Servicescape Factors Affecting Consumer’s Brand Image and Brand Loyalty: Focused on the General Hospital Industry in Korea

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the study is to provide tertiary medical centers or general hospitals in Korea with theoretical basis by analyzing the effect of servicescape factors, which will be helpful for medical institutions to enhance brand image and brand loyalty by consumers. Design: An empirical study Methods: To prove the model, I conducted a questionnaire survey analysis. Items for measurement have been extracted from several related studies on medical industry and some of other service industries. The survey target has been set by convenience sampling method and consists of citizens reside in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do Province, and total number of 165 samples have been analyzed. Factor analysis and reliability analysis have been conducted to verify validity and reliability, and for hypotheses verification, multiple regression analyses have been performed. Results: Servicescape factors consist of Pleasance(X1), Cleanliness(X2), Aesthetics(X3), and Equipment Recency(X4). To summarize the results of analyses, X1, X2, and X4 have been proved to have positive relations with brand image and all factors have been proved to have positive relations with brand loyalty. Also, brand image has been founded to affects positively to brand loyalty. Conclusions: Servicescape factors are significantly related to brand image and brand loyalty. So general hospitals should be aware of this and try to enhance servicescapefactors for attaining competitive advantage.