The Customer is God: Japanese Service Culture in Clothing Stores

Sammanfattning: When was the last time you were positively surprised by the service in a clothing store? This thesis explores Japanese service management in clothing stores and makes a comparison with Sweden. The thesis is divided into two major areas: differences between (A) consumers and (B) service. For the analysis, both quantitative and qualitative methods have been used. The quantitative method includes organized mystery shopping in Tokyo and Stockholm and two surveys. The qualitative method includes comments from the mystery shoppers, own observations and interviews with professors and practitioners. Results show that the Japanese customers have higher expectations upon the store and its staff compared to the Swedes. The Japanese place higher demands on the initiative and knowledge of the store personnel, viewing them as nothing short of fashion coordinators whereas the Swedes regard them more as just part of the store layout. The Japanese is also more context-oriented (a larger number of factors affect their purchase) whereas the Swedes have a more instrumental view of clothes shopping (no extra value added apart from clothes and price). Regarding service, the Japanese service is more detailed, socially driven and frequent compared to Swedish service. The Japanese create more of a total experience where positive time is raised and negative time reduced, welcoming the customer into the store, guiding her through all the steps in the shopping experience and then thanking her for her visit. From our results, advice is given on how to learn from Japanese service management and enhance customer satisfaction, loyalty and profits.