Antecedent factors for supermarket visits of Vietnamese consumers: A proposal for store image dimensions

This study aims to discuss a practical set of store image dimensions in a supermarket format to understand the relationship between store image and consumer patronage behaviour. A quantitative approach was applied to 506 datasets obtained from a survey conducted in Ho Chi Minh City. Using a structured equation modelling (SEM) approach, an analytical framework with practical dimensions is proposed to measure consumers’ perspectives and attitudes. Five dimensions have been validated, resulting in consumers’ intentions to visit supermarkets: store atmosphere, merchandise, store location, customer service and promotional tools. The SEM results reveal that the most significant impact comes from store atmosphere, followed by merchandise dimension as a merged dimension based on product price. The findings imply that Vietnamese consumers perceive store image through a more holistic and interrelated view of newly boosted retail formats in the transitional market. The study's examination of the factors that determine supermarket image in Vietnam – a leading retail market in a booming, medium-developed country – provides guidelines that contribute to the development of strategies to win consumers’ support. The study is expected to be a valuable reference for research on retail markets in other emerging countries and to provide helpful information for winning consumer support and ensuring business sustainability beyond the impact of COVID-19.