analyze the impact of Advertising on customer satisfaction
• To analyze the impact of Layout and design of store on customer satisfaction
• To identify customer satisfaction level of Bata and compare Bata with other store.

 Scope

To achieve the objective it is needed to collect data from customers within the country. But for time, cost, and other limitations only the Dhaka city and is surroundings are considered for collecting data. For achieving the objectives, the study will be focused on the quality, price, comfort ability, and other criteria of Bata shoes as well as the competitive position with Apex, Jennys, Bay and other competitors. While doing so it will also identify the limitations and the weaknesses of the issue. The researcher will be focusing on the customer satisfaction level for Bata Shoe Company (to what extent they are satisfied) concentrating Dhaka city.

 Limitations

Adequate efforts have been taken to accomplish the research according to the objectives. But as the research is both time and cost consuming therefore it was not possible to cover more additional areas, which would obviously give better result.

• The type of the study required a detail interview of consumer at market place. Thereby a tremendous difficulty was faced in getting access to them as they are very busy. Many times the respondents were found after answering few questions left the interview, which resulted in discontinuity in interview and the wastage of time and effort. Also, the interview was conducted only on the footwear customers of Dhaka city for the time limits of internship periods.

• The respondents’ lack of understanding of the purpose of the study was a major limitation when conducting the questionnaire survey. It had to explain the nature of the study and the purpose of a number of questions several times to a number of customers.

In spite of prior sincerity, some mistakes can be occurred. The responsibilities are admitted for those inadvertent mistakes, if there will any. Also adequate efforts have been taken to accomplish the project according to the objectives.

Benefits of the Study

To survive in an ever growing industry, it is very important for any company to know its customers level of satisfaction to the products and service provided by the company. This research will facilitate Bata Shoe Company to know the present market situation and what customers want from company. It will provide information about customer perception about Bata’s quality, price, customer service etc. This study can help Bata understand what level of consumer satisfaction and awareness they have. This information can help to design future strategies to retain existing customers or to attract and obtain new ones. Finally, this research study can be considered a general guideline for other organizations in the industry who hope to do research on customer satisfaction and factors that affect customer satisfaction.

Report Preview

This report unfolds with literature review and background study of the research, where customer satisfaction and factors of customer satisfaction were focused. Then the paper progressed with analyzing each of the specific objectives as enumerated later in this paper. Under each specific objective, data was analyzed and interpreted with the help of related questions and basing on this related hypotheses were formulated and tested to bring out the results and findings. The interpretations of the analysis were presented in accordance with the related data analysis. The paper finally concluded by putting forward few recommendations for Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) Ltd.

Research Questions and Hypothesis

Research Questions

To furnish the report with suitable and relevant information with a scrutiny to giving it a vigorous shape, following are research questions selected to lead the report in its eventual destination:

• When you think of footwear stores what the first three that come to mind are?

Justification: The answer to this question will help to identify the position of Bata in the mind of customer. That is top of mind awareness (TOMA) of the customers would come in front. From this information it helps Bata to maintain its customer loyalty.

• Based on Bata’s quality, do you think the prices are fair, reasonable or expensive?

Justification: The answer to this question will help to satisfy the specific objective of perception about Bata shoe in consumer mind.

• Based on others stores’ quality do you think the prices are fair, reasonable or expensive?

Justification: The answer to this question will help to identify the customers’ perception about competitors.

• Do you agree that Convenient Store Location is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

Justification: The answer to this question will help to satisfy the specific objective for analyzing the impact of Convenient Store Location on customer satisfaction.

• Do you agree that Quality of shoes one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

Justification: The answer to this question will help to satisfy the specific objective for analyzing the impact of Quality of Shoes on customer satisfaction.

• Do you agree that Comfort of shoes is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

Justification: The answer to this question will help to satisfy the specific objective for analyzing the impact of Comfort of shoes on customer satisfaction.

• Do you agree that Knowledge of the staff is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

Justification: The answer to this question will help to satisfy the specific objective for analyzing the impact of Knowledge of the staff on customer satisfaction.

• Do you agree that Helpfulness of the staff is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

Justification: The answer to this question will help to satisfy the specific objective for analyzing the impact of Helpfulness of the staff on customer satisfaction.

• Do you agree that Value for price offered by store is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

Justification: The answer to this question will help to satisfy the specific objective for analyzing the impact of Value for price offered by store on customer satisfaction.

• Do you agree that Fashionable style offered by the store is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

Justification: The answer to this question will help to satisfy the specific objective for analyzing the impact of Fashionable style offered by the store on customer satisfaction.

• Do you agree that Brands of shoe offered by the store are one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

Justification: The answer to this question will help to satisfy the specific objective for analyzing the impact of Brands of shoe offered by the store on customer satisfaction.

• Do you agree that Selection of colors, style and sizes is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

Justification: The answer to this question will help to satisfy the specific objective for analyzing the impact of Selection of colors, style and sizes on customer satisfaction.

• Do you agree that Advertising is one of the import wit factors of customer satisfaction?

Justification: The answer to this question will help to satisfy the specific objective for analyzing the impact of Advertising on customer satisfaction.

• Do you agree that Layout and design of store is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

Justification: The answer to this question will help to satisfy the specific objective for analyzing the impact of Layout and design of store on customer satisfaction.

• Does Bata satisfy all of your footwear needs?

Justification: The answer to this question will help to satisfy the specific objective for identifying the customer satisfaction level of Bata.

• On a scale of 1 to 5 how do you find the Bata stores compared to other shoe stores where 1 is much worse and 5 is much better?

Justification: The answer to this question will help to satisfy the specific objective for comparing Bata with other competitors in terms of some given criteria to identify the satisfaction level of customers.

Research Hypothesis

The following Hypotheses in relation to specific questions will be used for this research in identifying the significance of the analysis and interpretation of the data. However, these hypotheses are based on different factors that are related to the customer satisfaction level of footwear customers, these factors are elaborated later in this paper.

Hypothesis- 1:

• Null Hypothesis (Ho): There is no relationship between Convenient Store Location and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is a significant relationship between Convenient Store Location and customer satisfaction.

Hypothesis- 2:

• Null Hypothesis (Ho): There is no relationship between Quality of shoes and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is a significant relationship between Quality of shoes and customer satisfaction.

 Hypothesis- 3:

• Null Hypothesis (Ho): There is no relationship between Comfort of shoes and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is a significant relationship between Comfort of shoes and customer satisfaction.

Hypothesis- 4:

• Null Hypothesis (H0: There is no relationship between Knowledge of the staff and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is a significant relationship between Knowledge of the staff and customer satisfaction.

 Hypothesis- 5:

• Null Hypothesis (HO): There is no relationship between Helpfulness of the staff and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (HI): There is a significant relationship between Helpfulness of the staff and customer satisfaction.

Hypothesis- 6:

• Null Hypothesis (Ho): There is no relationship between Value for price offered by store and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (Hi): There is a significant relationship between Value for price offered by store and customer satisfaction.

Hypothesis- 7:

• Null Hypothesis (H0): There is no relationship between Fashionable style offered by the store and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is a significant relationship between Fashionable style offered by the store and customer satisfaction.

Hypothesis- 8:

• Null Hypothesis (H0): There is no relationship between Brands of shoe offered by the store and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is a significant relationship between Brands of shoe offered by the store and customer satisfaction.

Hypothesis- 9:

• Null Hypothesis (H0): There is no relationship between Selection of colors, style and sizes and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is a significant relationship between Selection of colors, style and sizes and customer satisfaction.

  Hypothesis- 10:

• Null Hypothesis (H0): There is no relationship between Advertising and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is a significant relationship between Advertising and customer satisfaction.

 Hypothesis- 11:

• Null Hypothesis (H0): There is no relationship between Layout and design of store and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is a significant relationship between Layout and design of store and customer satisfaction.

