The Role of Gender in Salesperson Perception

Retail is changing. Customer frequency is declining, and customer acquisition is presenting a new challenge. The situation is made more difficult by extended customer requirements, product information from Internet platforms and influences from the social environment. As a result, customer loyalty is a significant means of maintaining profitability for sellers, and a qualified sales workforce is an important factor in achieving company goals. This empirical study provides a critical assessment of this topic. Different sales styles and mood factors, distinct sales negotiations and gender were used for the evaluation. A video experiment was used as the basis for the empirical study which investigated whether the genders of the salesperson and the customer influenced the customer’s orientation, wishes and ultimately the conclusion of the purchase. The question of how a salesperson should behave towards customers is of considerable commercial relevance. The use of salespersons is an expensive instrument of sales policy and sales behaviour is a significant starting point for increasing sales and profit. Therefore, this paper analyses the most appropriate behaviour of salespersons affecting the perception of gender in the sales process, alongside possible differences in approach, and offers practical as well as theoretical conclusions.