Physical Servicescape Research Articles

Physical and Social Servicescape: Impact on Customer Affection and Behavior at Full-Service Restaurants

ABSTRACT This study utilizes Stimulus Organism Response (SOR) theory to examine how customer, employee, and physical servicescape affect consumer behavior in full-service restaurants, as well as how customer affection mediates, and gender moderates these effects. We managed to collect 308 valid responses, which we further analyzed through structural equation modeling. The data supported the idea that customers, employees, and physical servicescape favorably affect customer affection, which in turn influences revisit intentions and WoM. Customer affection also mediates the effects of the three servicescape dimensions on WoM and revisit intentions. Males were more affected by employee servicescape and customer affection. Whereas females had a larger effect of customer servicescape on customer affection; other differences were insignificant. Within the SOR theory, we added customer affection as a mediator and gender as a moderator between servicescapes’ dimensions and behavioral outcomes (e.g. WoM and revisit intentions).

Understanding the influence of physical servicescape on consumers’ intentions to revisit dessert stores using the SOR model

The rise in dessert consumption in Asia, especially in Malaysia, has captivated scholars seeking to understand the factors influencing consumers’ intentions to visit dessert stores. Hence, this research aims to investigate how the physical servicescape affects consumers’ emotional experiences, encompassing feelings of pleasure and arousal, thereby impacting their intentions to revisit, all through the lens of the SOR framework. Data from a survey of 207 participants who visited dessert stores in the past were collected. Subsequently, the data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. This study finds that aroma and cleanliness exhibit a significant positive influence on pleasure, whereas both music and aroma have a significant positive influence on arousal. Lastly, both pleasure and arousal exert a significant positive influence on revisit intentions. This study provides insights to business owners, policymakers, and other key stakeholders by elucidating the significant determinants of revisit intentions.

The effect of social servicescape on price fairness and customer trust: a study in coffee shops

PurposeThe aim of this research is to determine the price fairness of the social servicescape and the effect of price fairness on customer trust. In this context, first of all, the effect of the social servicescape on price fairness and then the effect of price fairness on customer trust were tested.Design/methodology/approachThe universe of the research consists of people who visit Starbucks coffee stores. In the study, data were collected from 338 people who visited Starbucks coffee stores. The relationships between the variables were analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) Technique.FindingsAs a result of the research, it was concluded that employees, other customers and social crowds, which are from the dimensions of the social servicescape, do not have a significant effect on price fairness, the interaction between employee and customer, which is from the sub-dimensions of the social servicescape, has an effect on customers' perception of price fairness, and price fairness also has an effect on customer trust.Originality/valueThe important point in this research is to determine the effect of the social servicescape on price fairness, which has not been studied in the literature before. Although the effect of physical servicescape on price justice has been investigated, the effect of social servicescape on price justice has not been investigated. When evaluated from this point of view, it is thought that the research will have an important contribution to the literature.

Assessing the Millennials’ Intention Toward Green Fast Food Retail: The Use of the Theory of Planned Behavior

The existence of this interest can indirectly affect the existence of fast-food retail because of negative consumer perceptions related to fast-food retail. Therefore, several fast-food retailers have offered eco-friendly products, in great demand by Millennials. However, it is still rare for fast-food retailers to launch new outlets with green themes due to the adverse insight of fast food itself. It is also caused by data deficiency on consumer behavior intention towards green fast-food retail, even though the existence of this restaurant itself continues to increase, especially in West Java. Therefore, this study aims to examine the intention of millennial consumers in West Java’s green fast-food retail by applying the Theory-of-Planned-Behavior approach with the role of green knowledge, perceived green practices, perceived physical servicescape, and perceived price fairness. 402 respondents were gathered in this study by implementing TPB theory as the variable under study, supported by Green Knowledge, Perceived Green Practices, Perceived Physical Servicescape, and Perceived Price Fairness. A quantitative approach is employed and processed using SPSS and Smart-PLS. Based on the results, the company's green practices, physical service scape, and price fairness affect consumer behavior control which leads to a positive influence on consumer behavior intention in green fast-food retail. Another result proved that green knowledge has a positive and significant impact on consumer attitude

