Determinants of customer satisfaction with female market intermediaries

Marketing function is incomplete if macro marketing role of the marketing system is excluded. Similarly, the productive system would be meaningless if there are no middlemen to distribute the products. Given the critical role of market intermediaries in the delivery of value, this study aimed at investigating the influence of marketing mix strategies on customer satisfaction with the services of female market intermediaries (FMIs) in Benin City, Nigeria. It also examined the relationship between buyers' demographic factors and customer satisfaction. Using convenience sampling technique, a sample of 376 consumers who bought from FMIs in Benin City were selected for this study. Collected data were analyzed by using mean, t-test, ANOVA, and regression analysis. The results revealed that the product strategy adopted by the FMIs had the highest impact on customer satisfaction followed by promotion, distribution and price, except for relationship marketing and after sales that were found to be statistically insignificant in explaining customer satisfaction with FMI services. Further findings, however, showed that only education amongst other demographic factors significantly influenced consumer satisfaction. For FMIs to remain competitive in the 21st century, they need to pay more attention to developing skills in product, pricing, promotion, and distribution strategies given their significance in achieving customer satisfaction.