Aikaterini Manthiou, Van Ha Luong, Kafia Ayadi and Phil Klaus
The experience of leaving the real world and entering a virtual service environment makes many individuals happy. This study heeds the call by multiple researchers to…
Abstract
Purpose
The experience of leaving the real world and entering a virtual service environment makes many individuals happy. This study heeds the call by multiple researchers to conceptualize, interpret and illustrate the impact of the perceived service experience in the metaverse in a holistic way. In particular, this study aims to understand how the consumption of experiences is perceived in a metaversal space.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors analyze mega virtual live events with famous artists broadcast in virtual worlds. The authors take a big data approach and include two studies to gain insight into the online public audience’s perceptions and experiences in the metaverse. In the first study, the authors analyze text from YouTube with Leximancer. In the second study, the authors go one step further to refine the conceptual model from Study 1. The authors scrutinize additional Facebook comments using seeded Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA).
Findings
The findings reveal that the meta service experience (MEX) encompasses four dimensions: immersion, metascape, immediacy and hedonism.
Originality/value
This research provides important guidance not only for consumer behavior scholars but also for service marketers and event planners. The study proposes research opportunities to advance service experience research in the metaverse.
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Phil Klaus, Karen Edwards, Daniela Norvik, Aikaterini Manthiou and Van Ha Luong
This study aims to explore the transformative potential of universal design (UD) principles in changing servicescapes to enhance consumer experiences and foster inclusive…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the transformative potential of universal design (UD) principles in changing servicescapes to enhance consumer experiences and foster inclusive practices across various sectors.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing from existing literature and research findings, this study offers a review of inclusive servicescapes and service practices through the lens of UD. The investigation spans multiple domains to highlight the impact of UD principles on inclusivity and societal welfare.
Findings
This research delves into the theoretical and practical contributions of UD principles, showcasing their application in diverse sectors to enhance citizenship experiences. This study presents valuable insights for businesses and service providers, emphasizing the significance of UD in improving societal well-being and fostering inclusivity.
Research limitations/implications
This study broadens the theoretical framework of UD, showcasing its versatility across various sectors and reinforcing its contribution to enhancing societal inclusion. By analyzing the interplay between UD principles and inclusive servicescape practices, this study highlights UD’s transformative impact on enriching citizenship experiences and fostering a deeper sense of belonging. Drawing from seminal works, this research not only adds to the understanding of UD’s role in promoting inclusivity but also strengthens the linkage between UD and inclusion theory, advancing the discourse on design's pivotal role in facilitating societal participation and crafting inclusive environments.
Practical implications
The findings of this study provide practical guidance for businesses and service providers to incorporate UD principles into servicescapes and service practices, enhancing consumer experiences. By referencing examples from education, retail and digital domains, this study offers insights for organizations seeking to create more inclusive and accessible environments.
Social implications
The societal implications of incorporating UD principles into marketplace practices are significant, promoting societal inclusivity and acceptance of diversity. By emphasizing the role of UD in fostering inclusive servicescapes, this study contributes to societal initiatives to ensure inclusivity and accessibility in the marketplace, ultimately enhancing the well-being of individuals with diverse abilities and promoting a more equitable society.
Originality/value
Building on existing literature, this study expands the understanding of UD and its potential impact on citizenship experiences. By anchoring the research on established perspectives and incorporating practical examples, this study offers original insights into the transformative power of UD in creating more inclusive and equitable societies.
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Volker Kuppelwieser and Phil Klaus
This paper aims to focus on service research methods and highlights the need to treat method parts similar to the theoretical parts in papers.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to focus on service research methods and highlights the need to treat method parts similar to the theoretical parts in papers.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors discuss current methodological topics and reflect on their own way of crafting method parts.
Findings
The authors provide recommendations on how to treat and enhance service-marketing research methods.
Originality/value
This paper aims to start discussions about methods in service-related papers, either from an editorial, reviewer or author’s perspective.
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Muhammad Farrukh Abid, Amjad Shamim, Park Thaichon, Sara Quach, Junaid Siddique and Maheen Iqbal Awan
This study examines the roles of retail experience quality dimensions, customers’ in-shop emotion valence and in-shop involvement valence in shaping the holistic retail customer…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the roles of retail experience quality dimensions, customers’ in-shop emotion valence and in-shop involvement valence in shaping the holistic retail customer experience.
Design/methodology/approach
We conducted a total of 25 interviews with customers who have used services at non-fuel retail stores in Malaysia, commonly known as tuckshops, which are located adjacent to fuel stations. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, which led to the identification of key themes and categories that informed the development of our conceptual framework.
Findings
This study identifies three dimensions of retail experience quality: physical surroundings experience quality, interaction experience quality and service innovation experience quality. These dimensions, which were previously unexamined, are shown to influence customer evaluations based on their interactions with the retail environment, employees and digital applications. Additionally, the study finds that these dimensions impact customers’ emotions and involvement valence, suggesting that even with negative experiences, high involvement and overall positive perceptions can still occur.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to the literature in several ways. First, it identifies key retail antecedents that shape how customers interact with, interpret and evaluate the quality of their retail experiences. Second, it examines the complex nature of customers’ in-store emotions and involvement valence, highlighting the coexistence of positive and negative emotions in certain retail contexts. Third, the study offers practical insights for retail firms, urging them to adopt a holistic approach in addressing customer emotions and involvement across diverse retail service channels.
Originality/value
The study introduces new dimensions of retail experience quality and develops a framework linking these dimensions to customer emotions and involvement valence. Unlike previous research that has focused on either positive or negative aspects in isolation, this study offers a comprehensive view of how mixed emotions and involvement can impact the overall retail experience. It provides both theoretical insights and practical guidance for creating more balanced and engaging retail experiences.
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Michelle Mielly, Phil Watson Eyre and Felix Hubner
International Entrepreneurs (IEs) increasingly cross borders to internationalize their activities, yet the various motives driving them into foreign markets are insufficiently…
Abstract
Purpose
International Entrepreneurs (IEs) increasingly cross borders to internationalize their activities, yet the various motives driving them into foreign markets are insufficiently understood vis-à-vis the public agencies striving to attract them. Our study proposes a consideration of their interplay by contrasting the various mobility rationales of IEs with those of the investment agencies striving to capture their talent.
Design/methodology/approach
Empirically, we concentrate on firms selected for funding in the French Tech Ticket, a competitive program designed to incentivize international start-ups to set up business in regional clusters across France. Using a longitudinal qualitative approach, we conducted two separate rounds of semi-structured interviews with IEs, public agency managers, and incubator staff members using thematic analysis of participant narratives on mobility.
Findings
Our findings point to diverging narratives on mobility, with an overarching opportunity-centrism on the part of the entrepreneurs and a general location-centrism emanating from the regional agencies. These contrasting visions of mobility are not mutually exclusive but rather present along a mobility continuum that generates contrasting logics.
Practical implications
Implications for policy and practice are provided for the investment agencies crafting policies and committing resources to attract mobile international entrepreneurs. While past IE mobility may correlate with the likelihood of present and future movement, our dual settler-explorer continuum model demonstrates that a binary separation of explorers and settlers is too simplistic: explorers may be subject to settler impulses and settlers can still be drawn to exploration and nomadism. We also provide insights for IEs seeking support in their international development and mobility and the particular advantages a given host economy can offer by identifying an overarching proximity-to-distance rationale for explorers, including the common “host-as-stopover” intermediary rationale.
Originality/value
We theorize this incommensurability as an expression of the current complexity of international mobility and policymaking, revealing a “next-frontier” expansionism in cross-border movement that requires more deliberate consideration.