Literature Review:

Customer Satisfaction

“Everyone knows what satisfaction is, until asked to give a definition. Then, it seems, nobody knows.” This quote from Richard L. Oliver (1977), respected expert and long time writer and researcher on the topic of customer satisfaction, expresses the challenge of defining this most basic of customer concept. Building from previous definitions, Oliver offers his own formal definition: Satisfaction is the consumer’s fulfillment response. It is a judgment that a product or service feature, or the product or service itself, provides a pleasurable level of consumption related fulfillment.

The word satisfaction first appeared in English during the thirteenth century. The word satisfaction itself is derived from the Latin satis (meaning enough) and the Latin ending – faction (from the Latin facere – to do/make). Early usage centered on satisfaction being some sort of release from wrong doing. Later citing of the word emphasis satisfaction as a “release from uncertainty” (The Oxford Library of Words and Phrases, 1993). Modern usage of the word has tended to be much broader, and satisfaction is clearly related to other words such as satisfactory (adequate), satisfy (make pleased or contented) and satiation (enough). The difficulty faced when trying to define any word is that the meaning often depends on the context in which the word is used. In a marketing context, satisfaction is used to have a more “specific” meaning. It appears that there are two basic approaches adopted in attempting to define the concept of customer satisfaction. Satisfaction can be viewed as an outcome of a consumption activity or experience; however, it is also represented as a process.

Currently, the most widely adopted description of customer satisfaction is that of a process; an evaluation between what was received and what was expected (Oliver, 1977, 1981; Olson and Dover, 1979; Tse and Wilton, 1988). By looking at satisfaction as a process, these definitions concentrate on the antecedents to satisfaction rather than satisfaction itself. Consequently, much research effort has been directed at understanding the cognitive processes involved in satisfaction evaluations. This strand of theory appears to have origins in discrepancy theory (Porter, 1961) and a number of authors have, over the years, used some form of comparison to model satisfaction. Early contributions include Contrast Theory (Cardozo, 1965; Howard and Sheth, 1969), which supposed that consumers would exaggerate any contrasts between expectations and product evaluations. This was developed into assimilation-contrast theory (Anderson, 1973).

Many studies support the occurrence of assimilation (Olshavsky and Miller, 1972; Olson and Dover, 1979). Customer satisfaction, a business term, is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meets or surpass customer expectation. It is seen as a key performance indicator within business and is part of the four perspectives of a Balanced Scorecard. In a competitive marketplace where businesses compete for customers, customer satisfaction is seen as a key differentiator and increasingly has become a key element of business strategy. There is a substantial body of empirical literature that establishes the benefits of customer satisfaction for firms.

A further point concerns expectations that are defined differently in the satisfaction and quality literature. In the satisfaction literature “expectations reflect anticipated performance” (Churchill and Suprenant, 1982, p. 492) made by the customer about the levels of performance during a transaction. On the other hand, in the service quality literature, expectations are conceptualized as a normative standard of future wants (Boulding, Kaira, Staelin & Zeithami, 1993). These normative or ideal standards represent enduring wants and needs that remain unaffected by the full range of marketing and competitive factors. Normative expectations are therefore more stable and can be thought of as representing the service the market oriented provider must constantly strive to offer (ZeIthaml, Berry & Parasurama, 1993).

Assuming that the customer is capable of evaluating the service performance, the result is compared to expectation prior to purchase or consumption (Oliver, 1980). In the past, corporation did not pay much attention to customer satisfaction but were focused more on attracting new customers to expand their market share. Now, due to lower sales resulting from product maturity, corporations are turning around to stabilizing their existing customers to ensure their market share (Dhabolkar & Thorpe, 1994). Thus the concept of customer satisfaction is under further scrutiny. For the current study, the definition put forward by Oliver will be the construct, as it is the most appropriate for the selected study.

“It’s not good enough to go to your customer after you have sold them the product and ask them how satisfied they were. What you need to do is go to your customers before you develop the product or service and find out what is important to them.” (Arnold Weimerskirch, November 1997) As this comment illustrates, satisfying customers begins the moment an organization decides to market a product, a service, or a product and service bundle. This article describes a measurement process for assessing and predicting customer reactions to the features included in the product/service bundle. Efforts to improve customer satisfaction often lead companies to the conclusion that products or services need to be redesigned, because no lesser action truly satisfies. Further, companies are motivated to introduce new products and services by changes in available technology, by competitor initiatives, and by the classic business desire to reap the profits of an effective differentiation strategy.

 Measuring Customer Satisfaction:

Organizations are increasingly interested in retaining existing customers while targeting non customers; measuring customer satisfaction provides an indication of how successful the organization is at providing products and/or services to the marketplace.

Customer satisfaction is an ambiguous and abstract concept and the actual manifestation of the state of satisfaction will vary from person to person and product/service to product/service. The stat of satisfaction depends on a number of both psychological and physical variables which correlate with satisfaction behaviors such as return and recommend rate. The level of satisfaction can also vary depending on other options the customer may have and other products against which the customer can compare the organization’s products.

Because satisfaction is basically a psychological state, care should be taken in the effort of quantitative measurement, although a large quantity of research in this area has recently been developed. Work done by Berry, Brodeur between 1900 and 1998 defined ten ‘Quality Values’ which influence satisfaction behavior, further expanded by Berry in 2002 and know as the ten domains of satisfaction. These ten domains of satisfaction include:

• Quality
• Value
• Timeliness
• Efficiency
• Ease of Access
• Environment
• Inter-departmental
• Teamwork
• Front line Service Behaviors and
• Commitment to the Customer and Innovation.

Customer satisfaction survey is a widely used method in footwear industry (Cohen et al. 2008, Lombarts et al. 2009). Customer satisfaction measurement is fundamental to effective delivery of services (Atila and Mike, 2009). Bata Shoe Company conducts this assessment package internationally to ensure the better service to the customers. Basically this assessment package has been conducting in Bangladesh for the last few years using the same process which is conducted internationally. Customer assessment package measures the customer satisfaction on Bata products. As well as this package helps the company to know the dissatisfaction of the customers on Bata products. The end-user of Bata products are mainly the respondents of this research.

The purpose of listening to customers’ perception is to improve quality. Before the actions needed for quality improvement can be taken, the company has to obtain customers’ perceptions and investigate and interpret the information obtained (Paula, 2010). Because of the changing environment customers are changing in the market place. Successfully being able to judge customers’ satisfaction levels and to apply that knowledge potentially gives an advantage over competitors. “Companies increasingly look to quality, satisfaction, and loyalty as keys to achieving market leadership. Understanding what drives these critical elements, how they are linked and how they contribute to your company’s overall equity is fundamental to success.”(AC Nielsen, 2000).

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

 Types of Research

This research is a qualitative exploratory research, as it is an initial research conducted to clarify and define the nature of a problem. It is qualitative as the results of this research focuses on words and observations, instead of numbers and mathematical analysis. At first an exploratory research has been conducted to define the nature of the problem. It has enabled to design the research question and questionnaire and to formulate hypothesis. Then conclusive research through qualitative methods has been carried out.

Basic Research Method

This section has described the basic research plan of the study. It has specified all the procedure necessary to solve the research questions and hypothesis. The basic research method in this study will be survey method. An observation method will not produce expected result. As experiment study is costly so it will not be undertaken.

  Conceptual Framework

Customer assessment package is conducted by Bata considering some factors relevant to customer satisfaction. These are considered as independent variables whereas customer satisfaction is dependent variable. The independent variables are product price, product quality, product design, store design, salesmen behavior, advertisement, competitors marketing policy, seasonal variation, product availability, brand loyalty etc. These factors influence the satisfaction level of customers at Bata and Bata products. From the comparison of different attributes or features the customer satisfaction towards Bata will be assessed.