The impact of ski servicescape on tourist loyalty: evidence from Chinese market

ABSTRACT With the rapid development of the Chinese ski tourism industry, there has been a surge in public enthusiasm for participating in ski tourism. However, ski tourists exhibit a low per capita skiing frequency, indicating room for improvement in their loyalty. Based on Stimulus-Organism-Reaction (SOR) theory, this study examines the impact of ski servicescape on tourist loyalty, positing that physical servicescape, social servicescape and social symbolic servicescape within the ski servicescape all exert a significant positive effect on flow experience and meaningful experience. However, natural servicescape does not demonstrate a significant effect on either flow experience or meaningful experience. Furthermore, both flow experience and meaningful experience significantly contribute to tourist loyalty. Additionally, the gender of ski tourist moderates the relationships between ski servicescape and tourist loyalty. The present study contributes to the existing research on servicescape and tourist loyalty by providing empirical evidence from the Chinese ski market, thereby offering a theoretical foundation and methodological guidance for the design and management of ski servicescape.

Servicescape insights in place of birth: from restorative servicescapes to co-curated transformative places

PurposeServicescape is well recognized by marketing scholars as a key influence in transformative service outcomes. However, the concept of enabling transformative health outcomes through physical servicescape design is often overlooked. The purpose of this study is to integrate marketing's servicescape research with birth territory theory and the enabling places framework, conceptualizing a Co-Curated Transformative Place (CCTP) framework.Design/methodology/approachThis cross-disciplinary conceptual paper uses three places of birth (POB) servicescapes for low-risk birthing women to ground the CCTP framework.FindingsPositioned within transformative service research, this study shows how POB servicescapes are CCTPs. The organizing framework of CCTP comprises four key steps founded on agile and adaptive co-curation of physical place resources.Research limitations/implicationsThis study extends the servicescape conceptualization to incorporate the continuum of terrain, introducing adaptive and agile co-curation of places.Practical implicationsThe materiality of place and physical resources in CCTP are usefully understood in terms of co-curated substantive staging according to service actor needs. The CCTP servicescape maximizes desired value outcomes and quality experience by adaptive response to service demands and service actors’ needs.Originality/valueTheoretical discourse of health servicescapes is expanded to focus on the material components of place and their foundational role in generating resources and capabilities that facilitate the realization of service value. In the CCTP, service actors flexibly select, present and adapt physical artifacts and material resources of the service terrain according to dynamic actor needs and service responsibilities, enabling transformative outcomes. Co-curation facilitates reciprocal synergy between other dimensions of place and servicescape.

The interplay between physical and social servicescape: investigating negative CCI

PurposeNegative customer-to-customer interactions (NCCI) occurring in physical service encounters can have a detrimental effect on a focal customer’s experience. This paper aims to explore how the interplay between the physical servicescape and the presence and behavior of other customers can lead to NCCI. Moreover, through an examination of customers’ responsibility attribution, the paper underlines the need for service organizations to manage this interplay.Design/methodology/approachThe authors rely on a mixed approach with two studies grounded in the Stimulus–Organism–Response paradigm. In a preliminary quantitative study, the authors test a model of the effects of NCCI on customers’ attribution and behavioral outcomes using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Next, in a qualitative study, they collect and explore NCCI incidents in eight service industries relying on the critical incident technique (CIT).FindingsWhen experiencing NCCI, customers attribute at least partial responsibility for their negative experience to the service provider. The findings of the CIT study reveal three interplay mechanisms leading to NCCI: when other customers’ behavior is triggered by the physical servicescape; when other customers’ behavior is incongruent with the behavioral norms set by the physical servicescape; and when the physical servicescape is altered by other customers’ misbehavior.Originality/valueThis paper provides a comprehensive, empirically grounded, understanding of the interplay between the physical and social servicescape, focusing on the presence and behavior of the other customers and its effect on the customer experience.

