A Survey of Retailer's Satisfaction

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine the overall satisfaction of retailers' from manufacturers in a supply-chain system, based on selected "Lean" related factors, such as quality, delivery, cost, and pricing. Lean supply chain involves a variety of principles and techniques, all of which have the ultimate goal of eliminating waste and non-value added activities, at all levels in the supply chain in order to satisfy the customer. To stay competitive, manufacturers have to identify pros and cons in all aspects of their relationships with retailers who are their customers in a supply chain context. Retailers are also in direct contact with consumers who are the most important part of the supply chain system, and hence having an effective interaction with retailers is crucial for manufacturers to have for the success of the whole system. In this study a survey specifically targeted to the apparel retail industry to find retailers' expectations and performance of manufacturers was conducted. The idea is to help supply chain professionals gain a better understanding of how Lean principles can be applied to their operations. Analysis of results conducted using the T-test and regression analyses indicate that retailers are generally dissatisfied with their manufacturers in terms of the identified four factors of quality, delivery, cost, and relationships.