This paper presents the results of a comparative analysis of managers' and customers' perceptions on the service level provided by distribution companies. The results came from two surveys applied to small grocery retailers and vendors active in an urban area with 750,000 inhabitants. The study compares the perceptions of customers and managers related to the degree of importance of attributes in marketing and logistics service. The study analyses questions about managers' perceptions of strategy and service quality provided by their companies. The data obtained from customers and managers were hierarchized, compared and analyzed, business to business, according to the attributes of the offered services. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were applied to evaluate the gaps among managers' and customers' perceptions.
Supply chain management; Logistics; Distribution; Customer service; Small grocery retailers
