Using netnography research method to reveal the underlying dimensions of the customer/tourist experience

Abstract

Purpose -The interest in customer experience has increased at a phenomenal rate. However, research to capture the true meaning of the concept is limited. Therefore, this study aims to address the question of what are the underlying dimensions that constitute the construct of customer experience. Design/methodology/approach -The netnography method is utilized to validate a priori concepts that have been identified in the literature within the tourist industry in Egypt. Findings -The results identified eight dimensions; comfort, educational, hedonic, novelty, recognition, relational, safety and beauty, which are consistent with major studies on experience.Research limitations/implications -The focus of the study was on customer reviews that were written in English and posted online. Therefore, care should be taken when interpreting these findings.Practical implications -This study attempted to gain a meaningful degree of understanding of customer experience construct. The results suggest a number of implications for service, marketing and brand managers. The knowledge of customer experience and the challenge of creating great customer experience are of utmost importance. Many marketers acknowledge the importance of customer experience, but they have very little knowledge of what the components are of customer experience. Originality/value -Netnography has not been widely used as a marketing research technique.

Analysis of the Customer Experiences with Netnographic Investigation: A Cappadocia Region Five-Star Hotels Case

“…These dimensions are comfort, pleasure, innovation, awareness and feeling of enjoyment. These dimensions are consistent with past academic studies (Shoemaker, 1989;Otto andRitchie, 1996, Pine andGilmore,1999;Poulson and Kale, 2004;Ismail 2011, Rageh et al, 2013. The findings show that all of the five dimensions of customer experiences take an important place in obtaining a positive customer experience, but the most important dimension is found to be 'awareness".…”

“…As part of the customer experience, feeling of enjoyment may be felt for the nature or may arise in relation to the offered possibilities. The obtained data is consistent with Rageh (2013).…”

Northern Lights Instead of Workers’ Rights: Volunteer Working Tourists in Finnish Lapland

“…With traditional research methods, the known presence of a researcher can affect and interfere with the normal practices of everyday life (Hammersley & Atkinson 1995). Netnography has also been used in research on tourist experiences (see Rageh et al 2013), demonstrating a similar approach as this research, minus the added precarious work perspective in analysis this research uses.…”

The importance of brand architecture in business networks

“…Thus, the corporate brand is fundamental, while the product brand is to all intents and purposes irrelevant (Kim and Kim, 2005). Second, following the tourism experience economy literature (Pine and Gilmore, 1999;Pencarelli and Forlani, 2002;Forlani, 2005;Andersson, 2007;Jennings et al 2009;Morgan et al 2009;Rageh et al, 2013), we must remember that a firm operating in the tourism industry is a system which always works within two types of 'supra-systems':…”