Antecedents and Consequences of Customer Experience in Beverage Establishments

It is estimated that there are approximately 42,000 beverage establishments in the U.S. whose annual revenue surpasses $20 billion (First Research, 2014). To facilitate discussion of beverage establishments, it is essential to recognize beverage establishments as businesses whose majority of sales come from alcoholic drinks (Moss, 2010a). In this research, beverage establishments are divided into beverage-only bars, bar/entertainment combinations, and food and beverage combinations. Even though they are a well-established industry, beverage establishments have received little academic attention (Moss, 2010b). For example, previous studies have given little attention to the development of the model that examines the relationships between quality attributes, convenience, perceived price fairness, customer experience, and customer loyalty in beverage establishments. However, current research in other service sectors has showed that quality, pricing and convenience have a strong effect on customer experience and behavioral intentions (Baker & Crompton, 2000; Cronin et al., 2000; Taylor & Baker, 1994; Tian-Cole, Crompton, & Willson, 2002; Woodside et al., 1989). Quality is tightly related to customer experience since it positively affects customer satisfaction and therefore company\u27s profitability (Hallowell, 1996). This study has the following objectives: (1) to develop an instrument to measure the antecedents of customer experience in beverage establishments; (2) to examine the relative importance of different antecedents of customer experience in different types of beverage establishments; and (3) to build a model of various antecedents of customer experience in beverage establishments. This study was conducted in six phases. The first phase was the analysis of previous literature regarding quality attributes, convenience, perceived price fairness, customer experience, customer loyalty, and beverage establishments. The second phase was a development of mixed methodology research design. The third phase was the data collection based on interviews with management of beverage establishments, customer focus groups, and a survey of customers of beverage establishments. The fourth phase was a pilot study that involved a refinement of the study instrument. The fifth phase was a main quantitative study based on the survey design. The results from each qualitative and quantitative phase of the study were integrated and analyzed. The results from the instrument development part of the study identified the following eleven antecedents of customer experience in beverage establishments: (1) service quality, (2) product quality, (3) physical environment design, (4) physical environment layout, (5) music quality, (6) social environment, (7) information convenience, (8) location convenience, (9) parking convenience, (10) entrance fee fairness, and (11) perceived price fairness. Additionally, the second instrument development study was used to recognize different customer experiential state dimensions. The factor structure included two customer experiential states: (1) the affective experiential state and (2) the cognitive experiential state. A comprehensive theoretical model that integrates different dimensions of antecedents of customer experience, customer experiential states, customer loyalty and the moderating affect of the type of the beverage establishment was developed. One of the most important findings of the study is the relationship between the social environment and the affective experiential state. The results of the study indicate that the majority of other antecedents of customer experience did not have a significant effect on two experiential states or that effect was relatively weak. However, social environment was the strongest predictor of customers\u27 positive emotions and therefore customer loyalty and behavioral intentions. Finally, the study results confirmed Oliver\u27s (1997) theory of customer loyalty by providing support for the sequential relationship between cognitive, affective, and conative loyalty. This study has several important theoretical contributions. Different antecedents of customer experience in beverage establishments were recognized and an instrument that measures these dimensions was developed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first scale specifically developed to measure experience in beverage establishments. Additionally, the importance of each of the antecedent of customer experience was examined in regards to their effect on customer experience. Additionally, an instrument that measures cognitive and affective experiential states was developed and was a foundation for the study model. Finally, this study integrates different customer experience and customer loyalty dimensions into a comprehensive theoretical model that could be applied and retested in other service settings

A quantitative study exploring the difference between gaming genre preferences

Abstract Although gaming technologies have been in use for more than thirty years, there is a lack of academic research in this area. Specifically, the purpose of this study is to identify the difference between age and gender in gaming genre preferences. A cross sectional online survey was administered with a sample size of 408. It was found that there is a statistical difference between age groups and their gaming preferences with the older generation focusing more on strategic gaming offerings while the younger generation tended to side more with action games. The findings of this study provide insights for game developers

A Framework For Sustainable Service System Configuration: Exploring Value Paradoxes With Examples From the Hospitality Industry