Influences of Servicescape on Customer Loyalty in Resort Hotel Industry: A Stepping-Stone for Future Studies By Expanding Place Attachment as Mediator

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the importance of servicescape in the context of the hotel industry, based on the holistic perspective, by examining physical servicescape, social servicescape and e-servicescape factors of the resort hotel environment. Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) theory, this study conceptually proposes a theoretical model that investigating the relationship among various elements of servicescape, place attachment and customer loyalty by considering internal and external environment of resort hotel servicescape. In addition, this study extends knowledge of place attachment as a multidimensional construct namely place dependence and place identity that treat as mediation role between servicescape and customer loyalty Methodology: To analysis the predicted propositions, further study is recommended to employ partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings: Centred on the S-O-R and Attachment Theory as theoretical backgrounds, this study proposes eight propositions, positing the relationships between servicescape and its consequences to place dependence, place identity and customer loyalty Implications for theory and practice: This research will add value to the related literature by filling the void of previous research and will provide practical implications for resort hotels managers on designing and maintain positive customer response with the underlying mechanism of attachment between resort hotel servicescape and customer loyalty Originality and value: Fulfilling an identified need to further develop the resort environment in hotel industry, this study proposes a conceptual framework of servicescape to investigate its effects on resort hotel customer’s attachment and loyalty.

From surviving to co-creating: the effects of the reshaped physical and social servicescape on customer citizenship behavior

ABSTRACT The pandemic has reshaped customer perceptions of the new normal with both the physical and social service environments. Surprisingly, however, how reshaped servicescape design affects customers, especially their value co-creation behaviors, has not been studied. Drawing on value co-creation and signaling theory, this research aims to examine the comprehensive effects of the physical servicescape (signages, partitions, and spatial density) and the social servicescape (other customer misbehavior) on customer citizenship behavior and revisit intention via the mediating roles of perceived competence, perceived ethicality, and other customer trust. This study conducts two between-subjects experimental design studies with both written and pictorial manipulations in restaurant and retail store contexts to increase generalizability for services marketing. Signages and other customer misbehavior promote customer citizenship behavior through perceived competence and ethicality while partition shows the mixed results on customer perceptions. This paper contributes to servicescape and customer citizenship literature by identifying how the servicescape affects customer citizenship behavior via customers’ perception. The findings of this current study also offer practical guidance as to how firms can be more strategic in design choices.

SURVIVING THE NEW-NORMAL: A STUDY ON PHYSICAL SERVICESCAPE AND VISITOR BEHAVIOR IN QUICK-SERVICE RESTAURANTS IN MALLS IN SURABAYA, INDONESIA

Purpose - The “new normal” is the period of adaptation during the pandemic COVID -19 that affects both daily and economic activities, leading to the application of strict health regulations in public places such as shopping malls, tourist sites and gastronomic areas. The appearance of the physical service landscape is adapted to the new normal health regulations. The aim of this study is to firstly investigate the influence of the new regulations with the mediating variable of physical service landscape on QSR visit intention. Second, this study aims to examine the influence of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) on QSR visit intention. Design/methodology - This study uses convenience sampling on mall visitors in Surabaya who also visit QSR during the COVID-19 pandemic, starting from July to December 2020. The study sample is 313 visitors which are acquired through questionnaires distributed both online and offline. The data will be analyzed using the technique PLS-SEM 3.0. Findings - Firstly, in the direct path, the results showed that the new-normal regulation significantly influences physical servicescape (exterior design, interior design, and QSR location). Secondly, TPB, which are attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control, significantly influence QSR visiting intention. In the indirect path, new-normal regulation significantly influences visitors’ intention towards the mediating variable of interior design, while in contrast exterior design and QSR location do not significantly mediate. Originality - This study specifically discusses the changes in the design of the physical service landscape since the implementation of the new-normal regulation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which both directly and indirectly influences the behavior of visitors in public areas. Research implication/practical implication - In terms of literature, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the healthcare service landscape, which interacts with both architecture and marketing, in terms of individual behavior. Furthermore, this study practically helps mall management in deciding the marketing strategy and QSR outlet management to survive in the pandemic by following applicable healthcare protocols.

