An Empirical Analysis of Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction in the Gold Jewellery Sector

The gold jewellery industry in India holds immense cultural, emotional, and financial importance. This sector thrives not only on the quality of the products offered but also on the standard of service delivered to customers. Businesses in this industry must focus on delivering a seamless service experience that aligns with customer expectations, as satisfaction plays a crucial role in building loyalty and encouraging repeat purchases. his study aims to assess customer satisfaction and the quality of service provided by gold jewellery retailers. It focuses on various dimensions including consumer buying behavior, awareness of product quality (such as gold purity and hallmarking), availability of designs, customer perception, and their overall expectations. A significant concern within the industry is the lack of customer knowledge related to hallmark certification, color variations, wastage charges, gemstone use, and making charges. These service gaps often lead to dissatisfaction, despite aggressive marketing efforts by jewellery brands. With today’s businesses adopting innovative promotional strategies, customer attraction has become easier. However, the greater challenge lies in retaining customers through exceptional service delivery. Marketers must ensure that the services provided not only meet but exceed consumer expectations to maintain competitiveness. The study outlines several objectives: understanding how customers make decisions while buying jewellery, identifying their preferences and expectations, evaluating the key elements of service quality and satisfaction, and analyzing how these factors impact customer loyalty. Another critical focus is identifying the gap between what customers expect and what they actually receive in terms of service. The study uses a structured questionnaire to collect primary data from five zones in Gujarat—North, South, East, West, and Central. A convenience sampling method was adopted, targeting actual buyers of gold jewellery. Various statistical tools were applied for analysis, including the Kruskal-Wallis test, a non-parametric method suitable when data are not normally distributed, and the Chi-Square test, used to examine associations between categorical variables.