 Model Development

Graphical Model:

Independent Variables                                                  Dependent Variable

Type of data

This research will not be focusing on any secondary data, as no such preview research has been conducted in context of Customer Satisfaction Assessment of Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) Ltd. This research will work with only primary data.

 Data Collection Procedure

Data is collected through survey method. For the survey method, personal interview was conducted. A questionnaire is kept in hand of the interviewer to aid the interview process. A personal interview is a form of direct communication in which an interviewer asks respondents questions in a face-to-face situation. Verbal explanations were provided to the respondents who faced any problems answering the questionnaires. Informal interviews were also held with Customers.

Sampling Plan for the Research

Sampling is an important component for a research design It is the process of using a small number of parts of a larger population to make conclusions about the total population. For this research the following steps in the sampling design process was followed:

• Target population
• Sampling frame
• Sampling Technique
• Sample size and
• Execution

 Target Population

The target population of this research is Footwear customers of Bata. Population is a collection of all possible individuals, objects, or measurements of interest. It is a set of entities concerning which statistical inferences are to be drawn, often based on a random sampling taken from the population. All consumers in the country are the concern population. But due to time and resource constraints the consumers in Dhaka city are considered as the population.

Sampling Frame

There is no such sample frame is available for this research. Bata customers of all ages and sexes were considered.

 Sampling Method

The study consists of footwear customers of Dhaka city and its surroundings. Simple random sampling technique was used for sampling.

 Sample Size

The sample size of a statistical sample is the number of observations that constitute it. It is typically denoted by n, a positive integer (natural number). Typically, all else being equal, a larger sample size leads to increased precision in estimates of various properties of the population. This can be seen in such statistical rules as the law of large numbers and the central limit theorem. Repeated measurements and replication of independent samples are often required in measurement and experiments to reach a desired precision. To determine the Sample size for unknown population, the following formula is used:

n =   (For Unknown Population)

Where,

n = sample size

Z Confidence level in terms of standard error units

d= Level of precession

p = Estimated proportion of success

q = (l-p) or estimated proportion of failure

This formula applies to the following conditions:

It is assumed that,

Z=1.96 for 95% level of confidence

d=.05

p=0.5

q= 0.5

So, we get

n=

= 384.16

= 384 (taking up to the next round Chart)

The sample size is 384 but for some limitations (time, recourses, budget etc.) and convenience, total number of 250 respondents’ data was collected. The survey was conducted from 14 stores of Bata outlets in Dhaka city and its surroundings.

Executions

Questionnaire survey according to sampling plan through personal interviews with randomly selected sampling units was conducted. However verbal explanations were provided to the respondents who faced any problems answering some questions from the questionnaires.

 Measurement and Scaling Process

In order to analyze data some measurement and scaling procedure is used. Two types of scales such as nominal and ordinal scale are used. Nominal scale is used to identif’ classif’ objects. Ordinal scale is used to indicate the relative position of the objects. Interval scale is used to differentiate the objects (Attitude and opinion of the customers).

 Questionnaire Preparation

A planned questionnaire is very important to do the research. In this case a structured questionnaire was provided by Bata Shoe Company. Due to some statistical analysis difficulty the questionnaire was rephrased a little bit. The questionnaire is prepared by considering following criteria:

• Pertinent for research.
• Simple language is used.
• Leading & loaded questions is avoided.
• Easy to understand questions.

 Data Analysis and Interpretation

After collection of all essential data, those are analyzed following ways:

• Statistical Analysis: Appropriate statistical tools are used to analyze the data. Number of tools is used for this reason. The primary data from the questionnaire will be placed in SPSS database. Chi Square test, Correlation, Regression Analysis, Frequency distribution and arithmetic mean are used to analyze data. Test of hypothesis done through Chi Square test. Cross tabulation is used to find out various relationships with various variables. All these analysis will be done through the use of SPSS for Windows software.

 ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

 Top of Mind Awareness (TOMA)

  Related Question

Which of the first three stores come to mind when you think of footwear stores?

 Data Collection

The following frequency distribution and graph have been found:

Footwear stores (1st Preference): 78.4% of surveyed people mention Bata as their option when they think of any footwear store. 15.6.1% respondent mentioned about Apex. And rests of the respondents have mentioned other store name as their first choice.

Table 3: Frequency distribution of Footwear Stores (1’ Preference)

Apex

Bay emporium

Reebok

Hush Puppies

Elephant road

Bashundhara Mall

Polwel

Total169

39

3

1

2

1

1

7

25078.4

15.6

1.2

.4

.8

.4

.4

2.8

100.0

Chart 1: Percentage of Footwear stores (1^st Preference)

 Footwear stores

Footwear stores (2^nd Preference): As a second choice, 62.4% of respondents talked about Apex as their second choice and 13.6% of surveyed people cited Bata as their second choice. And among the rest of the people 10% have brought up the unorganized market of elephant road.

Table 4: Frequency distribution of Footwear stores (2^nd Preference)

Apex

Bay emporium

Reebok

Hush Puppies

Elephant road

Bashundhara Mall

Liberty

Others

Shamrat

Rado

Polwel

Total34

156

13

2

2

25

7

3

4

1

1

2

25013.6

62.4

5.2

.8

.8

10.0

2.8

1.2

1.6

.4

.4

.8

100.0

 Chart 2: Percentage of Footwear stores (2nd Preference)

Footwear stores

Footwear stores (3rd Preference): 18.4% of surveyed people mentioned Bay Emporium as their third option when they think of any footwear store. 26% respondent mentioned about other unrecognized stores and only 6.4%mentioned Bata as their third choice.

 Table 5: Frequency distribution of Footwear stores (31d Preference)

Apex

Bay emporium

Jennys

Reebok

Hush Puppies

Elephant road

Bashundhara Mall

Liberty

Others

Shamrat

Rado

Polwel

Total16

23

46

28

4

8

26

15

3

65

3

2

11

2506.4

9.2

18.4

11.2

1.6

3.2

10.4

6.0

1.2

26.0

1.2

.8

4.4

100.0

 Chart 3: Percentage of Footwear stores (3rd Preference)

Footwear stores

Interpretation

So combining the above three graphs the maximum number of people have stated Bata as their preference. This is a very large percentage of TOMA. Because Bata does not engage in extensive marketing activities, it seems more likely the result of word of mouth. Bata has a huge brand presence in Bangladesh due to its long time operations and its quality is seemed to be reliable. These combine to form the reason why Bata is the first brand that comes to potential customers’ minds when they think of purchasing footwear. This high TOMA level helps to maintain customer loyalty as the customers prefer to fall back on the brand they know.

 Bata’s price v/s competitor price

Related questions

• Based on Bata’s quality, do you think the prices are fair, reasonable or expensive?
• Based on Others’ quality, do you think the prices are fair, reasonable or expensive?

 Data collection

From the Survey, the following frequency distribution and graph have been found:

• Bata’s quality v/s price

Based on the quality of Bata 56 percentage of people said Bata’s price is fair reasonable. On contrary 41% of surveyed people said according to the quality Bata is charging more.

Table 6: Frequency distribution of Bata’s quality v/s price

Fair and reasonable

Medium

Low

Total101

141

6

2

25040.4

56.4

2.4

.8

100.0

 Chart 4: Bata’s quality v/s price

• Others’ quality v/s price

On the other side based on the quality of competitors products 53% of respondent expensive. 42% people think price is fair and reasonable according to competitors provide. So from the above two graphical representation Bata’s price is fair and reasonable based on the quality they offer.

Table 7: Frequency distribution of others’ quality v/s price

Fair and reasonable

Low

Total132

105

13

25053

42

5

100.0

 Chart 5: others stores’ quality v/s price

 Interpretation

From the comparison of above stated price v/s quality assessment it can be said that customers think Bata is offering them comparatively low prices than the competitors are providing with the quality worth to the prices.

