This study explores the marketing in a multinational professional services organization and attempts to identify marketing factors relevant to the organization. The main objective is to identify critical factors that influence the successful marketing of professional services. To accomplish this objective, research is undertaken as a case study with a quantitative survey of employees from the professional services organization. The main finding was that the 7P framework (product/service, price, place, promotion, physical evidence, people, process) was applicable and that place, physical evidence and product components were seen as most critical, with promotion and price appearing to be least critical, maybe because conservative attitudes to marketing still exist within professional service organizations. The study added to the literature on professional services marketing, giving insight into the marketing of professional services in today’s dynamic and changing economic environment. Our findings will, therefore, assist professional service organizations to utilize their marketing resources more effectively and efficiently

Loyalty programmes have become a popular marketing tool in marketplaces that are highly competitive and where differentiation is difficult. Although they are not new anymore, they continue to grow in popularity, particularly in South Africa where numbers are steadily increasing. The main aim of this study was to determine the influence of various types of perceived benefits from loyalty programmes in the South African fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) market with respect to their impact on relationship quality and loyalty towards the retailer concerned. The study reveals three forms of perceived benefits which are named as consumeristic, altruistic and egoistic benefits. In addition, the influence of socio-demographic characteristics are examined to ascertain any differences that might occur in the results. The study design was based on an exploratory sequential mixed methods approach and began with qualitative research before proceeding to quantitative data collection and analysis. The qualitative section of the research involved two in-depth interviews with managers of loyalty programmes at major retailers and two focus groups aimed at loyalty programme members. These assisted in the design of the quantitative data collection instrument. The quantitative data collection was aimed at a consumer database which incorporated those who were actively employed in the economy, resulting in a sample of 559 respondents. The initial findings of the study, revealed by means of regression analysis, were that all three forms of perceived benefits lead towards the three constructs that make up relationship quality, namely trust, satisfaction, and commitment with the retailer concerned. In addition, the same benefits were found to contribute towards customer loyalty. However, once structural equation modelling was employed, the results evolved. Firstly, the constructs of trust and satisfaction cross loaded onto each other and were therefore treated as a single construct named trust/satisfaction. Secondly, egoistic benefits were absorbed into consumeristic benefits and were therefore no longer featured as a separate item. Explanations are offered for this phenomenon. Consumeristic benefits still had a positive and significant relationship with trust/satisfaction, as did altruistic benefits. However, it was found that although altruistic benefits still enjoy a significant relationship with commitment, consumeristic benefits did not. A suggestion for this is that the perception of altruistic benefits has a greater attitudinal impact than consumeristic benefits do. Finally, neither altruistic nor consumeristic benefits showed a direct relationship with loyalty. The introduction of demographic variables established that only age affects the results, with older consumers being more receptive than others to altruistic benefits. However, findings revealed that a pathway to loyalty remains through the constructs of trust/satisfaction and commitment. This emphasises the importance of achieving trust and satisfaction first by means of the benefits offered. Finally, a new structural model is developed in line with the results of the structural equation model. The results from this study add to the body of research in the field, yielding both significant theoretical and practical contributions to the field of loyalty programmes, relationship quality and loyalty research, particularly in the South African FMCG retail marketplace. Retailers are advised to continue offering both altruistic and consumeristic benefits to customers, despite consumeristic benefits not necessarily creating a direct route towards loyalty. This is because once trust and satisfaction is achieved, loyalty will follow. In addition, loyalty programme providers should ensure that offerings provide both simplicity and transparency in order to create a positive relationship with trust and satisfaction.

The aim of this article is to investigate perceived loyalty program benefits inherent in loyalty programs and how they might affect relationship quality, specifically in the South African FMCG sector. A quantitative study was undertaken where loyalty program members were approached via a national database. Hypotheses were individually tested by means of regression analysis. All three forms of perceived benefits exhibited positive relationships with each of the relationship quality constructs. Retailers that are considering which benefits to include in a loyalty program would find the results instructive. This article also adds to the international body of research in the field of relationship marketing, customer loyalty and retail loyalty programs. This study reiterates the importance of loyalty program design and the potential for attitudinal change towards the retailer.

Based on the decline in development of new, and use of existing, shopping malls that is happening in the USA due mainly, it seems, to e-shopping, a comparative study was conducted to investigate perceptions of shopping malls and their use in Germany (a developed country) and South Africa (a developing country). Are attitudes towards mall shopping changing, or are there other factors influencing changes in mall shopping, e.g. increase in e-shopping, lack of security (especially effect of crime in South Africa), preference for localised shopping, etc.?A questionnaire was developed from the literature and distributed via e-mail to a comprehensive database of consumers, collecting a pre-set, socio-demographic quota sample from the defined target groups. The resultant data was analysed using relevant descriptive, inferential and multivariate statistics to identify the importance of the various factors.The main finding was that South African consumers are increasingly using shopping malls, whereas German consumers are using malls slightly less than they did 2 to 3 years ago. South Africans would like to see better entertainment and unique experiences in malls, while Germans would like to see malls developing a stronger identity, integrating themselves more into their communities and acting for the good of the community they serve.

Cause related marketing describes an activity in which contributions are made to selected charities in response to customers’ purchases. In South Africa, the number of causes requiring help is large due to the on-going shortage of funds and the number of people in need. The objective of this study was to establish the relationship between selected causes and socio-demographic variables. This was a quantitative, cross-sectional study. Quota sampling was used, and questionnaires were administered to 400 candidates in major shopping centres. Correspondence analysis was used to compare and map the results of cause choices against the selected socio-demographic factors. The findings indicated that there are relationships between the demographic factors and the causes selected by the respondents.