Practices and experiences: challenges and opportunities for value research

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to distinguish experiences from practices and relate this distinction to current developments in value research within service‐dominant (S‐D) logic and the broader service domain.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides a conceptual overview of how experiences and practices have been characterized in the literature to date, how they differ from each other, and if and where they intersect. Following this, the epistemological and methodological differences between practices and experiences are illustrated using narrated experiences and practical observations of car‐washing.FindingsWhile practices are primarily routinized patterns of behaviour, experiences focus more on individuals' value determinations in different contexts. Thus, different types of methodology are needed to observe customers' behaviour in value‐creating practices and interpret customers' sense making of value experiences.Research limitations/implicationsBoth phenomenological value experiences and value co‐creation practices contribute to value research: while practices are the shared possession of the collective, internal and individual differentiation is included in practices. Practices may change or evolve over time, possibly resulting in improved value outcomes or experiences. Opportunities and challenges should be considered by value researchers including the temporal nature of practices and experiences, evidence about value, and the intersubjectivity of social relations.Practical implicationsTo better facilitate individual experiences and collective practices, service providers need to understand both experiences and practices in order to co‐create value with individuals and their networks.Originality/valueThis study is the first systematic attempt in service research to present an analysis of the distinction between experiences and practices, and to analyze the relevance of this distinction for value research.

Customer value and customer loyalty: Is competition a missing link?

“…A service is a source of experience from the consumer's perspective (Ostrom et al, 2010). This study answers the call for more research on consumer consumption experience and practices (e.g., Helkkula et al, 2012;Solomon et al, 1985;Verhoef et al, 2009). The value of the current research is that it extends our understanding of the customer value-customer loyalty relationship under different viewpoints.…”

Conceptualising Customer‐to‐customer Value Co‐creation in Tourism

“…The C‐D logic in marketing suggests that in order to remain competitive in a volatile marketplace, organisations should focus solely on the customer (Heinonen et al ., ) and the co‐creation practices and experience in his or her own social context. Nevertheless, there is still little clarity around the differences between the ontological and epistemological assumptions inherent in C‐D logic's perspectives on co‐creation (Helkkula & Kelleher, ). Paradigmatic foundations of value creation through social experiences and practices are therefore critically discussed in this section.…”

“…Consequently, value assessments become more than individual and subjective. A number of co‐creation studies conducted within various interaction‐rich consumption contexts therefore draw on social construction theories (Berger & Luckmann, ), to help shift emphasis away from customers' subjective perceptions and to focus on value that is socially constructed (Helkkula & Kelleher, ; Holt, ; Korkman, ; Warde, ).…”

Customer experience in omni-channel banking services

“…The literature features various definitions of customer service experience (Gentile et al, 2007) emphasising the elements of service process, process effects and outcomes, and customer participation (Tynan and McKechnie, 2009). A common denominator of the definitions and research on customer experience is the emphasis on the individual's mental processes and personal interpretations (Helkkula et al, 2012). According to Helkkula and Kelleher (2010), service experience contains the consumer's previous, current, future and imaginary experiences that develop and change continuously.…”