 Sore Location on Customer Satisfaction

 Related Question

Do you agree that Convenient Store Location is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

 Data Collection

From the Survey, the following frequency distribution and graph have been found:

Table 8: Frequency distribution of Location of the store

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree

Total10

33

79

128

2504.0

13.2

31.6

51.2

100.0

 Chart 6: Location of the store

Location of the store

 Findings

The findings suggest that, convenient store location is an important factor to the customer for purchasing shoes. From the frequency distribution it is found that almost 83% respondent were agreed with the fact of convenient store location has impact on customer satisfaction.

 Hypothesis

• Null Hypothesis (Ho): There is no relationship between Convenient Store Location and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is a significant relationship between Convenient Store Location and customer satisfaction.

For the testing of Hypothesis, the survey result obtained through question 9 and 20 of customer survey questionnaire has been used.

• Cross Tabulation

Table 9: Does Bata satisfy all footwear needs and Location of the store Cross tabulation

TotalDisagreeNeutralAgreeStrongly Agree AlwaysExpected

Count2.27.417.728.756.0OftenExpected

Count4.514.835.457.3112.0SometimesExpected

Count2.58.219.631.762.0RarelyExpected

Count.51.74.16.713.0NeverExpected

Count.3.92.23.67.0TotalExpected

Count10.033.079.0128.0250.0

 Chi-Square Tests

 Interpretation of Data:

To find out the relationship between Store location and customer satisfaction from the table we have to compare the computed chi-square value with the critical chi-square values associated with the .05 probability level with 12 degree of freedom. From chi-square distribution table we find that it is 21.026. Since the computed chi-square value is larger than the tabular chi-square, the null hypothesis is rejected and alternative hypothesis is accepted. With accepting the alternative hypothesis we can conclude that Bata satisfies customer with its Store location.

Quality of shoes on Customer Satisfaction

Related Question

Do you agree that Quality of shoes is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

 Data Collection

From the Survey, the following frequency distribution and graph have been found:

Table 10: Frequency distribution of Quality of Shoes

Agree

Strongly Agree

Total7

24

219

2502.8

9.6

87.6

100.0

Chart 7: Quality of shoes

Quality of shoes

 Findings

The findings suggest that, Quality of shoes is an important factor to the respondents those were surveyed. From the frequency distribution it is found that almost 97% respondent were agreed with the fact that Quality of Shoes has impact on customer satisfaction.

 Hypothesis

• Null Hypothesis (Ho): There is no relationship between Quality of Shoes and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (HI): There is a significant relationship between Quality of Shoes and customer satisfaction.

For the testing of Hypothesis, the survey result obtained through question 10 and 20 of customer survey questionnaire has been used.

• Cross Tabulation

Table 11: Does Bata satisfy all of footwear needs and Quality of Shoes Cross Tabulation

Count1.65.449.156OftenExpected

Count3.110.898.1112SometimesExpected

Count1.7654.362RarelyExpected

Count.41.211.413NeverExpected

Count.2.76.17TotalExpected

Count724219250

 Chi-Square Tests

Interpretation of Data:

To find out the relationship between Quality of Shoes and customer satisfaction from the table we have to compare the computed chi-square value with the critical chi-square values associated with the .05 probability level with 8 degree of freedom. From chi-square distribution table we find that it is 15.507. Since the computed chi-square value is larger than the tabular chi-square, the null hypothesis is rejected and alternative hypothesis is accepted. So there is a significant relationship between Quality of Shoes and Customer Satisfaction. With accepting the alternative hypothesis we can conclude that Bata satisfies customer with its Quality of shoes.

 Comfort of shoes on Customer Satisfaction

 Related Question

Do you agree that Comfort of shoes is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

 Data Collection

From the Survey, the following frequency distribution and graph have been found:

Table 12: Frequency distribution of Comfort of shoes

Agree

Strongly Agree

Total11

31

208

2504.4

12.4

83.2

100.0

 Chart 8: Comfort of shoes

Comfort of shoes

Findings

The findings suggest that, comfort of shoes is an important factor to the respondents those were surveyed. From the frequency distribution it is found that almost 84% respondent were strongly agreed with the fact that Comfort of Shoes has impact on customer satisfaction.

 Hypothesis

a Null Hypothesis (110): There is no relationship between Comfort of Shoes and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (111): There is a significant relationship between Comfort of Shoes and customer satisfaction.

For the testing of Hypothesis, the survey result obtained through question 11 and 20 of customer survey questionnaire has been used.

• Cross Tabulation

Table 13: Does Bata satisfy all of footwear needs and Comfort of shoes Cross tabulation

TotalNeutralAgreeStrongly Agree  AlwaysExpected

Count2.56.946.656OftenExpected

Count4.913.993.2112SometimesExpected

Count2.77.751.662RarelyExpected

Count.61.610.813NeverExpected

Count.3.95.87TotalExpected

Count1131208250

 • Chi-Square Tests

 Interpretation of Data:

To find out the relationship between Comfort of Shoes and customer satisfaction from the table we have to compare the computed chi-square value with the critical chi-square values associated with the .05 probability level with 8 degree of freedom. From chi-square distribution table we find that it is 15.507. Since the computed chi-square value is larger than the tabular chi-square, the null hypothesis is rejected and alternative hypothesis is accepted. So there is a significant relationship between Comfort of Shoes and Customer Satisfaction. With accepting the alternative hypothesis we can conclude that Bata satisfies customer with its Comfort of shoes.

 Knowledge of the staff on Customer Satisfaction

Related Question

Do you agree that Knowledge of the staff is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

Data Collection

From the Survey, the following frequency distribution and graph have been found:

Table 14: Frequency distribution of knowledge of the staff

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree

Total3

18

65

106

58

2501.2

7.2

26.0

62.4

23.2

100

 Chart 9: Knowledge of the Staff

Knowledge of the staff

 Findings

The findings suggest that, Knowledge of the staff is an important factor to the respondents those were surveyed. From the frequency distribution it is found that almost 66% respondent were more or less agreed with the fact that Knowledge of the staff has impact on customer satisfaction.

Hypothesis

• Null Hypothesis. H0: There is no relationship between Knowledge of the staff and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis. H1: There is a significant relationship between Knowledge of the staff and customer satisfaction. For the testing of Hypothesis, the survey result obtained through question 12 and 20 of customer survey questionnaire has been used.

• Cross Tabulation

Table 15: Does Bata satisfy all of footwear needs and knowledge of the staff Cross tabulation

TotalStrongly DisagreeDisagreeNeutralAgreeStrongly Agree AlwaysCount

Expected

Count

0

1

4

29

22

56

.7

4.0

14.6

23.7

13.0

56.0

OftenCount

Expected

Count

0

8

39

46

19

112

1.3

8.1

29.1

47.5

26.0

112.0

SometimesCount

Expected

Count

0

7

21

27

7

62

07

4.5

16.1

26.3

14.4

62.0

RarelyCount

Expected

Count

0

0

1

2

10

13

.2

.9

3.4

5.5

3.0

13.0

NeverCount

Expected

Count

3

2

0

2

0

7

.1

.5

1.8

3.0

1.6

7.0

TotalCount

Expected

Count

3

18

65

106

58

250

3.0

18.0

65.0

106.0

58.0

250.0

 • Chi-Square Tests

Interpretation of Data:

To find out the relationship between Knowledge of Staffs and customer satisfaction from the table we have to compare the computed chi-square value with the critical chi-square values associated with the .05 probability level with 16 degree of freedom. From chi-square distribution table we find that it is 26.296. Since the computed chi-square value is larger than the tabular chi-square, the null hypothesis is rejected and alternative hypothesis is accepted. So there is a significant relationship between Knowledge of Staffs and Customer Satisfaction. With accepting the alternative hypothesis we can conclude that Bata satisfies customer with its Knowledge of the staffs.

