EFFECT OF SENSORY MARKETING ON CUSTOMER PATRONAGE IN SOUTH WEST NIGERIA (CASE STUDY OF KFC)

Abstract

In the quest of trying to understand consumers, recent approach influencing consumer patronage are becoming less of opinion and more of studying unconscious behaviors and human cognitive process through the five human senses. This study therefore examined how sensory marketing influences customer patronage in South West Nigeria. The study adopted an exploratory research design. Epistemology with positivism was the perspective of the researcher. The population of the study is the customers of KFC in Ikeja, Lagos and Bodija, Ibadan. Data were collected through questionnaire and interview from a sample size of 600 customers (300 for each eatery) and from 10 interviewees also from each selected eatery. The sampling technique was convenience sampling. The technique of data analysis was mixed method, using inferential statistics of regression analysis to test the hypotheses formulated. Content analysis was used for the interview data. The study found that sensory marketing influence customer patronage which ensures they retain and revisit in their memory when all their five senses are engaged during the process of buying products or services. Other eateries are advised to adopt sensory marketing approach in the management of their customer patronage as failure to do so may land them on the wrong side of history.