Demanding customers in the Chinese context

Abstract

This research explores the unexpectedly demanding nature of local customers in foreign invested retail stores in China. Data are drawn from interviews conducted with over 200 local and expatriate staff at UK and Japanese-invested stores. The study briefly outlines China’s retail sector, provides case study examples of ‘demanding’ customers and then suggests factors that might account for these characteristics. In particular, it highlights the extent to which China’s marketplace is characterized by low trust. Finally, the work notes that China’s demanding customers influence the nature of firms’ service provision and have positive consequences for staff training and skills upgrading.