 Helpfulness of the staff on Customer Satisfaction

 Related Question

Do you agree that Helpfulness of the staff is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

 Data Collection

From the Survey, the following frequency distribution and graph have been found:

Table 16: Frequency distribution of Helpfulness of the staff

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree

Total7

22

115

106

2502.8

8.8

46.0

42.4

100.

Chart 10: Helpfulness of the Staff

Helpfulness of their staff

 Findings

The findings suggest that, Helpfulness of the staff is an important factor to the respondents those were surveyed. From the frequency distribution it is found that almost 89% respondent were agreed with the fact that Helpfulness of the staff has impact on customer satisfaction.

Hypothesis

• Null Hypothesis (110): There is no relationship between Helpfulness of the staff and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (111): There is a significant relationship between Helpfulness of the staff and customer satisfaction.

For the testing of Hypothesis, the survey result obtained through question 13 and 20 of customer survey questionnaire has been used.

• Cross Tabulation

Table 17: Does Bata satisfy all of footwear needs Helpfulness of their staff Cross tabulation

TotalDisagreeNeutralAgreeStrongly Agree AlwaysExpected

Count1.64.925.823.756.0OftenExpected

Count3.19.951.547.5112.0SometimesExpected

Count1.75.528.526.362.0RarelyExpected

Count.41.16.05.513.0NeverExpected

Count.2.63.23.07.0TotalExpected

Count7.022.0115.0106.0250.0

 Chi-Square Tests

 Interpretation of Data:

To find out the relationship between Helpfulness of Staffs and customer satisfaction from the table we have to compare the computed chi-square value with the critical chi-square values associated with the .05 probability level with 12 degree of freedom. From chi-square distribution table we find that it is 21.026. Since then, computed chi-square value is larger than the tabular chi-square, the null hypothesis is rejected and alternative hypothesis is accepted. So there is a significant relationship between Helpfulness of Staffs and Customer Satisfaction. With accepting the alternative hypothesis we can conclude that Bata satisfies customer with its Helpfulness of staffs.

 Value for price offered by store on Customer Satisfaction

 Related Question

Do you agree that Value for price offered by store is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

 Data Collection

From the Survey, the following frequency distribution and graph have been found:

Table 18: Frequency distribution of Value for Price offered by Store

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree

Total2

34

76

138

250.8

13.6

30.4

55.2

100.

 Chart 11: Value for price offered by store

Value for price offered by store

 Findings

The findings suggest that, Value for Price offered by the store is an important factors to the respondents those were surveyed. From the frequency distribution it is found that almost 85% respondent were more or less agreed with the fact that Value for Price offered by the store has impact on customer satisfaction.

 Hypothesis

• Null Hypothesis (Ho): There is no relationship between Value for Price offered by the store and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (Hl): There is a significant relationship between Value for Price offered by the store and customer satisfaction.

For the testing of Hypothesis, the survey result obtained through question 14 and 20 of customer survey questionnaire has been used.

 Cross Tabulation

Table 19: Does Bata satisfy all of footwear needs and Value for price offered by store Cross tabulation

TotalDisagreeNeutralAgreeStrongly Agree AlwaysExpected

Count.47.617.030.956.0OftenExpected

Count.915.234.061.8112.0SometimesExpected

Count.58.418.834.262.0RarelyExpected

Count.11.84.07.213.0NeverExpected

Count.11.02.13.97.0TotalExpected

Count2.034.076.0138.0250.0

 • Chi-Square Tests

Interpretation of Data:

To find out the relationship between Value for Price offered by the store and customer satisfaction from the table we have to compare the computed chi-square value with the critical chi-square values associated with the .05 probability level with 12 degree of freedom. From chi-square distribution table we find that it is 21.026. Since the computed chi-square value is larger than the tabular chi-square, the null hypothesis is rejected and alternative hypothesis is accepted. So there is a significant relationship between Value for Price offered by the store and Customer Satisfaction. With accepting the alternative hypothesis we can conclude that Bata satisfies customer with its value for price offered.

 Fashionable Style on Customer Satisfaction

 Related Question

Do you agree that Fashionable Style is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

 Data Collection

From the Survey, the following frequency distribution and graph have been found:

Table 20: Frequency distribution of Fashionable style

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree

Total1

2

36

91

120

250.4

.8

14.4

36.4

48.0

100.0

Chart 12: Fashionable Style

Fashionable style

 Findings

The findings suggest that, Fashionable Style is an important factors to the respondents those were surveyed. From the frequency distribution it is found that almost 85% respondent were more or less agreed with the fact that Fashionable Style has impact on customer satisfaction.

5.94 Hypothesis

• Null Hypothesis (Ho): There is no relationship between Fashionable Style and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (HI): There is a significant relationship between Fashionable Style and customer satisfaction.

For the testing of Hypothesis, the survey result obtained through question number 15 and 20 of customer survey questionnaire has been used.

• Cross Tabulation

Table 21: Does Bata satisfy all of footwear needs and Fashionable style Cross tabulation

TotalStrongly DisagreeDisagreeNeutralAgreeStrongly Agree AlwaysExpected

Count.2.48.120.426.956.0OftenExpected

Count.4.916.140.853.8112.0SometimesExpected

Count.2.58.922.629.862.0RarelyExpected

Count.1.11.94.76.213.0NeverExpected

Count.1.11.02.53.47.0TotalExpected

Count1.02.036.091.0120.0250.0

 • Chi-Square Tests

Interpretation of Data:

To find out the relationship between Fashionable style and customer satisfaction from the table we have to compare the computed chi-square value with the critical oh i-square values associated with the .05 probability level with 16 degree of freedom. From chi-square distribution table we find that it is 26.296. Since the computed chi-square value is larger than the tabular chi-square, the null hypothesis is rejected and alternative hypothesis is accepted. So there is a significant relationship between Fashionable Style and Customer Satisfaction. With accepting the alternative hypothesis we can conclude that Bata satisfies customer with its Fashionable style.

Brands of shoes offered by store on Customer Satisfaction

Related Question

Do you agree that Brands of shoes offered by store is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

 Data Collection

From the Survey, the following frequency distribution and graph have been found:

Table 22: Frequency Distribution of Brands of shoe offered

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree

Total12

59

109

70

2504.8

23.6

43.6

28.0

100.0

 Chart 13: Brands offered

Brands of shoe offered

Findings

The findings suggest that, Brands of Shoes offered by the Store is an important factors to the respondents those were surveyed. From the frequency distribution it is found that almost 72% respondent were more or less agreed with the fact that Fashionable Style has impact on customer satisfaction.

Hypothesis

• Null Hypothesis (Ho): There is no relationship between Brands of Shoes offered and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (Hi): There is a significant relationship between Brands of Shoes offered and customer satisfaction.

 For the testing of Hypothesis, the survey result obtained through question number 16 and 20 of customer survey questionnaire has been used.

• Cross Tabulation

Table 23: Does Bata satisfy all of footwear needs and Brands of shoe offered Cross tabulation

TotalDisagreeNeutralAgreeStrongly Agree AlwaysExpected

Count2.713.224.415.756.0OftenExpected

Count5.426.448.831.4112.0SometimesExpected

Count3.014.627.017.462.0RarelyExpected

Count.63.15.73.613.0NeverExpected

Count.31.73.12.07.0TotalExpected

Count12.059.0109.070.0250.0

 • Chi-Square Tests

 Interpretation of Data:

To find out the relationship between Brands of shoes offered by the store and customer satisfaction from the table we have to compare the computed chi-square value with the critical chi-square values associated with the .05 probability level with 12 degree of freedom. From chi-square distribution table we find that it is 2 1.026. Since the computed chi-square value is larger than the tabular chi-square, the null hypothesis is rejected and alternative hypothesis is accepted. So there is a significant relationship between Brands of shoes offered and Customer Satisfaction. With accepting the alternative hypothesis we can conclude that Bata satisfies customer with its Brands offered.

