Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between vision attributes and content, and customer and staff satisfaction in Thai retail stores, taking into account vision realization factors of vision communication, organizational alignment, motivation of staff and empowerment of staff. Design/methodology/approach – Variables of vision attributes and content, vision communication, organizational alignment, motivation of staff and empowerment of staff were derived from the literature. Data were from store managers, staff and customers of 126 apparel stores in Bangkok. These variables were tested for significant relationships through regression analyses. Findings – Vision attributes is an indirect predictor of improved staff and customer satisfaction. Visions containing images about leadership were positively correlated with customer satisfaction. Motivation of staff is the only direct predictor of enhanced staff satisfaction, while vision, empowerment of staff, organizational alignment, and vision communication are four indirect predictors of improved staff satisfaction. On the other hand, vision, vision communication, empowerment of staff, motivation of staff, and staff satisfaction are five indirect predictors of enhanced customer satisfaction. Practical implications – Retail store managers should develop a store vision characterized by the vision attributes and containing reference to market leadership. They should communicate their vision, align organizational components with the vision and empower and motivate staff according to the vision. Originality/value – While vision is core to vision-based leadership theories, little is known about what characterizes an effective vision. This study explains this unknown.