Ability of Experience Design Elements to Elicit Emotions and Loyalty Behaviors

ABSTRACT Experience design, an approach to create emotional connection with guests or customers through careful planning of tangible and intangible service elements, has gained popularity in many hospitality and retail businesses. With ever‐increasing competition, service providers seek to develop l...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Decision sciences 2004-08, Vol.35 (3), p.551-578
Main Authors: Pullman, Madeleine E., Gross, Michael A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
and Service Design
Behavior
Brand loyalty
Competitive advantage
Customer retention
Customer services
Design
Emotion and Loyalty Modeling
Emotions
Experience
Hospitality industry
Influence
Loyalty programs
Operations management
Psychological aspects
Retailing industry
Strategic planning
Studies
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Summary:ABSTRACT Experience design, an approach to create emotional connection with guests or customers through careful planning of tangible and intangible service elements, has gained popularity in many hospitality and retail businesses. With ever‐increasing competition, service providers seek to develop loyalty by aggressively designing, continuously innovating, and managing their customer experiences. This article explores the relationship between different service elements designed to create enhanced experience and customer loyalty. In addition, it looks at emotional responses as mediating factors between the physical and relational elements and loyalty behaviors. A model is proposed and tested with a VIP hospitality tent for an internationally renowned touring circus. Results of the study indicate that while a few design elements directly affect loyalty behavior, the relationship between most design elements and loyalty behavior is strongly mediated by eliciting certain types of emotional behavior. This connection has implications for the focus of service managers' efforts in different environments.
ISSN:0011-7315
1540-5915
DOI:10.1111/j.0011-7315.2004.02611.x