Salesperson Capabilities and Customer Outcomesin Istanbul’s Ready-to-Wear Retail Sector: A Cross-Sectional Customer Survey

Parvin Feizi

Authors

Parvin Feizi Department of Business Administration, International Business Master’s Program with Thesis, Institute of Graduate Studies, Istanbul Nişantaşı University, Istanbul, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7729-0866

Keywords:

salesperson capabilities, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, ready, to, wear retail, frontline employees, Istanbul

Abstract

This study examines associations between customers' perceptions of salesperson communication skills, product knowledge, and motivation/professionalism and two customer outcomes: satisfaction and loyalty. A cross-sectional survey was administered face to face and online to 300 customers of ready-to-wear retail stores in Istanbul, selected through convenience sampling. The focal analysis used 22 five-point Likert items measuring communication skills, product knowledge, motivation/professionalism, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty. Internal consistency was high across the five constructs (Cronbach's alpha = .838-.901). Communication skills (r = .691, 95% CI [.627, .746]), product knowledge (r = .637, 95% CI [.564, .700]), and motivation/professionalism (r = .715, 95% CI [.655, .766]) were positively associated with customer satisfaction. Satisfaction was also strongly associated with loyalty (r = .734, 95% CI [.677, .782]); all focal tests were significant at p < .001. The findings indicate that customers who perceive stronger frontline capabilities also report more favorable retail experiences and stronger loyalty intentions. For managers, the results support sustained investment in communication, product-knowledge, and professional-service development. Because the design is cross-sectional, based on non-probability sampling, and relies on a single customer-reported instrument, the results should be interpreted as associations rather than causal effects.

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