Journal of Management and Business Solutions 3092-7226 In Press 2027 03 01 Salesperson Capabilities and Customer Outcomesin Istanbul’s Ready-to-Wear Retail Sector: A Cross-Sectional Customer Survey Salesperson Capabilities and Customer Outcomesin Istanbul’s Ready-to-Wear Retail Sector: A Cross-Sectional Customer Survey 1 14 EN Journal Article 2026 06 08 <p>This study examines associations between customers' perceptions of salesperson communication skills, product knowledge, and motivation/professionalism and two customer outcomes: satisfaction and loyalty. A cross-sectional survey was administered face to face and online to 300 customers of ready-to-wear retail stores in Istanbul, selected through convenience sampling. The focal analysis used 22 five-point Likert items measuring communication skills, product knowledge, motivation/professionalism, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty. Internal consistency was high across the five constructs (Cronbach's alpha = .838-.901). Communication skills (r = .691, 95% CI [.627, .746]), product knowledge (r = .637, 95% CI [.564, .700]), and motivation/professionalism (r = .715, 95% CI [.655, .766]) were positively associated with customer satisfaction. Satisfaction was also strongly associated with loyalty (r = .734, 95% CI [.677, .782]); all focal tests were significant at p &lt; .001. The findings indicate that customers who perceive stronger frontline capabilities also report more favorable retail experiences and stronger loyalty intentions. For managers, the results support sustained investment in communication, product-knowledge, and professional-service development. Because the design is cross-sectional, based on non-probability sampling, and relies on a single customer-reported instrument, the results should be interpreted as associations rather than causal effects.</p> https://www.journalmbs.com/index.php/jmbs/article/download/443/385