Engaging the customer with augmented reality and employee services to enhance equity and loyalty

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to understand customer equity and loyalty using augmented reality (AR) and employee services in a physical retail environment. The current study investigated how customers’ experiences with AR-based and employee service affect their satisfaction, equity and loyalty.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual framework was developed by reviewing AR and employee services literature. The Smart PLS-SEM technique was used to test the responses of 620 Chinese respondents empirically.FindingsThe findings provided valuable insights into AR and employee services in a physical retail environment. Customers are more inclined to use AR services in the current business climate.Research limitations/implicationsThis study’s sample was drawn from a single city, with a total of 620 respondents, which may not be a complete representation of China as a whole. As a result, the results may not be generalizable to a single city.Practical implicationsRetail brand managers should emphasize implementing innovative technologies in the physical retail environment to retain and attract customers. Pandemic consumers are opting for innovative technologies as part of their shopping experience due to changes in business models.Originality/valueThe researchers recognized AR and employee services as innovative domains in physical retail stores because they can increase sales, customer equity and loyalty. As a result, the framework results are precious to practitioners interested in implementing such innovative technologies for retail stores.

Augmented reality is the new digital banking – AR brand experience impact on brand loyalty

“…Notably, this study marks a pioneering milestone, as it embarks on an unprecedented exploration of the AR brand experience within the distinct segments of married and unmarried respondents. Our findings unequivocally affirm that AR continuous intention experiences a substantial boost, with AR app satisfaction serving as the direct catalyst for the augmentation of brand loyalty—an observation that harmonises seamlessly with prior research (Dacko, 2017; Butt et al. , 2023).…”

“…This, in turn, sets in motion the trajectories of sustained intention and unwavering brand loyalty, particularly within the dynamic landscape of Pakistan's banking sector (Raza et al, 2020) study marks a pioneering milestone, as it embarks on an unprecedented exploration of the AR brand experience within the distinct segments of married and unmarried respondents. Our findings unequivocally affirm that AR continuous intention experiences a substantial boost, with AR app satisfaction serving as the direct catalyst for the augmentation of brand loyalty-an observation that harmonises seamlessly with prior research (Dacko, 2017;Butt et al, 2023). This research serves as a torchbearer in illuminating the intricate dynamics that underpin user engagement and loyalty in the ever-evolving landscape of mobile AR banking apps.…”

“…AR is an innovative technology revolutionising consumer behaviour (Chylinski et al. , 2020; Asad Butt et al. , 2023).…”

Advancing customer experience through service design in mega shopping malls

“…According to the "cognitive-affect-behavior" model, "cognitive evaluations and affective responses," like customer experience and satisfaction, lead to loyalty intentions and behavior. Likewise, as per Mehrabian and Russell (1974), in the "stimulus-organism-response" model, environmental factors, including experiencerelated stimuli, influence a customer's emotional state (organism), thereby affecting approach or avoidance responses in terms of their loyalty toward retailers (Butt et al, 2023;Lin and Bennett, 2014). Previous researchers have acknowledged the retail and shopping mall experience as a crucial intervening element in numerous retail service encounters, where mall personality, service quality, shopping value and atmosphere positively impact the behavioral outcomes of visitors (Mohd-Ramly and Omar, 2017).…”

“…Previous research in this field has been restricted to conceptual discussions or anecdotal evidence (Akama, 2015; Andreassen et al ., 2016), thus making this research a significant contribution to the field. Thirdly, this study identifies that customer experience is not only a strong driver of intention to revisit and desire to stay at shopping malls (Butt et al ., 2023; Elmashhara and Soares, 2022), but it also mediates the relationships between service design and intention to revisit and desire to stay at malls, respectively. To our knowledge, studies on retail business have not examined these mediating relationships.…”