© 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: While innovative service systems may create substantial value for certain stakeholders, they often destroy value for others. This value paradox frequently leads to unsustainable service systems. The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of multiple theories to pinpoint and explain these value paradoxes, build a framework allowing potentially more sustainable value configuration of service systems and develop an agenda for future research. The framework is illustrated with examples from the hospitality industry. Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws on prevalent theories and approaches, including service-dominant logic, business modeling, transaction cost economics, stakeholder theory, configuration theory and set theory, to develop a value configuration framework. Findings: In a service system, the configuration of resources and relationships between these resources (i.e. the set of value propositions for various stakeholders of the system) determines which stakeholders will gain and which will lose and to what extent. For that reason, insight into the range of possible service configurations – or business models – will help decision makers consider the effects on various stakeholders, and, where possible, set their priorities right and make their businesses more sustainable. The research produces a rich research agenda. Research limitations/implications: Examples from hospitality allow an in-depth examination of a range of dynamic configurational and technological innovations, but some idiosyncratic characteristics of the context may impede the wider applicability of the conceptual framework. Future research could complement this work by studying other service sectors. Practical implications: The paper aims to provide decision makers in the service industry with a conceptual tool to explore, diagnose and, if needed, adjust the value configuration of their service operations. In practice, this tool may help explicate the service system configuration, thus helping managers determine their organizations’ desired positioning in terms of value creation and destruction, and to choose strategic directions by adapting configurations. Social implications: Legislation and regulations are being adapted to various new service configurations. This paper attempts to – at least conceptually – distinguish different service configurations, allowing policy makers to identify the value trade-offs between stakeholders, including society at large. Originality/value: Previous research focused primarily on value creation by innovative services and business models. Value creation for one stakeholder, however, could lead to value destruction for another. Taking this paradox into consideration may result in more open service ecosystems that explicitly consider sustainability and value implications in multiple dimensions and for a broader group of stakeholders

The Effect Of The Type-Pricing Strategy On Perceived Price Fairness And Behavioral Outcomes In Beverage Establishments

Lately, beverage establishments have grown in popularity by generating over US$18 billion in annual revenue in the United States, however research on this industry is very limited. The main purpose of this article is to investigate the influence of pricing strategies for beverage establishments on price fairness and the subsequent behavioral outcomes. In this article, we used a sequential transformative mixed method design. The first part of the study involved interviews with the managers of beverage establishments and a focus group study. In the second part of this study, a theoretical model was tested with an experimental design. The findings suggest that regular customers should be rewarded with more stable prices, while prices can be more varied for low-patronage customers. As one of the first empirical studies in the context of beverage establishments, the results of this study broaden the understanding of pricing strategies in the context of beverage establishments and serves as a foundation for further research. © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Ltd

The Application of Revenue Management in Beverage Operations

In recent years, beverage establishments have grown in popularity among millions of people seeking leisure activities, nightlife attractions, and entertainment venues. Despite the prevalence of this well-established industry, beverage establishments have received little academic attention. The present study was designed to compare basic revenue management principles and characteristics with existing beverage establishments and suggest adaptations of those principles in the context of those beverage operations to optimize prices of their food and beverage products and entrance fees. This study involves a qualitative approach based on the interviews with 20 beverage operations managers from the United States and Europe

The Effect of Ambiance, Food, and Service Quality on Restaurant Customer Behavioural Intentions

Purpose– The purpose of this paper was to investigate the relationships between restaurant quality attributes and customer behavioral intentions.Design/methodology/approach– An experimental design was chosen to provide a high level of internal validity. Three separate 3 × 2 factorial design experiments were conducted through 18 separate vignette scenarios for three levels of quality (below average, average and above average) of three common restaurant attributes (food, service and ambience) in two types of restaurants (quick service and upscale).Findings– The results indicated that the type of restaurant moderated the relationship between restaurant service and ambience quality and customer behavioral intentions.Practical implications– The results of this study suggest that management of quick-service and upscale restaurants should focus on food quality, but establish different resource allocation priorities with respect to service and ambience quality.Originality/value– This study examined the linearity of the relationships between three common restaurant attributes (food, service and ambience) for three levels of quality (below average, average and above average) in two types of restaurants (quick service and upscale)

