Using Exploratory Factor Analysis with Principal Component Analysis to Identify Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction with Private Pharmacy Services in Al-Marj City

Abstract

This study aims to identify the underlying dimensions and latent factors explaining customer satisfaction with private pharmacy services using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The study utilized data collected through a questionnaire comprising 20 variables designed to measure customer satisfaction, administered to a sample of 139 respondents. To assess the suitability of the data for factor analysis, the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity were employed. The KMO value was 0.924, indicating a high level of sampling adequacy and the suitability of the data for factor analysis. Bartlett’s test also revealed statistically significant correlations among the variables, supporting the appropriateness of conducting factor analysis.

Following the application of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Varimax rotation, three principal factors representing the underlying dimensions of customer satisfaction were identified. The first factor, Service Efficiency, comprised variables Y9–Y16. The second factor, Trust in the Pharmacist, included variables Y1–Y8. The third factor, Customer Care and Responsiveness to Customer Needs, comprised variables Y17–Y20. These findings indicate that customer satisfaction with private pharmacy services can be explained by three main dimensions: service efficiency, trust in the pharmacist, and customer care and responsiveness to customer needs. These dimensions provide a statistical basis for developing a more concise and clearly structured scale for assessing customer satisfaction with pharmaceutical services and identifying key areas for service quality improvement.