Guest Editorial: Investigating the effect of the physical context on customer experience

Abstract

Purpose This editorial introduces a special issue of the Journal of Services Marketing, dedicated to papers discussing the effect of the physical context on customer experience. This study aims to identify diverse areas of extant knowledge, upon which researchers might draw when investigating the effect of the physical context on customer experience, to inform future research agendas. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on available literature, the authors argue that, as prior studies in diverse scholarly fields have explored the physical context, these bodies of knowledge may offer theories and constructs that meaningfully inform explorations of the effect of the physical context on customer experience. Findings The authors identify five marketing subdisciplines and six nonmarketing disciplines, each offering theories, constructs and perspectives which researchers might draw upon in future studies of the effects of the physical context on customer experience. Originality/value The authors develop a novel map which depicts the field of study of the effects of the physical context on customer experience, which scholars might use to inform future research design. In addition, the authors suggest several directions for future research.

Service robot acceptance in museums: an empirical study using the service robot acceptance model (sRAM)

“…Even within frontline service robot research, there is heavy emphasis on panel surveys (Chi et al , 2023; Huang et al , 2023) and online experiments (Kao and Huang, 2023; Lu et al , 2019). Responding to the call for more field studies to test the replicability of previous results (Shin, 2022), our field study, unlike those using hypothetical scenarios (Huang et al , 2023; Kim et al , 2022), captures real-time data from users, post-interaction with a service robot, providing authentic insights into social and relational dynamics (Bruce et al , 2023). Hence, our study not only validates but also enriches the applicability of sRAM in an authentic servicescape environment (Erdoğan and Enginkaya, 2023).…”

“…This contribution goes beyond mere validation; it underscores the importance of human-like cues in facilitating more natural and engaging interactions between consumers and service robots, thereby paving the way for more intuitive and satisfying user experiences. Third, our research marks a pioneering effort in operationalizing sRAM to collect and analyze data from actual users in a real-world service setting (Bruce et al , 2023). This not only demonstrates the applicability of sRAM in field studies but also provides a comprehensive view of consumer interactions with service robots, highlighting the practical implications for businesses aiming to integrate robotic technologies into their service offerings.…”

Metaverse: shifting the reality of services

“…However, customers evaluate the experience as they interact with the brand, employees, other customers and elements within the servicescape (Chandler and Lusch, 2015). The importance of understanding the impact of the customer experience cannot be overstated as it has been shown to enhance firm performance (Pine and Gilmore, 2011), increase customer retention (Gao et al , 2023) and be key to organizational success (Becker and Jaakkola, 2020; Bruce et al , 2023; Lemon and Verhoef, 2016). Through immersive digital technologies, the metaverse is able to meld the physical world with the boundaryless virtual world, thus enabling unique customer experiences.…”

How do physical and social servicescapes shape the effects of positive affective displays on customer purchase outcomes?

“…employees' dress color/race or store atmosphere) moderate the effects of employee positive affective displays. As service literature has called for research to explore how physical context influences employees' service processes (Bruce et al, 2023;Kearney et al, 2023), it is necessary to comprehensively clarify how organizations can leverage controllable contextual factors or environmental cues to enhance the effects of positive affective displays on service outcomes.…”