Customer satisfaction, loyalty, knowledge and competitiveness in the food industry

Figures & data

Figure 1. The mutual relationships of the individual factors examined. The curved double-sided arrows indicate correlations, the straight one-sided arrows indicate causal relationships. The unobserved factors are in circles, the observable variables are in the rectangle.

Table 1. Estimations of the model parameters (the factor/variable in italics is explained by the factors shown under them).

Factors	Estimate	Standard error	Z-value	P(>|z|)
Customer expectation
PK	1.110	0.220	5.038	0.000
PQ	1.208	0.548	2.204	0.028
CS	2.358	0.647	3.644	0.000
Customer loyalty
CS	2.880	0.496	5.810	0.000
Competitiveness
PK	1.078	0.179	6.037	0.000
PQ	1.628	0.241	6.767	0.000
Product knowledge
CL	0.172	0.037	4.603	0.000

Source: Authors.

Table A1. The questionnaire questions (with the low rating and high rating shown in italics), according to the individual variables and factors.

Variable	Questionnaire question
PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE	How well do you know the product? I know the product briefly (I buy the product only a few times)—I know the product very well (already many years)
COMPETITIVENESS 1	How do you assess the image of the product with respect to its brand (tradition, reputation, prestige) in comparison with the competition? significantly worse—significantly better
COMPETITIVENESS 2	How do you assess the image of the product with respect to its overall quality (i.e., nutritional value, taste, composition, appearance or packaging, etc.) in comparison with the competition? significantly worse— significantly better
COMPETITIVENESS 4	How do you assess the image of the product with regard to the level of marketing communication (interest, how memorable, the intensity of advertising, sales promotion, etc.) which relates to the product in comparison with the competition? significantly worse than the competition, I do not remember any advertising, sales promotion, etc.— significantly better than the competition, advertising is funny, etc.
CUSTOMER EXPECTATION 1	To what extent does the product meet your needs and requirements? does not satisfy them at all—fully meets them
CUSTOMER EXPECTATION 2	To what extent is the quality of the product stable over the period you have known it compared with your expectations of the characteristics of the product (i.e., no changes in taste, appearance, composition, nutritional value, etc.)? product varies every time—product is always exactly the same
CUSTOMER EXPECTATION 3	To what extent does the product meet your expectations (needs and requirements) in comparison with the promises (product information, advertising, etc.)? does not satisfy them at all, or fully meets them
CUSTOMER EXPECTATION 4	How do you evaluate the product in comparison with the expectation that you always have before its purchase and consumption? product is always significantly worse, or product is always significantly better
PERCEIVED QUALITY 1	How do you assess the quality of the product with regard to its taste? very low—very high
PERCEIVED QUALITY 2	How do you assess the quality of the product with respect to its composition (raw materials, including their origin, content ratio of components, etc.)? very low—very high
PERCEIVED QUALITY 3	How do you assess the quality of the product with respect to its appearance? very low—very high
PERCEIVED QUALITY 4	How do you assess the quality of the product with respect to its nutritional value (especially in terms of functionality - energy, health, sweetness, refreshment, etc.)? very low—very high
PERCEIVED QUALITY 5	How do you assess the overall quality (the overall assessment of its taste, composition, nutritional value, freshness, durability, appearance, smell, or packaging, etc.) of the product? very low—very high
PERCEIVED VALUE 1	Compared with the price of the product (the price you usually pay) do you assess its overall quality as: the price is significantly higher than its quality—for its quality it could be significantly more expensive
PERCEIVED VALUE 2	Compared with the price of the product (the price you usually pay) do you assess the taste, composition, appearance and smell of the product, i.e., the product’s features, as: the price is significantly higher than its quality—for its quality it could be significantly more expensive
PERCEIVED VALUE 3	Compared with the price of the product (the price you usually pay) do you assess the functionality of the product (i.e., the fulfilling of those functions that you expect from the product, e.g., how it satisfies the appetite, tastes , refreshes, etc.) as: the price is significantly higher than its quality— for its quality it could be significantly more expensive
PERCEIVED VALUE 4	Evaluate the cost of getting the a product (in acquiring or ‘hunting for it , its storage, disposal and price) in comparison with its durability, expiry date, use, freshness: the costs are significantly higher— durability, expiry date, use, freshness, etc. is significantly higher
PERCEIVED VALUE 5	Evaluate the overall quality of the product, i.e., the features and functionality in comparison with the overall costs of the product (including product price, storage costs, disposal, time-related costs, e.g., to opening or closing of the packaging, the time cost related to ‘hunting’ for the product that is not always available, etc.) the overall costs are significantly higher—the overall quality is significantly higher
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 1	How generally satisfied are you with the product? Not at all— completely
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 2	How much does your overall satisfaction with the product correspond with your expectations (the expected satisfaction)? the reality is worse than my expectations x reality is better than my expectations
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 3	What is your overall satisfaction with the evaluated product compared to the ideal product? extremely low—extremely high
CUSTOMER LOYALTY 2	How often do you buy a similar product from another manufacturer? often - I do not care which manufacturer I buy the product from— never - I buy the product only from this particular manufacturer
CUSTOMER LOYALTY 3	If there are several very similar products on offer, at a very similar price, do you always choose the evaluated product? certainly not - I do not mind, I decide according to the best offer—definitely yes – I always choose the evaluated product – it is the best
CUSTOMER LOYALTY 4	If the price of the product increased (by up to 50% of the current price), would the amount/number of the product you purchase be likely to: significantly decrease x remain the same
CUSTOMER LOYALTY 5	Do you or would you recommend the product to your friends, family or other customers? certainly not - it is better not to recommend the product—definitely yes – I often recommend the product / it is worth more people knowing about it

Source: Authors.

Table A2. Estimations of model parameters: factor correlation in italics with factors shown below.

Factors	Estimate	Standard error	Z-value	P(>|z|)
Customer loyalty
C	0.729	0.134	5.458	0.000
Perceived quality
PV	0.791	0.041	19.148	0.000
CS	0.943	0.014	65.664	0.000
Perceived value
CS	0.875	0.027	32.504	0.000
Customer expectation
C	−0.064	0.149	−0.430	0.667

Source: Authors.