Gaining satisfaction and trust in buyer-supplier relationships in the Mauritian textile industry

This study investigates how far Mauritian textile and clothing (T & C) suppliers are involved in building close and long-term relationships with their customers as part of their strategyto stay competitive in an increasingly turbulent environment. Based on a modified model initially developed by Rexha (1998), two conditions, satisfaction and trust, are advanced as being crucial to reap the benefits of close buyer–supplier relationships. As per the model, close buyer–supplier relationships start with satisfaction. Once this is achieved, it is important to elevate the relationship by including the element of trust so that this close relationship can lead to such outcomes as increased customer retention rates, reduction in cost of serving each customer, better tailoring of product or service, and increased number of referrals. A mail questionnaire was sent to a sample of 100 T& C firms and a response rate of 41 per cent was achieved within three weeks in 2002. It was found that the firms surveyed were particularly focused on ensuring customer satisfaction, making little tangible and intangible investments necessary to build trust in their customer relationships.