Eudemonic Servicescapes: Value Co-Creation in Karate Dojos

Martial arts (“budo”) is a service system in which instructors and students co-create physical and mental values through training encounters in a physical servicescape—the dojo. We explored how actors develop eudemonic wellbeing in this servicescape. We selected the dynamics theory of perception of servicescapes as the theoretical framework to examine the process of behavior change based on the interaction between participants and the environment. We also employed service-dominant logic (SDL), which views services as a value co-creation process among actors, and we also employed transformative service research (TSR), which explores uplifting change to improve wellbeing. We collected data from the World Seido Karate Organization Seido-juku, which has been active worldwide for more than 40 years. We conducted interviews with 17 members and analyzed the secondary data. The results indicated that (1) the participants integrated the value co-creation learned through the training at the servicescape as a model for daily life, and (2) the servicescape created positive mental change in the participants and promoted their personal growth. Martial arts training in a dojo can enable participants to independently create a state of wellbeing at any time. It supports sustainable personal growth, and the dojo is perceived as a eudemonic servicescape.

Evaluating impacts of the physical servicescape on satisfaction in cancer care waiting experiences

This study evaluates waiting experiences in a cancer treatment context. It examines the effects of multiple servicescape dimensions, including the design, spatial layout and functionality of the physical surroundings alongside ambient conditions such as lighting and temperature, on visitor satisfaction. The study adopted a case-study strategy in a cancer and haematology clinic at a UK hospital. Scoping discussions with clinical staff, observations of the clinical environment and ‘walk-throughs’ were used to develop a survey to capture visitors’ expectations, perceptions and satisfaction with waiting experiences. Ambient conditions were shown to have a greater impact on satisfaction than the design and layout. Perceptions of wayfinding and privacy features, alone and in combination, were shown to influence satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Improving experiences of privacy and wayfinding can significantly improve overall satisfaction. Better management of these dimensions can help compensate for deficiencies in other areas of the physical servicescape.

Online student engagement and place attachment to campus in the new service marketplace: an exploratory study

PurposeThe pandemic has accelerated the use of virtual learning spaces and led to rethinking post-pandemic course delivery. However, it remains unclear whether students’ online engagement in e-servicescapes can influence attachment to a place, i.e. a physical servicescape. This study conducted an exploratory study to inform place attachment and actor engagement literature in an online service context.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative survey design was used and 98 usable responses were collected from undergraduate and postgraduate students at a major New Zealand university during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The questionnaire consisted of 23 items relating to three dimensions of online student engagement and 19 items referring to six dimensions of campus attachment.FindingsResults of the exploratory study indicate that classmate community in online lectures, referring to student–student interactions, can positively influence five of the dimensions of campus attachment, including place identity, place dependence, affective attachment, social bonding and place memory, even though students are physically not on campus. However, it cannot influence place expectation. Moreover, instructor community (student–instructor interaction) and learning engagement (student–content interaction) in online lectures have insignificant impact on campus attachment.Research limitations/implicationsThis study emphasises the social dimension when interacting in e-servicescapes. Person-based interactions are more influential than content-based interactions for student engagement. Educational service providers should integrate the e-servicescape and the physical servicescape by encouraging more student–student interactions to contribute to service ecosystem well-being at the micro, meso and macro levels.Originality/valueThis study indicates that customer-to-customer interaction serves to integrate customer engagement across the digital and physical realms for process-based services like education.

How is social capital formed across the digital-physical servicescape?

This paper examines how consumers create social capital in their interactions with other customers and service personnel while shopping in retail stores with both physical and digital locations. We draw on the servicescape literature to explore the role of social capital in determining the social realm in digital-physical servicescapes using data obtained from focus group discussions. Servicescapes encompass digital and physical store spaces and the interactions that occur within them. We demonstrate how customers utilise both the digital and physical servicescapes in a convergent manner to form the social realm of servicescapes with the other people in their service encounters. The implications of our findings provide guidelines on how the integration of the digital and physical channels facilitates trust, human contact, interpersonal relationships and networks of social exchange, which are collectively termed ‘social capital’.

