EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CROWD MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN SUPERMARKETS IN JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46827/ejmms.v11i2.2281Palabras clave:
This study assessed the effectiveness of crowd management strategies (CMS) in supermarkets in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, focusing on customer experiences and staff-related challenges. A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed, involving 384 customer reResumen
This study assessed the effectiveness of crowd management strategies (CMS) in supermarkets in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, focusing on customer experiences and staff-related challenges. A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed, involving 384 customer respondents and 72 employees from four purposively selected supermarkets. Data were collected using validated structured questionnaires and analyzed using weighted mean and thematic analysis. Findings revealed that CMS were generally perceived as not very effective, with low ratings across service efficiency (2.49), customer perceived value (2.49), and shopping convenience (2.47), resulting in an overall mean of 2.48. Key influencing factors, including perceived ease of navigation (2.50) and system reliability (2.49), were found to have minimal impact on customer perceptions, indicating poor integration and inconsistent implementation of crowd management tools. Customers reported persistent challenges such as long waiting times, overcrowding, limited cashier availability, and difficulty navigating store layouts. From the staff perspective, major challenges included insufficient staffing, high workload, inadequate training, and low customer compliance with crowd control measures. These findings highlight that CMS effectiveness depends not only on technological tools but also on operational coordination and human resource capacity. The study recommends an integrated approach combining system reliability, staff support, and improved customer guidance to enhance overall supermarket performance.
JEL: L81, M11, M31
Referencias
Aithal, K. V., & Saldanha, D. (2025). Kroger’s omnichannel and e-commerce evolution: A comprehensive analysis of strategy and market impact in retail. Poornaprajna International Journal of Teaching and Research Case Studies, 2(2), 1-57. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13182948
Ajzen, I. (2024). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Alawadh, M. (2024). Saudi’s retail sector: A data-driven analysis of customer behavior using big data. Electronic Markets, 19(1), 9-30. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer19010009
Alyamani, W. (2025). The evolution of shopping centers and changing user preferences in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Trends, drivers, and future prospects. (Unpublished Doctoral dissertation, Effat University).
Awais, M. A. M. (2023). Impact of retail layout and design on retail business. Management Studies, 3(2), 55-71. Retrieved from https://pmanagementstudies.com/poms/index.php/poms/article/view/30
Bhati, N. S., Vijayvargy, L., & Pandey, A. (2022). Role of e-service quality (E-SQ) on customers’ online buying intention: An extended theory of planned behavior. IEEE Access, 10, 77337-77350. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3193665
Bloodsworth-Lugo, M. K., & Lugo-Lugo, C. R. (2022). The essential crowd: Service workers and social death in pandemic times. Medical Anthropology Theory, 9(2), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.17157/mat.9.2.5358
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Cai, M., Tartanoglu, B. S., Stroleny, A., & Tindal, S. (2024). Between mundane and extreme: The nature of work on the UK supermarket frontline during a public health crisis. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 35(9), 1626-1653. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2023.2250988
Charinsarn, A. R., Diallo, M. F., & Lambey-Checchin, C. (2023). How do cultural factors affect loyalty behaviour in retailing? The central role of social proximity. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, 51(4), 523-545. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-09-2022-0314
Cochran, W. G. (1977). Sampling techniques (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Sampling_Techniques.html?id=xbNn41DUrNwC&redir_esc=y
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319-340. https://doi.org/10.2307/249008
Degeling, C., Chawraingern, S., Gilbert, G. L., Hooker, C., Hor, S. Y., & Williams, J. (2024). Reconciling market and moral logics on a minimum wage: Supermarket work in Australia during the first two years of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic. SSM-Qualitative Research in Health, 6, 100495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100495
Gurley, R. C. (2021). Strategies for implementing self-service technologies in supermarket retail operations. Walden University. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=11768&context=dissertations
Hajra, A., Ghosh, B., & Bhowmik, S. (2025). Cross-sectional studies. In Translational cardiology (pp. 221-225). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-91790-2.00099-X
Hammadi, A. A. (2025). Using digital queues to achieve customer satisfaction: The intermediary role of improving service performance - An analytical study on the Trade Bank of Iraq-Basra Branch. South Asian Research Journal of Business and Management, 7(1), 63-75. https://doi.org/10.36346/sarjbm.2025.v07i01.006
Hammerschick, J. (2022). Promotional displays in supermarkets: The influence of perceived spatial crowding on in-store behaviors. (Doctoral dissertation, Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck). Retrieved from https://ulb-dok.uibk.ac.at/ulbtirolhs/content/titleinfo/7798337
Isiaku, L., & Adalier, A. (2024). Determinants of business intelligence systems adoption in Nigerian banks: The role of perceived usefulness and ease of use. Information Development, 40(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669241307024
Islami, M. C. P., Winursito, Y. C., Saputro, E. A., & Noviani, S. A. (2024). Analysis of the queue system in self-service using the ABC supermarket queue method. International Journal of Eco-Innovation in Science and Engineering, 5(1), 23-27. https://doi.org/10.33005/ijeise.v5i1.126
Jalandoni, M. E. (2023). An exploration on experience design: Developing an experience concept for pastry shops with mass customization. Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland. Retrieved from https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/811741/Jalandoni_Mary.pdf?sequence=2
Jarrar, S. M. (2026). Cultural influences on customer experience in modern grocery retailing: Evidence from Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Engineering Technology Research and Management, 10(1), 326-334. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18350607
Jithu, M. R. (2024). A study on training and its effect on sales performance in Cedar Retail PVT Limited. Naipunnya Business School, India.