Selection of colors, styles and sizes on Customer Satisfaction

 Related Question

Do you agree that Selection of colors, styles and sizes is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

 Data Collection

From the Survey, the following frequency distribution and graph have been found:

 Table 24: Frequency Distribution Selection of colors, styles and sizes

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree

Total9

14

91

136

2503.6

5.6

36.4

54.4

100.0

Chart 14: Selection of colors, style and sizes

Selection of colors, style, and sizes

 Findings

The findings suggest that, Selection of colors, styles and sizes is an important factors to the respondents those were surveyed. From the frequency distribution it is found that almost 90% respondent were more or less agreed with the fact that Selection of colors, styles and sizes has impact on customer satisfaction.

 Hypothesis

• Null Hypothesis (Ho): There is no relationship between Selection of colors, styles and sizes and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is a significant relationship between Selection of colors, styles and sizes and customer satisfaction.

For the testing of Hypothesis, the survey result obtained through question number 17 and 20 of customer survey questionnaire has been used.

• Cross Tabulation

Table 25: Does Bata satisfy footwear needs and Selection of colors, style, and sizes Cross tabulation

TotalDisagreeNeutralAgreeStrongly Agree AlwaysExpected

Count2.03.120.430.556.0OftenExpected

Count4.06.340.860.9112.0SometimesExpected

Count2.23.522.633.762.0RarelyExpected

Count.5.74.77.113.0NeverExpected

Count.3.42.53.87.0TotalExpected

Count9.014.091.0136.0250.0

 • Chi-Square Tests

 Interpretation of Data:

To find out the relationship between Selection of colors, styles and sizes and customer satisfaction from the table we have to compare the computed chi-square value with the critical chi-square values associated with the .05 probability level with 12 degree of freedom. From chi-square distribution table we find that it is 21.026. Since the computed chi-square value is larger than the tabular chi-square, the null hypothesis is rejected and alternative hypothesis is accepted. So there is a significant relationship between Selection of colors, styles and sizes and Customer Satisfaction. With accepting the alternative hypothesis we can conclude that Bata satisfies customer with its Selection of colors, style and sizes.

 Advertising on Customer Satisfaction

 Related Question

Do you agree that Advertising is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

Data Collection

From the Survey, the following frequency distribution and graph have been found:

 Table 26: Frequency Distribution Advertising

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree

Total16

47

73

76

38

2506.4

18.8

29.2

30.4

15.2

100.0

Chart 15: Advertising

Advertising

Findings

The findings suggest that, Advertising is an important factors to the respondents those were surveyed. From the frequency distribution it is found that almost 30.4% respondent were agreed and another 30% were indifferent with the fact that Advertising has impact on customer satisfaction.

 Hypothesis

• Null Hypothesis (Ho): There is no relationship between Advertising and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is a significant relationship between Advertising and customer satisfaction.

 For the testing of Hypothesis, the survey result obtained through question number 18 and 20 of customer survey questionnaire has been used.

• Cross Tabulation

Table 27: Does Bata satisfy’ all of footwear needs Advertising Cross tabulation

TotalStrongly DisagreeDisagreeNeutralAgreeStrongly Agree AlwaysExpected

Count3.610.516.417.08.556.0OftenExpected

Count7.221.132.734.017.0112.0SometimesExpected

Count4.011.718.118.89.462.0RarelyExpected

Count.82.43.84.02.013.0NeverExpected

Count.41.32.02.11.17.0TotalExpected

Count16.047.073.016.038.0250.0

 • Chi-Square Tests

 Interpretation of Data:

To find out the relationship between Advertising and customer satisfaction from the table we have to compare the computed chi-square value with the critical chi-square values associated with the .05 probability level with 16 degree of freedom. From chi-square distribution table we find that it is 26.296. Since the computed chi-square value is larger than the tabular chi-square, the null hypothesis is rejected and alternative hypothesis is accepted. So there is a significant relationship between Advertising and Customer Satisfaction. With accepting the alternative hypothesis we can conclude that Bata satisfies customer with its Advertising.

Layout and Design of store on Customer Satisfaction

 Related Question

Do you agree that Layout and design of store is one of the important factors of customer satisfaction?

Data Collection

From the Survey, the following frequency distribution and graph have been found:

 Table 28: Frequency Distribution of Layout and Design of the Store

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree

Total5

20

48

97

80

2502.0

8.0

19.2

38.8

32.0

100.0

Chart 16: Layout and Design of Store

Layout and design of store

 Findings

The findings suggest that, Layout and design of store is an important factors to the respondents those were surveyed. From the frequency distribution it is found that almost 70% of the respondents were strongly agreed and agreed. Another 30% were indifferent with the fact that Layout and design of store has impact on customer satisfaction.

 Hypothesis

• Null Hypothesis (Ho): There is no relationship between Advertising and customer satisfaction.

• Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is a significant relationship between Advertising and customer satisfaction.

For the testing of Hypothesis, the survey result obtained through question number 19 and 20 of customer survey questionnaire has been used.

• Cross Tabulation

Table 29: Does Bata satisfy all of footwear needs and Layout and design of store Cross tabulation

TotalStrongly DisagreeDisagreeNeutralAgreeStrongly Agree AlwaysExpected

Count1.14.510.821.717.956.0OftenExpected

Count2.29.021.543.535.8112.0SometimesExpected

Count1.25.011.924.119.862.0RarelyExpected

Count.31.12.55.04.213.0NeverExpected

Count.1.61.32.72.27.0TotalExpected

Count5.020.048.097.080.0250.0

 • Chi-Square Tests

 Interpretation of Data:

To find out the relationship between Layout and Design of the Store and customer satisfaction from the table we have to compare the computed chi-square value with the critical chi-square values associated with the .05 probability level with 16 degree of freedom. From chi-square distribution table we find that it is 26.296. Since the computed chi-square value is larger than the tabular chi-square, the null hypothesis is rejected and alternative hypothesis is accepted. So there is a significant relationship between Layout and Design of the Store and Customer Satisfaction. With accepting the alternative hypothesis we can conclude that Bata satisfies customer with its Layout and Design of the stores.

 Satisfaction of all footwear needs by Bata

 Related Question

Does Bata Always satisfy your Footwear needs?

Table 30: Frequency Distribution of satisfaction of all footwear needs by Bata

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

Total56

112

62

13

7

25022.4

44.8

24.8

5.2

2.8

100.0

 Chart 17: Does Bata Satis1y all Footwear needs?

 Findings

The findings suggest that, the Bata products are more or less satisfactory to the respondents those were surveyed. From the frequency distribution it is found that almost 22.4% respondent were found to have always satisfied with Bata products and another 44.8% said Bata often meet their footwear needs and they are often satisfied with Bata.

 Interpretation

With the analysis of this question, percentage of customer’s satisfaction towards Bata product with their footwear needs is to be measured. This question is the broad objective related question and customer satisfaction has been taken as thee dependent variable. With this dependent variable each independent variable were cross tabulated to identify if there were any relationship present.

Respondents’ Sex

Out of 250 respondents 199 respondents were male and 51 respondents were female. For this purpose question number 22 of customer survey questionnaire has been used.

 Table 31: Frequency Distribution of Sex of the respondents

Female

Total199

51

25079.6

20.4

100.0

Chart 18: Percentage of respondents’ sex

 Respondent Age

The respondent age group was categorized in eight groups. The maximum number of respondents falls in to the age group of 25-34. The next higher number was in the age group of 18-24. For this purpose question number 23 of customer survey questionnaire has been used.

Table 32: Frequency Distribution of Age of the respondent

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

25.00

Total5

79

106

33

20

5

2

2502.0

31.6

42.4

13.2

8.0

2.0

.8

100.0

Chart 19: Age group of the respondent

Age of the respondent

Comparison between Bata shoe stores and other shoe stores

This comparison is done on a scale of 1 to 5 points where 1 is much worse and 5 is much better. Here Bata shoe store is compared with other shoe stores such as Apex, Bay Emporium, Jennys and other unorganized shoes stores at different location of Elephant road shoe market. For this purpose question number 22 of customer survey questionnaire has been used.

