Impact of service error type on negative emotion and negative consumer response

Abstract

From the perspectives of social-emotional selectivity theory, service error type, and cultural values differences, this study proposes a theoretical framework and explores the impact of service error type on negative emotion and negative consumer response as well as moderating variables such as product involvement and consumer age. In addition, due to differences in the ethnicity and religion of consumers in Western countries, their consumption cultures and values are greatly different. Given this, the application of conclusions and management implications may be limited. Thus, this study explores consumers in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore who have related languages and cultures, to compare the similarities and differences that affect the negative consumer response after service error. The empirical study was conducted in two stages. In Stage I, the critical incident technique was applied and the data obtained by using the critical incident technique were used as the reference for the design of questionnaire data to be empirically confirmed by a quantitative data analysis method. With consumers of major department stores in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore as the sample, the consumers’ response to service errors was explored by the historical consumption experience. The purposive sampling method was applied for sampling and the effective recovery rate was 38.9%. The empirical results suggest that (1) consumers are more likely to perform negative consumer response in the case of process error than with outcome error; (2) when outcome error occurs, consumers of individualistic propensities are more likely to perform drastic negative consumer response than consumers with collectivistic propensities; (3) when process error occurs, consumers with collectivistic propensities are more likely to perform drastic negative consumer response than consumers with individualistic propensities; and (4) process error can generate more negative emotions than outcome error. In general, when consumer age increases, the intensity of the negative emotion decreases. Consumer age appears to moderate the relationship between service error type and negative emotion. When consumers are older, process error increases negative emotion more strongly than outcome error. Finally, when service error occurs, consumers with a higher degree of product involvement are more likely to perform drastic negative consumer response.