The impact of assortment on satisfaction, trust and loyalty in retailing
The impact of assortment on satisfaction, trust and loyalty in retailing

Summary/Abstract: Assortment, its structure and the range of complementary services can be approached both from retailers‘ as well from clients‘ perspective. The assortment allows retailers to differentiate themselves from their competitors and to gain a precise positioning in a particular retail format (supermarket, hypermarket, discounter). Retailers and wholesalers must take decisions regarding the articles that will be part of the assortment dimensions (width and length). They will also consider the possible effects of inclusion of new articles or of exclusion of articles that are no longer bought by clients (Vasquez et al., 2001: 1-14). Moreover they will have to take decisions regarding additional services that accompany the assortment, the assortments structure, the customer segments that can be addressed through them or the frequency with which they can be offered (Homburg et al., 2002: 86-101). Although a wide assortment will give the customer a greater utility, its proper management implies significant costs for retailers. From the client‘s perspective, the assortment represents the way he can perceive retailers, is attracted by them, and develops a certain loyalty to the preferred store (Liebmann et al., 2008: 459). The assortment structure may be useful to him in finding all articles that he needs in a single store, but it can also create some frustrations in the process of selection of the needed goods.The present study proposes a model to analyse the impact of assortment on trust, satisfaction and loyalty. When operationalized by means of a questionnaire, the model may provide an overview of the different strategies implemented by the management of the retail companys. A well-structured assortment with articles that have utility for the consumer may bind the latter to retailers, making him to return, thus increasing his degree of satisfaction and contributing to the overall positive perception of the retailer.

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