Adele Berndt, Sumari Tesnear
Abstract
Extensive research into CVPs has been conducted in industries but in the case of the leisure and retirement context, research has been limited to the perceptions of CVP by retirees purchasing retirement housing. Similarly, in the past decade, the retirement village accommodation market has been flourishing. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to explore the customer value propositions of retirement accommodation in South Africa, and specific value-delivering dimensions offered by the retirement facilities to retirees during their later life. This research was approached from an interpretivist paradigm. Due to the study’s exploratory nature, text-based data were collected from a senior citizens accommodation website providing information on retirement accommodation. Use was made of a combination of quantitative and qualitative content analysis to interpret the text on these websites.
The propositions contain specific aspects (e.g., medical and security services, leisure services) which are deemed to be of relevance to a specific target group. It is important that the CVP reflect the values and preferences of customers, requiring facility management to have a clear understanding of retirees’ needs. Not satisfying these needs can result in negative word-of-mouth and dissatisfaction among the residents.