Maximizing Customer Experience In Retail: The Impact Of Online Reviews And Customer Requests On Frontline Retail Encounters

Online reviews have become an essential part of the retail industry. Customers rely on online reviews to make informed decisions about where to shop and what to buy. Retailers, on the other hand, use online reviews to attract new customers and retain existing ones. This study aims to explore how online reviews impact frontline retail encounters and how retailers can use this information to enhance customer service. Frontline employees (FLEs) play a critical role in the retail industry, as they are the first point of contact for customers. FLEs are responsible for providing quality customer service, handling customer requests, and resolving complaints. However, dealing with customer requests can be challenging, as they can vary in complexity, urgency, and demandingness. This literature review aims to explore the impact of customer requests on FLE job outcomes, including job engagement, stress, performance, and turnover.

The study conducted six experiments to explore the impact of online reviews on frontline retail encounters. The experiments involved a total of 1,200 participants, including customers and employees. The results of the study showed that when employees identify potential online review authors, it motivates them to deliver better service, as they are determined to be associated with a positive review. However, this determination is tempered by two boundary conditions.

The first boundary condition is the relevance of the goal. The study found that when the goal is relevant to the employee, such as a promotion or a bonus, the employee is more determined to deliver better service. The second boundary condition is the control the employee has over the situation. The study found that when the employee has control over the situation, such as the ability to offer a discount or a free item, the employee is more determined to deliver better service.

The study also found that internal championing of the importance of online reviews can enhance customer service. Retailers can use this information to train their employees to identify potential online review authors and motivate them to deliver better service. Retailers can also use this information to incentivize their employees to deliver better service by offering promotions or bonuses based on positive online reviews.

It focuses on the key concepts of customer requests, personal appraisal tendencies, situational customer demandingness, and FLE job outcomes. The review highlights the different ways in which FLEs appraise customer requests, such as challenge, hindrance, and threat appraisals. The review also examines the impact of situational customer demandingness on FLE job outcomes, including job engagement, stress, performance, and turnover.

Figures, tables, equations, and formulae

The conceptual model in Fig. 1 reflects the sequence outlined in Affective Events Theory (AET). AET delineates how specific events experienced by employees in the workplace translate into differential behaviors because they trigger specific emotional responses (Weiss and Cropanzano 1996). In AET, workplace events are defined as “a change in [an employee’s circumstances… a change in what one is currently experiencing’’ (Weiss and Cropanzano 1996 p. 31), which in past research has included events such as acts of workplace bullying and customer aggression (e.g., Glaso et al. 2011; Cropanzano et al. 2017). Although many events are real, they can also be imagined in the sense that an employee anticipates something will occur (Weiss and Cropanzano 1996. 

Fig. 1. Conceptual model with study one path estimate results.

Notes: *In Study One, stress and engagement are measured at the job level, while in Study Two they are measured as situational responses to a specific customer request. **The effects’ 95% credibility interval excludes 0. Not depicted in the model is the non-hypothesized but significant (p < .05) main effect of intrinsic motivation on job engagement (b = .23)

Conclusion:

In conclusion, this literature review provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of customer requests on FLE job outcomes. The review highlights the importance of personal appraisal tendencies and situational customer demandingness in shaping FLE performance and turnover. The review suggests that providing training and support for FLEs, reducing situational customer demandingness, and fostering a positive work environment can improve job engagement, stress, performance, and turnover. The review provides practical implications and recommendations for retail managers and organizations to improve customer service, reduce turnover, and enhance organizational performance. The study shows that online reviews have a significant impact on frontline retail encounters. Employees are motivated to deliver better service when they identify potential online review authors. However, this determination is tempered by two boundary conditions. Retailers can use this information to enhance customer service by training their employees to identify potential online review authors and incentivizing them to deliver better service. Internal championing of the importance of online reviews can also enhance customer service.