Köklü, D. S. (2022). Technological advancements in the retail industry: Perceptions and preferences of Portuguese consumers regarding supermarket brands and checkout methods: The explanation of the mystery shopping experience and the survey design of perceptual mapping. Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Portugal. Retrieved from https://run.unl.pt/entities/publication/44d98a95-2660-4027-b701-ba476d6125f1
König, L. S. (2025). Optimizing retail environments for older adults: Insights into customer behaviour and organizational performance. Administrative Sciences, 15(4), 120. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15040120
Lee, C., & Hammant, C. (2024). How could businesses with anchor positioning contribute to community wellbeing? A study of supermarket community support actions in the UK. Wellbeing, Space and Society, 6, 100188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wss.2024.100188
Mantratzis, P., Tsiotras, G., Tsironis, L. K., & Gotzamani, K. (2023). Exploring the impact of supermarket store layout and atmospheric elements on consumer behavior: A field research study in Greece. Journal of Operations and Strategic Planning, 6(2), 131-151. https://doi.org/10.1177/2516600X231203492
Marikyan, D., Pantano, E., & Scarpi, D. (2023). Should I stay or should I go? Benefits of crowd-checking technology for a face-to-face shopping experience. Spanish Journal of Marketing-ESIC, 27(1), 20-38. https://doi.org/10.1108/SJME-11-2022-0225
Martín-García, A. V., Redolat, R., & Pinazo-Hernandis, S. (2022). Factors influencing intention to technological use in older adults: The TAM model application. Research on Aging, 44(7-8), 573-588. https://doi.org/10.1177/01640275211063797
Mehta, T. C., & Shah, B. (2023). Study on effects of perceived crowding in retail spaces and futuristic design solutions for positive consumers’ experience and retention. Onomázein, 61, 405-415. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387186946_Study_On_Effects_Of_Perceived_Crowding_In_Retail_Spaces_And_Futuristic_Design_Solutions_For_Positive_Consumers'_Experience_And_Retention
Mwinuka, N. N. (2023). The impact of waiting lines on customer satisfaction in tourism companies. In Shaping the sustainable future: Trends and insights in economics, business, management, and information technology (p. 130). https://doi.org/10.24071/icebmr.v2i1.198
Nguyen, K., Le, M., Martin, B., Cil, I., & Fookes, C. (2022). When AI meets store layout design: A review. Artificial Intelligence Review, 55(7), 5707-5729. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10462-022-10142-3
Nouzri, O., & Ejjami, R. (2024). Integrating artificial intelligence in autonomous cashier systems: A study on functional schema design and its impact on supermarket operations. Journal of Next-Generation Research 5.0, 1(1), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.70792/jngr5.0.v1i1.9
Okoye, J. N., & Nwokike, C. E. (2024). Service quality and consumer patronage in Roban Stores, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria: Content analysis. Indonesian Marketing Journal, 3(2), 110-128. https://doi.org/10.19166/imj.v3i2.8654
Pantano, E., Viassone, M., Boardman, R., & Dennis, C. (2022). Inclusive or exclusive? Investigating how retail technology can reduce older consumers’ barriers to shopping. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.103074
Park, H. J., & Zhang, Y. (2022). Technology readiness and technology paradox of unmanned convenience store users. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102523
Purcărea, T., Ioan-Franc, V., Ionescu, Ş. A., Purcărea, I. M., Purcărea, V. L., Purcărea, I., Mateescu-Soare, C., Platon, O. E., & Orzan, A. O. (2022). Major shifts in sustainable consumer behavior in Romania and retailers’ priorities in agilely adapting to it. Sustainability, 14(3), 1627. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031627
Rantala, A. (2024). Increasing customer flow in a café by marketing in a shopping mall. Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland. Retrieved from https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/870706/Rantala_Annika.pdf
Raosoft. (2004). Sample size calculator. http://www.raosoft.com/samplesize.html
Sagar, S. (2024). The impact of digital transformation on retail management and consumer behavior. Journal of Business and Management, 26(1), 6-14. https://doi.org/10.9790/487X-2601010614
Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs & Housing. (2024, February 14). Retail sector aiming for $122bn contribution to Saudi GDP by the end of 2024: Minister. Arab News. https://www.arabnews.com/node/2463276/business-economy
Schakel, E. H. (2023). Supermarket of the future-dealing with changing environments. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/382276686_Supermarket_of_the_Future_-_Dealing_with_Changing_Environments
Schappo, P. (2022). Public markets and social justice in cities: A South-North comparative study of markets’ social justice potential and the role of urban governance. University of Sheffield, United Kingdom. Retrieved from https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/31986/1/P.Schappo_PhD%20Thesis_2022_Library%20Version.pdf
Sholanke, A. B., Dimuna, K. O., & Olukayode, B. G. (2025). Evaluation of fire safety management strategies in selected shopping malls in Abuja, Nigeria. F1000Research, 14, 471. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.163375.1
Vignoli, M., Mazzetti, G., Converso, D., & Guglielmi, D. (2021). How workers’ emotional dissonance explains the association between customers’ relations, burnout and health in an Italian supermarket chain. La Medicina del Lavoro, 112(3), 200. https://doi.org/10.23749/mdl.v112i3.9907
Völkl, A. (2024). Examining the usability of self-service technologies in the retail sector. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2024.109721
Vyt, D., Jara, M., Mevel, O., Morvan, T., & Morvan, N. (2022). The impact of convenience in a click and collect retail setting: A consumer-based approach. International Journal of Production Economics, 248, 108491. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2022.108491
Wolniak, R., Stecuła, K., and Aydın, B. (2024). Digital transformation of grocery in-store shopping-scanners, artificial intelligence, augmented reality and beyond: A review. Foods, 13(18), 2948. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13182948
