Title: Customer expectations about the service offered by fitness centres in Natal/RN: a study under the perspective of the analysis of clusters

Authors: Evadio Pereira Filho; Domingos Fernandes Campos; Marcel L. Ribeiro Dantas

Addresses: Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Norte, 1692 Nilo Bezerra Ramalho Street, 59015-300, Natal, Brazil ' Potiguar University, 295 Floriano Peixoto Avenue, 59012-500, Natal, Brazil ' Potiguar University, 295 Floriano Peixoto Avenue, 59012-500, Natal, Brazil

Abstract: The article evaluates the expectations of fitness centre customers in Natal/RN under the perspective of customer groups determined by sociodemographic and motivational factors (natural clusters) and also of groups established by a statistical analysis of clusters (statistical clusters). The study is based on the responses collected from 986 customers of fitness centres in the local market. The results revealed that the patterns of expectations between the natural clusters, taking category by category, were similar in terms of priorities, diverging, however, at the level of expectations. It was detected that the heterogeneity among statistical clusters was marked by different levels of expectations, and not by the aforementioned aspects.

Keywords: fitness centres; customer expectations; cluster analysis; Brazil; customer service; gym services; sociodemographics; motivation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSOM.2015.070880

International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 2015 Vol.22 No.1, pp.1 - 20

Received: 15 Feb 2014
Accepted: 06 May 2014
Published online: 31 Jul 2015 *

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