Reflect up to date fashion shoes

Reflection of up to date fashion shoes is an important criteria for achieving customers buying response. According to the statistical analysis of the survey, the result shows that the mean value of Bata shoe stores on this factor is 3, where mean value of other stores is almost 4. Here it can be concluded that other shoe stores are in a better position to reflect up to date fashion shoes.

 Chart 20: Comparison of Reflect up to date fashion shoes

Reflect up to date fashion shoes (Bata)              Reflect up to date fashion shoes (Others)

Comfort ability of shoes

Comfort ability is an important feature of footwear products. Bata always focuses the comfort ability of shoes. Bata has a strong team who always work for the development of the products.

Here the maximum number of respondents has given Bata stores 4 whereas of other stores it is 3. It can be said that Bata products are more comfortable than other shoes.

Chart 21: Comparison of Comfort ability of shoes

Comfort ability of shoes (Bata)                         Comfort ability of shoes (Others)

Quality of shoes

Quality of a product always gets customer satisfaction. Here for the case of Quality of shoes maximum numbers of respondents have given Bata stores 5, whereas it is 3 for other stores. Bata is in a leadership position in the footwear industry for providing quality products.

Chart 22: Comparison of Quality of shoes

Quality of shoes (Bata)                                     Quality of shoes (Others)

 Shoes that are made to last

Shoes durability is one of the basic requirements that a customer looks forward. Bata always try to offer shoes that are long lasting and durable. From the comparison it is seen that Bata is well ahead of the competitors. Most respondents have given Bata 4 and it is 3 for the competitors.

Chart 23: Comparison of Shoes that are made to last

Shoes that are made to last (Bata)                      Shoes that are made to last (Others)

 Merchandise style, colors, & sizes

A large assortment of product categories creates immediate response from the customers. Respondents’ maximum percentage for providing stylish, colorful, and sizable shoes for Bata is 4 whereas it is in between 2 and 3 for other shoe stores. Bata is more or less in a good position for providing wide assortment of various products.

 Chart 24: Comparison of Merchandise style, colors, & sizes

Selection of merchandise (Bata)                      Selection of merchandise (Others)

Style of shoes that customers like

Now-day’s people are trendy in shoes. There are many unorganized shoe stores providing stylish and trendy shoes. Here the survey result shows that the maximum percentage achieved but Bata on this factor for is 3 whereas for other stores it is 4.

Chart 25: Comparison of Style of shoes that customers like

Style of shoes that customers like (Bata)       Style of shoes that customers like (Others)

 Having the right size of shoes

According to the survey result the maximum value of Bata shoe stores for providing right size for the customers is 4 whereas the maximum value of other stores is 3. Bata is still in a better position for providing right size to the customers.

 Chart 26: Comparison of having the right size of shoes

Having the right size of shoes (Bata)              Having the right size of shoes (Others)

 Promptness of service from salespeople

Bata salesmen are very active in the stores to provide hearty service to the customers. The survey result shows that Bata in a better position for providing prompt service by the salesmen than any other stores. Here the mean of Bata shoe store obtains 5 most whereas the maximum value for other stores is 3.

Chart 27: Comparison of Promptness of service from salespeople

Promptness of salespeople (Bata)                    Promptness of salespeople (Others)

 Friendliness of service from salespeople

The maximum number of respondents has given Bata 5 whereas for others it is 3.45. According to the result the sales men of Bata Shoe Company are very caring and friendly to the customers.

 Chart 28: Comparison of Friendliness of service from salespeople

Friendliness of salespeople (Bata)                   Friendliness of salespeople (Others)

 Salespeople’s product knowledge

The maximum number of respondents has given Bata shoe stores 4 for this factor whereas the value for other stores it is 3. Bata is in a better position than other stores in salesmen product knowledge. Bata Shoe Company centrally provides training to the salesmen of the retail stores.

 Chart 29: Comparison of Salespeople’s product knowledge

Salespeople’s product knowledge (Bata)          Salespeople’s product knowledge (Others)

 Promptness of service at cash register

The maximum number of respondents has given Bata shoe stores 5 for prompt service at cash register whereas the responses for other shoe stores it is 3. Bata is in a better position for providing the service at the cash counter.

 Chart 30: Comparison of Promptness of service at cash register

Promptness of cash register services (Bata)     Promptness of cash register services (Others)

 Shoes worth the price paid

The maximum number of respondents has given Bata stores 4 for this factor whereas for the other shoe stores it is 3. That means the customers of Bata Shoe Company still think that the price paid for the product is worthy.

 Chart 31: Comparison of Shoes worth the price paid

Shoes worth the price paid (Bata)             Shoes worth the price paid (Others)

 Advertising and communication

Advertising is a communication tool used to promote the product to the customers. The maximum no. of the respondents has given Bata stores on this factor in between 3.and 4 whereas for the other shoe stores it is 3. Bata advertises its products through different, media. In Bangladesh the company is the highest payer in advertising and communication.

 Chart 32: Comparison of Advertising and communication

Advertising and communication (Bata) Advertising and communication (Others)

Display of shoes at window/front of the store

The maximum number of respondents has given Bata shoe stores for displaying shoes at window 4 whereas for other shoe stores it is 3. Bata renovation department works hard to maintain international standard to display products. Bata attract the customers by its store design and display of products.

 Chart 33: Comparison of Display of shoes at window/front of the store

Display of shoes at window/front (Bata) Display of shoes at window/front (Others)

 Display of shoes in the interior

The maximum number of respondents has given Bata shoe stores for displaying shoes in the interior 4 whereas for other shoe stores it is 3.Bata is much better for displaying products in the interior than competitors. Bata Basundhara city store is the model of attractive interior display of products.

 Chart 34: Comparison of Display of shoes in the interior

Display of shoes in the interior (Bata)   Display of shoes in the interior (Others)

 Cleanliness and orderliness of the store

According to the survey result maximum number of respondents has given Bata shoe stores for Cleanliness and orderliness of the store is 4 whereas for other shoe stores it is 3.Custoiners are satisfied with this service of Bata shoe stores. Bata is in a leading position to provide cleanliness and orderliness store service.

 Chart 35: Comparison of Cleanliness and orderliness of the store

Cleanliness and orderliness of the stores (Bata)          Cleanliness and orderliness of the stores (Others)

 Layout and design of the store

The maximum number of respondents has given Bata shoe stores for Layout and design of the store is 4 whereas for other shoe stores it is 2. Bata renovation department works to design the stores layout. Customers are satisfied with Bata stores’ layout and store design.

 Chart 36: Comparison of Cleanliness and orderliness of the stores

Cleanliness and orderliness of the stores (Bata)           Cleanliness and orderliness of the stores (Others)

Posters and pictures displayed in the store

The maximum number of respondents has given Bata shoe stores for displaying posters and pictures 4 whereas for other shoe stores it is 3. Bata displays posters and pictures in the retail outlets. It also uses banner and billboard in different places.

 Chart 37: Comparison of Posters and pictures displayed in the store

Posters and pictures displayed (Bata)      Posters and pictures displayed (Others)

 Store’s sales and price discounts

The maximum number of respondents has given Bata shoe Store 4 for providing sales and price discounts whereas the for other shoe stores it is 3. Bata provides sales and price discounts through its clearance outlets.

Chart 38: Comparison of Stores sales and price discounts

Stores sales and price discounts (Bata)                            Stores sales and price discounts (Others)

 Wide assortment of accessories

The maximum number of respondents has given Bata shoe stores 4 for wide assortment of products and accessories whereas for other stores it is 3. Bata has a large assortment of men’s, women’s, and children’s product. Besides the shoes Bata has a collection of various accessories such as socks, belt, school bag, trendy women’s bag etc.

