In addition to customers expecting premier program and interaction quality from sporting goods store, particularly Sports Authority, customers expect premier outcome and physical environment quality, as well. However, during the group’s collective and independent visits to Sports Authority, the quality that both the outcome and physical environment were not up to the standards that we expected entering into the store. Nevertheless, Sports Authority had some positive aspects about both the outcome and physical environment; however, there are numerous amounts of changes that Sports Authority needs to implement rules that would overall improve the overall customer service quality of the store.
According to authors Kathyrn Gagliano and Jan Hathcote …show more content…
There was an equal balance of positives and negatives about the interior and exterior of the building, each which played a significant position in the physical environment quality. The physical environment quality encompasses “three subdimensions: a) ambience, b) design, [and] c) equipment” (Ko & Pastore, 2005,p.87), which are important factors that either attract or deter customers. The first subdimension is ambiance and in relation to Sports Authority, there was very little ambiance in the store. Sports Authority’s store included no music; the only background noise that filled the store was from the televisions in the back of the store playing sporting events. However, to counteract the lack of music in the store, Sports Authority had plenty of great lighting inside the store to illuminate every corner and display. Unfortunately, the ambiance of the exterior of the store lacked ambiance. When the group visited the store as a collective, we arrived at the store during the evening around 6 pm. Initially, we thought that by arriving around this time the store and its surrounding area would be filled with customers. Nevertheless, the parking lot was empty with extremely dim lighting, which could deter customers from visiting the store because of safety concerns, especially since the store is not sits further back from the roadway. The …show more content…
However, aesthetically the design and layout of the store did not utilize the large layout to promote or stock with sporting goods. For example, Nike apparel, according to the general manager Nike shoes, is a prominent item within the store. However, many of the Nike items and all of the Nike shoes were positioned in the back of the store, which is problematic because customers will bypass other potential sales to only purchase Nike items, or solely just shoes. Another design problem that Sports Authority currently face is the lack of signage that directs their customers to certain departments, which forces the customer to rely on the help of an employee or walking around the store to find the item or department if there is not an associate present to offer any assistance. Nonetheless, even though Sports Authority did not have an abundance of items within their physical store, customers were encouraged to utilize their kiosks for online shopping, which are equipments that “enhance the sport experience” ( Ko & Pastore, 2005, p.87). Unfortunately, as a customer to Sports Authority these “equipments” do not enhance the sporting good experience, but rather decreases the experience because the customer has just driven to the sporting goods store to purchase a