Online Experiences: Flow Theory, Measuring Online Customer Experience in e-Commerce and Managerial Implications for the Lodging Industry

The past decade has perceived a significant development of various Internet technologies including HTML5, Ajax, landing pages, CSS3, social media and SEO to name a few. New web technologies provide opportunities for e-commerce companies to enhance the shopping experiences of their customers. This article focuses the phenomenon of online experiences from a services marketing aspect by concentrating online hotel booking. Successful lodging management strategies have been associated with the creation of experience, which in turn leads to fruitful performance outcomes such as superior financial performance, enhanced brand image, customer loyalty, positive word of mouth and customer satisfaction. E-commerce researchers and practitioners also focus on the phenomenon of online customer experiences. Plentiful of previous studies investigated the precursors and consequences of positive online customer experiences by utilizing various marketing and Information Systems theories, and it was found that online customer experience has numerous positive outcomes for e-commerce companies. This study analyses the previous studies on customer experiences by utilizing flow theory and develops a conceptual framework of customer experiences. Later it proposes and tests a measurement model for online customer experiences. Our findings indicate that for successful e-commerce practices, online shoppers need to reach a state of mind where they engage with the website with total involvement, concentration and enjoyment. The traditional approaches to attract customers in brick-and-mortar commerce are not applicable in online contexts. Therefore, interaction, participation, co-creation, immersion, engagement and emotional hooks are important in e-commerce. Managerial and theoretical implications of positive online customer experiences were discussed

The Role of Demographics in Predicting e-Loyalty in Social Network Websites

Although there is a considerable amount of research on loyalty in ecommerce settings, the number of studies that have examined loyalty behavior in social networking websites is scarce. Loyalty is an essential construct for social networking websites as the users generate the content in the website. The competitive scene of social networking websites created the critical issue of user loyalty. This research investigated the impact of demographic characteristics to e-loyalty in social networking websites. An online questionnaire was sent to a systematic sample of 500 participants. Study findings highlight that the most important demographic determinant of social networking website loyalty is income. On the other hand, gender has no significant impact to the loyalty. Based on findings, management of social networking websites can develop different strategies that foster loyalty for different demographic segments

FDA Ruling and Nutritionally Focused Menus: Alternative Strategies to Comply with the U.S. Federal Guidelines

Research indicates that 65% of Americans over the age of 20 years old are considered overweight. To address this public health issue, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed new nutritional guidelines for restaurant menus. This study includes development and redesigning of drive-thru menus to comply with the FDA guidelines. An experiment was conducted using real drive-thru menus from selected nationwide chains complying with FDA ruling and alternativenutritionally focused menus. The first set of experimental menus includes presentation of calorie information for all menuitems offered. The second set of experimental menus includes color coded calorie specific menu categories (low, regular, and high). The obtained results indicated that the experimental nutritionally focused drive-thru menus were preferred significantly over the FDA format menus (control group). Consumers made healthier choices (low calorie menus) more often with the experimental menus over the FDA suggested format. In addition, consumer preference was higher for the experimental menus in ease of reading, layout, and convenience over the FDA suggested menu format

Assessing Faculty Productivity by Research Impact: Introducing Dp2 Index

Assessing hospitality faculty-research output has become a subject of research in its own right. Unfortunately most of the currently available assessment instruments are limited in their ability to consider consistency, productivity, originality, and longevity of productivity in hospitality research. Thus, this article introduces a new research productivity index using secondary sources of data for evaluating faculty research productivity, based on four criteria: quantity, quality, consistency, and longevity. The proposed Dp2 index uses publicly available secondary data sources in assessing the research productivity of hospitality faculty. The proposed Dp2 index is parsimonious, effective, flexible, adaptable, and easy to implement.Dev5_Assessing_faculty.pdf: 401 downloads, before Aug. 1, 2020