 Chart 39: Comparison of Wide assortments of accessories

Wide assortments of accessories (Bata)                       Wide assortments of accessories (Others)

Store’s location

The maximum number of respondents has given Bata 4 for Store’s location whereas for other stores it is 3. Bata is the largest retail footwear company in Bangladesh .There is a strong network of retail outlets in everywhere of the country, which is a positive aspect of Bata.

Chart 40: Comparison of Store’s location

Store’s location (Bata)                                                  Store’s location (Others)

 FINDINGS OF THE ANALYSIS, CONCLUSION AND

RECCOMENDATIONS

Findings

• The name Bata achieved such a position in the customers’ mind that whenever they heard the name of Bata, a footwear with high quality comes into their mind. From the survey it is found that when people are asked about Bata they refer to the quality of shoes those they are using from childhood.

• Why Bata is the first brand that comes to potential customers’ minds when they think of purchasing footwear is because of Bata has a huge brand presence in Bangladesh due to its long time operations and its quality is seemed to be reliable. These combine to form the reason. This high TOMA level helps to maintain customer loyalty as the customers prefer to fall back on the brand they know.

• Value for Price offered by the store is an important factors to the respondents those was surveyed. From the frequency distribution it is found that almost 85% respondent were more or less agreed with the fact that Value for Price offered by the store has impact on Customer satisfaction. Based on the quality of Bata most of the people said Bata’s price is fair reasonable than the others. Although there are some shoes which are highly priced by Bata, but those are of posh quality. To maintain the higher quality prices are little high.

• Convenient store location is an important factor to the customer for purchasing shoes and for this case Bata obtains more remarks than others. From the study it has found that there is a significant relationship between Store location and Customer Satisfaction. Bata is the largest retail footwear company in Bangladesh as well as in the world. There is a strong network of retail outlets in everywhere of the country, which is a positive aspect of Bata.

• Bata is in a leadership position in the footwear industry for providing quality products, the findings suggest that, Quality of shoes is an important factor to the respondents those were surveyed. Almost 97% respondents were agreed with the fact that Quality of Shoes has impact on customer satisfaction and they are more or less satisfied with the quality of Bata.

• The findings suggest that, comfort of shoes is an important factor to the respondents those were surveyed. Almost 84% respondents were strongly agreed with the fact that Comfort of Shoes has impact on customer satisfaction. Bata has a strong team who always work for the development of the products.

• Knowledge and Helpfulness of the staff is an important factor to the respondents those were surveyed. From the frequency distribution it is found that almost maximum respondents were more or less agreed with the fact that Knowledge of the staff has impact on customer satisfaction. Bata Shoe Company centrally provides training to the salesmen of the retail stores.

• Fashionable Style is an important factors to the respondents those were surveyed. Now a day’s people are more fashion concern that is why they agreed with the fact that Fashionable Style has impact on customer satisfaction. From the comparison it is found that Bata is lacking in this very criteria than the competitors.

• Selection of colors, styles and sizes is an important factors to the respondents those were surveyed. From the frequency distribution it is found that almost 90% respondent were more or less agreed with the fact that Selection of colors, styles and sizes has impact on customer satisfaction. From the analysis it has found that Selection of colors, style and sizes and Customer satisfaction are positively related.

• Brands of Shoes offered by the Store is an important factors to the respondents those were surveyed. From the frequency distribution it is found that almost 72% respondent were more or less agreed with the fact that availability of Brand shoes is important to them and has a positive impact on customer satisfaction. Bata serves to the customers with rich collection of brand shoes.

• From the study it is found that almost 30.4% respondent were agreed and another 30% were indifferent with the fact that Advertising has impact on customer satisfaction. Advertising is a communication tool used to promote the product to the customers; it has a positive impact on customer satisfaction. Bata advertises its products through different media. In Bangladesh the company is the highest payer in advertising and communication.

• Layout and design of store is an important factors to the respondents those were surveyed. From the frequency distribution it is found that almost 70% of the respondents were strongly agreed and agreed. Another 30% were indifferent with the fact that Layout and design of store has impact on customer satisfaction. Bata renovation department works to design the stores layout. Customers are satisfied with Bata stores’ lay6ut and store design. Bata displays posters and pictures in the retail outlets. It also uses banner and billboard in different places.

• Finally, from the analysis it has found that Bata provides superior value to the customers in quality of shoes store’s location, comfort ability of shoes, promptness of service from salespeople, friendliness of service from salespeople, salespeople’s product knowledge, promptness of service at cash register, display of shoes at window/front of the store, display of shoes in the interior, cleanliness and orderliness of the store, and layout and design of the store. All of these bring Bata close to the customer with desired satisfaction.

Conclusion

Here the study tried to find out customers satisfaction of Bata store and other shopping stores. There are some emerging shoe stores in Bangladesh which have already gained customers loyalty in footwear products. The study compared the Bata shoe company with other emerging shoe brands such as Apex, Bay Emporium, Jennys, Pegasas, and many unorganized shoe stores like at Elephant road. Bata Shoe Company compared with these other shoe stores on some factors. .The finding of the study is that Bata Shoe Company is in a better position in the market place than the competitor except serving customers up to date stylish and trendy shoes. Bata has loyal customers group who buy Bata only for its quality. From the research it can be definitely surmised that the hypotheses were largely accurate. The results from the questionnaire survey and the statistical analysis both support the theory that the consumer base of Bata is composed of customers who are more or less satisfied. However, Bata does need some modifications in its marketing tactics regarding attracting new customers and service offerings to the older ones. Bata should not take the brand loyalty for granted and should take specific steps to ensure that they can hold on to the lucrative customer base they have while focusing on a few informational tactics to inform potential customers. Bata is in a secure position right now regarding customer satisfaction, loyalty, and the strategy they follow seems to be effective. They do not need to go through any major overhauls, but, a few tweaks here and there can improve upon their current position and secure them as the market leader in times to come.

 Recommendations

From the research it is evident that Bata has a large loyal customer base throughout Dhaka city who are more or less satisfied with Bata’s products and services. For now it seems that word of mouth and brand recognition are in a quite secure position. However Bata can take some steps to improve their customer relationship and to attract new, potential customers.

• Bata fails to reflect up to date fashion shoes for its customers. Customers think that other competitors always bring fashion shoes for the customers. If Bata can bring up to date products in the market place, the sales return of the company undoubtedly increase into double. It is also recommended that Bata’s market share will increase by up to date fashion shoes.

• Bata can introduce an after sale service program where customers are allowed to provide feedback on their purchasing and consuming experience. For this Bata can introduce a claim settlement department where each and every customer can register complains and frequent customer service monitoring by the Store manager.

• Bata should have focused more on customer services. Bata has good brand awareness but their lack of promotional activity causes many of the new offering unnoticed. To overcome this difficulty Bata can introduce brochures (direct mail), news paper ad regarding their new arrivals and price discount scheme.

• Bata should initiate their loyalty program where the customer who will join the loyalty program will get loyalty card and will enjoy certain privileges. Facilities such as advance online booking, special after sale service and longer guarantee period than the usual one etc can be included on the loyalty card.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Dabholkar, P. A., & Thorpe, D. 1. (1994), Does customer satisfaction predict shopper intentions, Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, 7(291),

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Zeithaml, V.A., Berry, L.L, Parasuraman, A, (1993), “The nature and determinants of customer expectations of service”, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 21, 1-12.

Annual Report, 2008-2009, Bata Shoe Company Bangladesh Limited.

Books:

Kotler. Philip, Armstrong. Gary, (2008), “Principles of Marketing”, Twelfth edition

Zikmund, William G. (2003) “Business Research Methods”, 7th Edition

Websites:

www.bata.com

www.batabd.com

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