Customer Satisfaction and Brand Loyalty of Shell Automotive Lubricants Customers

Abstract

The study was carried out with the purpose of identifying customer satisfaction factors that enhance brand loyalty, identify the challenges that limit earned customer satisfaction, and suggest strategies to overcome these challenges. The study objectives included; (i) to identify factors that enhance earned customer satisfaction leading to brand loyalty. (ii) to identify customer satisfaction challenges to brand loyalty for automotive lubricants. (iii) to suggest strategies to use to overcome the challenges faced by the retailers of automotive lubricants with a view to enhancing brand loyalty. The researcher employed a quantitative crosssectional survey which involved the use of questionnaires to collect data from 384 customers and 52 mechanics. The study revealed that customer satisfaction is much influenced by assurance dimension factors leading to brand loyalty. The customer satisfaction challenges were mainly difficulty in delivering the promise by a certain time, staff being too busy to respond to a request from customers, lack of knowledge to answer customer questions, limitations of station operating hours for convenience of all customers and lack of materials associated with the service. Several strategies have been recommended to overcome the challenges with a view to enhancing customer brand loyalty. Staff suggested delivering the promise within the set period of time, communicating in advance to customers, ensuring safety of transactions, understanding the specific needs of customers and availability of neat uniforms as top strategies to overcoming customer satisfaction challenges. The researcher recommended that there is need for shell mechanics to pay attention to assurance dimension indicators in order to enhance consumer satisfaction from shell lubricants and services.