The Importance of the Service and Shopping Customer Experience in a Retail Environment

Abstract

The importance of the service and shopping experience has been gaining momentum in the service industry, with customers and their satisfaction with their experience being perceived as critical factors in service management. Despite researchers acknowledging the need to examine the service experience through the lens of the customer, there is still much to understand of antecedents and outcomes of service and shopping experiences. This article investigates: (1) the importance of “the customer-employee relationship” on the service and shopping experiences for different age and gender groups; and (2) the effect of the service and shopping experiences on customer satisfaction, loyalty, and intention to recommend. In Study 1, these relationships will be analyzed for experiences of the participants themselves. In Study 2, we asked the participants to evaluate a hypothetical controlled scenario of a certain service and shopping experience with a certain customer-employee relationship, and measure customer satisfaction, loyalty, and the intention to recommend. The results of Study 1 indicate that both consumers’ age and gender play a significant role in satisfying service and shopping experiences, which in turn can lead to increased consumers’ satisfaction, retention, and word-of-mouth communication about the service product and/or service provider. Study 2 shows that a negative service experience in a store can significantly be “restored” by a positive shopping experience in the store and vice versa, and that these results are not influenced by gender or age.