An Empirical Study On Influential Factors Of Customer Expectations

Since the 1980s, the academic community paid more attention to customer satisfaction of marketing theory, a large number of scholars used psychology to explain customer satisfaction / dissatisfaction phenomenon. Oliver's (1980) cognitive model of the antecedents and consequences has become one of the mainstream theories of customer satisfaction theories.The academic circle had a unified consensus to the importance of customer expectations. However, there were little empirical researches to the detection of influential factors of customer expectations. That has become a weak link of customer expectations theory. Based on this situation, the purpose of my research is to detect the influential factors of customer expectations, and measure the intensity and impact point of effect.Customer expectation means the psychological goals or standards when customers decide to buy some products and services or make some decisions. In order to detect the influence factors and intensity of customer expectations, combined with the previous theoretical studies, through small-scale screening of the individual consumer survey, the author designed the model of influence factors of customer expectations and the hypothesis. The model includes five variables of influential factors of customer expectations and four dimensions of customer expectations composing. The five dimensions include the enterprise promise, the customer past purchasing experience, customer's oral propaganda, the customer's personal needs and the range of customer's choice. The four dimensions of customer expectations composing include expectation of product value, service value, image value and total cost.According to the model and the hypothesis, the author designed and distributed the questionnaire, and analyzed feedback data. First, conducted a sample analysis to respondents with SPSS 14.0; secondly, took a test to the reliability and validity of variables; thirdly, conducted factor analysis and regression analysis to independent variables and dependent variables; finally, test the hypothesis and get the following conclusions:A.The customer personal needs have a great influence on customer expectations, effect in both product value and image value.B.The customer past purchasing experience has a great influence on customer expectations, effect in image value.C.The promise of enterprises has a great influence on customer expectations, effect in total cost.D.The customer oral propaganda has a great influence on customer expectations, effect in service value.E.The customer choice range has a great influence on customer expectations, has no obvious effect points.Through in-depth study of factors influencing customer expectations to potential customers of phone market based on the above sections of the cell, my research yielded some results in general as following:(1)The primary research data I get is very precious for scholars research on the empirical study of factors influencing customer expectations in the future.(2)The conclusions of my study about the factors affecting customer expectations enrich and improve the customer expectations theory, have a great value for mobile phone manufacturers developing the marketing strategy.(3)Ranking of the factors affecting customer expectations, the results benefit to enterprises customers expectations management.Due to conditions and my energy, theoretical research level restrictions, there are still some deficiencies in this paper.(1)Statistics study covers too few factors, just some great affecting factors.(2)There are other links that may exist between the variables. On account of my limited research level, the links between variables have not been verified.(3)My research sample size is little small because of my limited energy and time, only surveyed few people around.In view of the problems and deficiencies in this paper, I think we can conduct a follow-up study from following aspects:(1)Additional studiesA. Study from the factors not involved in this paper, enrich and develop customer expectations influence factors theory.B. Have a path analysis of factors influencing customer expectations with statistical software such as AMOS.C. Increase the sample number, carry through further study. (2) follow-up studiesBecause of the rapid evolution of technology of mobile phone and customers change consumer attitudes, factors influencing phone customer expectations may consistently change and development. In light of this situation, researchers in the future can do follow-up study on the factors.