A Contingency Model of Supplier-Reseller Satisfaction Perceptions in Distribution Channels

• Published in: Journal of marketing channels 2001-03, Vol.8 (1-2), p.65-90
• Main Authors: Johnson, Carol J., Krapfel, Robert E., Grimm, Curtis M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Buyer-seller dyads; channels; Customer satisfaction; customer service; Distribution channels; environmental variables; Salespeople; satisfaction; Vendor supplier relations
• ISSN: 1046-669X; 2694-3980; 1540-7039; 2694-3999
• DOI: 10.1300/J049v08n01_04

It is important for a supplier to be clear as to which customer service attributes are important to the reseller, as well as the supplier performance level as expected and perceived by the reseller. This paper investigates the difference between reseller satisfaction as expressed by the reseller and presumed reseller satisfaction as interpreted by the supplier. The authors formulate and empirically test six hypotheses to determine the influence of certain environmental variables on the difference in perceived satisfaction in a channel context. They find differences in perceived satisfaction levels across matched dyads composed of one reseller and the supplier's representative responsible for that account. All of the environmental conditions tested were significant drivers of a difference in satisfaction. Specifically, sales representatives tend to underestimate reseller satisfaction when product line growth is increasing, when pricing policy is excellent, and when the channel configuration is indirect. Sales representatives overestimate reseller satisfaction when the reseller is larger, when there is more rivalry, and when the reseller perceives itself as more powerful.