항공기 객실의 확장된 서비스케이프가 고객만족 및 재이용의도에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study is to identify the impact on customer satisfaction and reuse intentions by dividing the aircraft cabin service environment into physical, social, and symbolic servicescapes. A total of 394 questionnaires were used for this analysis that passengers who boarded international flight within six months was used. Five physical servicescape (space, service item, ambient condition, physical image, safety sign), three social servicescape (cabin crew, passenger emotion, passenger similarity) and four symbolic servicescape (familiarity, same language, same culture, same life sentiment) in the aircraft cabin were found. The physical, social, and symbolic extended servicescape of the aircraft cabin were affected customer satisfaction and reuse intention and the Customer satisfaction were affected reuse intention. Throughout this study, the concept of extended servicescape in the cabin service environment of aircraft has been empirically studied. The results of the study will be of great help in developing service marketing strategies for airlines.

IPA기법을 활용한 골프장의 물리적, 사회적 서비스스케이프에 대한 중요도와 만족도 차이분석: 해석수준이론을 중심으로

IPA기법을 활용한 골프장의 물리적, 사회적 서비스스케이프에 대한 중요도와 만족도 차이분석: 해석수준이론을 중심으로

Hotel servicescape and customer citizenship behaviors: mediating role of customer engagement and moderating role of gender

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effect of hotel servicescape on customer citizenship behaviors “CCBs” by addressing customer engagement as a mediator and gender as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach A total of 619 questionnaires were collected from hotel customers. Structural equation modeling was applied for data analysis. Findings Customer engagement mediates the effects of physical and social servicescapes on CCBs of providing feedback to an organization, making recommendations and helping other customers. Moreover, the indirect effects of physical servicescape on the three types of CCBs through customer engagement are stronger for male than for female customers, whereas no significant gender difference is observed in those effects of social servicescape on these types of CCBs through customer engagement. Research limitations/implications This study can help hotels promote the three types of CCBs and customer engagement by creating wonderful physical and social servicescape elements. The major limitation is that this study collected survey data outside the hotel environment. Originality/value This study enriches current knowledge on the servicescape-driven responses by exploring how hotel servicescape elements affect the three types of CCBs through customer engagement. Additionally, the different moderating roles of gender in the indirect influences of servicescape elements on these types of CCBs are presented.

STHRSCAPE: Developing and validating a collaborative economy based short-term hospitality rental servicescape scale

This study develops a culture-specific servicescape measurement scale for collaborative economy based short-term hospitality rentals (STHRs) from a Chinese customer perspective, as some of the servicescape measures developed from a Western consumer perspective may not be applicable to Chinese consumers due to cultural differences. Dimensions of the servicescape of collaborative economy based STHRs (STHRSCAPE) were identified after text analytics of a total of 31,584 reviews for 6313 SHTRs. These dimensions were tested on Chinese STHRs customers using three sets of data. The findings revealed that the STHRSCAPE scale has two main dimensions, namely, the physical servicescape and the social servicescape. The physical servicescape dimension has 12 subdimensions, while the social servicescape dimension has four subdimensions. The STHRSCAPE scale developed in this study is expected to help hosts and marketers on both international and local STHR platforms to better understand the key aspects of physical and social servicescape dimensions that are valued by Chinese consumers.

A Study on the Effect of Servicescape in Physical and Social Environment of Beauty Salon on Customer Empathy

Hair shop also physical·society contact service to a change in the recognition of the modern people of the service environment is carried out The importance of the service environment is emerging. This service environment influences the psychological and emotional factors of the customer, and on the basis of theory, the service environment is likely to be able to share positive interaction communication emotions between the customer and the employee. It can be seen by analogy. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide the basic marketing materials for the development of hair shops and efficient service activation strategies. The physical and social service scapes of hair shops have a causal effect on customer empathy. I tried to investigate the relationship from a multidisciplinary perspective. In this study, we conducted an empirical analysis of 341 adult males and females in their 20s and 40s living in Gyeonggi Province using a self-imposed questionnaire as the final sample. The materials collected used the SPSS V.21.0 statistical program. The study results found the following: First, physical servicescape had a partial effect on customer empathy with statistical significance (p<.05). Second, social servicescape had a partial effect on customer empathy with statistical significance (p<.05).

항공사 물리적 서비스스케이프와 고객만족 관계에서 지각된 가치의 매개효과

항공사 물리적 서비스스케이프와 고객만족 관계에서 지각된 가치의 매개효과