Antecedents of Satisfaction and the Moderator Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Supermarket Customers' Perceptions

A service is a commercial activity that a company offers. Companies must strive to provide a satisfactory experience to their customers, based on the feedback and preferences expressed by buyers during the purchasing process. As a result, the relationship between supermarket sellers and customers in southern Brazil was different during the COVID-19 pandemic. The scope of this research aimed to analyze the factors influencing supermarket customer satisfaction from the antecedents of built environment, location, perceived service quality, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as a moderator between the investigated constructs. A survey was conducted with supermarket customers in southern Brazil in two moments: one before and one during the COVID pandemic. The data were analyzed through structural equations modeling and moderation tests. The main results show that the built environment and location positively impact perceived service quality and customer satisfaction. The perceived service quality positively impacts customer satisfaction, and this relationship is stronger during the pandemic. Our theoretical contribution points out the physical environment as a multidimensional construct that changed due to the pandemic of COVID-19 concerning the customers' perception. Our findings should also be used to evaluate the locations of retail services related to hospitality and tourism. The findings point to the perception of the physical aspects of retail services as the result of a multidimensional framework part that is related to the physical urban environment and part concerning the perceived dimensions of the retail built space. The physical environment changed due to the pandemic of COVID-19 concerning the customers' perception. Practical implications arise as different dimensions of physical retail aspects positively affect service perception and customer satisfaction in pandemic.