Abstract
Although research suggests that physical elements of the servicescape play an important role in the service process, there is little research on the impact of tangible objects that companies give to consumers such as membership cards, pens, mugs, or fashion articles. Drawing on research about embodied cognition, this paper investigates how and under which conditions the provision of tangible service objects affects consumers. Three experimental studies were conducted, in which participants received different objects they could either touch or just see. These studies indicate that touching a service object metaphorically translates into a perceived mental connection towards the service. More specifically, physically connecting to a service object leads to a stronger psychological connection to the corresponding service, which, in turn, increases behavioral intentions. The results also demonstrate that providing a tangible object only has an impact when the object is of high aesthetic appeal. These findings suggest that providing tangible service objects is an effective way for service providers to build an emotional connection with potential customers and to strengthen the emotional connections of existing customers.
Highlights
Imagine that you are looking for a mortgage and have made an appointment with a local bank
The results indicate that behavioral intentions towards the service are mainly driven by the touch manipulation and a subsequent psychological connection to the service as opposed to individuals’ psychological ownership of the object
H2 proposes a case of moderated mediation, in which aesthetic appeal moderates the impact of touch on psychological connection, which, in turn, influences behavioral intentions
Summary
Imagine that you are looking for a mortgage and have made an appointment with a local bank. When asked to either think of a product or a service regularly used, participants perceived the specified services as significantly less graspable compared to products and indicated a significantly weaker connection to their service providers than to their product providers. To address such challenges, research has argued that the servicescape (i.e., the physical facilities where the service takes place) can help consumers to grasp and evaluate a service (Wakefield and Blodgett 1999; Bitner 1992). Research has found that servicescape elements such as a building’s design and decor do have an influence on the perception of the servicescape itself and shape perceptions of service quality dimensions and overall service quality (e.g., Baker et al 2002; Wakefield and Blodgett 1994)
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