Dual effect of sensory experience: engagement vs diversive exploration

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the dual effect of sensory experiences on customer behaviour in the context of retailing. Based on the theoretical framework of the optimal stimulation level theory, the authors propose that sensory experiences reinforce satisfaction, engagement and loyalty, but increase customers’ diversive exploration and curiosity for other experiences and may eventually led to reduced loyalty. Design/methodology/approach A self-administrated online questionnaire was distributed via e-mail to 1,000 households in a Spanish town, and 325 usable responses of supermarket customers were collected. The hypothesised relationships were tested using the partial least squares approach. The analysis is extended with an experiment in online fashion stores that explores whether a varied sensory experience reinforces consumers’ diversive exploration. In total, 68 students participated in the study. Hierarchical regression analysis is performed to analyse the results of the experiment. Findings Findings support the notion that a pleasant sensory experience increases customer satisfaction and therefore their engagement and behavioural loyalty (exclusivity) towards the retailer whilst also generating more ambitious consumer expectations vis-à-vis the shopping experience and thus encouraging them to search for new retailers and, so, to be less loyal. Research limitations/implications This research warns of the risk of increasing customer’s expectations and reducing their loyalty; hence satisfaction is not enough. Retailers should consider offering new experiences and surprise customers every so often, attempting to curtail the effect of satiation or the effect of over-arousal. Originality/value The novelty of this study is the proposal of a twofold effect of sensory experience on loyalty, a positive effect, through satisfaction, and a negative effect, through the search for new experiences.

The influence of website quality and star rating signals on booking intention: Analyzing the moderating effect of variety seeking

“…Furthermore, the results suggest that travelers with a high propensity to seek variety are more demanding than those with a low variety seeking level. Individuals with a high variety seeking look for new experiences or stimuli to meet their OSL level; but, according to Lashkova et al (2019), sensory experiences associated with hedonic products (atmospherics and environment of the hotel, in this case) involve learning that generates higher consumer expectations, making consumers more demanding and leading them to seek new sensations. This is consistent with the results found by Lai and Hitchcock (2017), which show that the attributes that provided satisfaction to the guests varied depending on the frequency of accommodation (new, repeat and frequent travelers).…”

“…The propensity to seek variety also relates to sensation seeking, that is, the search for varied, novel and complex experiences or sensations and the desire to face risks in favor of Website quality and star rating signals on booking intention such experiences (Olsen et al, 2016). In the retail sector, Lashkova et al (2019) show that sensory experiences involve learning that generates new and higher consumer expectations, making consumers more demanding and leading them to explore or seek new sensations and alternatives.…”

The olfactory experience (in retail) scale: construction, validation and generalization

“…Philosophy and psychology literature studies (e.g. Connell and Lynott, 2016; Lashkova et al. , 2019) have identified human senses as an instrument for gathering information about the external world and for exploration (Lashkova et al.…”

“…Philosophy and psychology literature studies (e.g. Connell and Lynott, 2016;Lashkova et al, 2019) have identified human senses as an instrument for gathering information about the external world and for exploration (Lashkova et al, 2019). With the advent of the phenomenon of experiential marketing (Schmitt, 1999) and service experience (Hightower et al, 2002), the emphasis was laid on stimulating the customers' senses, feelings, thoughts and actions and relate the same to a company and its brands.…”

Visual aesthetics and multisensory engagement in online food delivery services

“…A sensory experience is an important determinant of customers' brand experience and a pleasant sensory experience enhances customer satisfaction, engagement and loyalty (Lashkova et al, 2020). In this study, we attempted to uncover the role of visual aesthetics of food items in online menus and the mechanism by which visual aesthetics engage consumers in multisensory experiences and influence purchase intention when they use online food delivery services through a mobile app.…”