The influence of utilitarian, hedonic and social values on customer satisfaction and behavior intention with their shopping experience in supermarkets: a case of Tanzania

The overall objective of this study was to find out what makes customers go to supermarkets. The study solely focused on three factors, namely, utilitarian, hedonic and social values which are the potential antecedents to satisfaction and behavior intention of shoppers in supermarkets. The study was guided with well-known theories in the context of customer satisfaction and behavior intention including consumer buyer behavior model, social identity theory, value expectancy model, rational choice theory and symbolic interactionism. Using a self-administered questionnaire conveniently distributed at Mlimani City Shopping Centre, one of the major shopping malls in Dar es Salaam, a total of 291 dully filled questionnaires out of 300 were used for data analysis. Data were subjected to descriptive and inferential analyses, particularly the study hypotheses were tested using multiple linear regressions. Study findings revealed that social factors and hedonic factors played a virtual role in customer satisfaction and behavior intention with shopping experience in supermarkets. Furthermore, it was shown that social factors are the highest significant influencing factors compared to all other factors. Utilitarian factors had stronger influence on behavior intention but not on customer satisfaction with shopping experience in supermarkets. This showed that most Tanzanians went to supermarkets for socialization and leisure reasons. The findings have significant implications for academic purpose, practitioners and policy makers but specifically it was important to supermarkets owners and marketers for understanding customers intuitive reasons to go to the supermarkets and hence prepare the atmosphere that would enhance customers’ satisfaction and behavior intention and finally would improve returns to owners.