Modeling service encounters and customer experiential value in retailing

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the impacts of service encounters on customer experiential value and subsequently on customer behavioral intentions in a shopping mall context in Taiwan.Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered using mall intercepts at three large shopping malls in northern Taiwan. Structural equation modeling was employed to assess the proposed research model empirically.Findings – The empirical results revealed that: personal interaction encounters positively influenced perceptions of efficiency and excellence value; physical environment encounters positively affected perceptions of playfulness and aesthetics; and all dimensions of customer experiential value (i.e. efficiency, service excellence, playfulness, and aesthetics) positively affected customer behavioral intentions.Originality/value – Following Bitner's suggestion in 1990, the present study classified service encounters into two dimensions – personal interaction encounters and physical environment encou...