In service experiences, customers often look to create their own magic in the service environment, through interaction with other customers, not the producer of the experience (the provider) at all. The current study examines the bar environment, where hedonically-driven service encounter experiences are constructed, not by the provider, but by the social interactions of the consumers of the environment. The study surveys 130 consumers, measuring experiential, situational and social involvement levels in relation to consumption motivation and overall experience evaluation. The research finds that, while bar consumers are likely to be highly socially involved, they still need the company of close friends to become fully involved in the bar service experience. In addition, where atmospheric theory discusses the value of extraordinary or surprising service environments, consumers in the already hedonic bar environment may indeed prefer environments which are simply comfortable and consistent with their expectations (in regard to motivations to consume and overall positive evaluations).
Purpose - The study aims to provide the relationships between the social servicescape and customer’s emotion and voluntary behaviors were investigated in this study. The social servicescape was largely divided into service employee’s image and other customers (in customer’s similarity, physical appearance and suitable behavior). Firstly, the relationship between service employee’s image and customer’s positive emotion was investigated as a specific purpose of study. Secondly, this study attempted to understand the relationship between other customers (in customer’s similarity, physical appearance and suitable behavior) and customer’s positive emotion. Lastly, the relationship between customer’s positive emotion and customer’s voluntary behavior dimension (intention to cooperate, intention to participate in and loyalty) was examined.
Research design, data, & methodology – In order to prove the hypotheses in this study, the customers who have experienced family restaurants during the last two months were targeted for a survey. A total number of 300 survey papers were distributed and as a result, 248 papers could be used for analysis, except the papers with insincere answers. After the analysis of the reliability and validity of each major variable, the hypothesis was verified through the structure method by using Amos 20.0.
Results - First, the results of hypothesis testing on the relationship between social servicescape and customer’s positive emotion showed service employee image gives a positively meaningful impact on customer’s positive emotion. Secondly, the results on the relationship between other customers and customer’s positive emotion indicated that the customer’s similarity and physical appearance has a positively significant impact on customer’s emotion while customer’s suitable behavior has not a significantly positive impact on customer’s positive emotion Lastly, customer’s positive emotion was shown to have a significantly positive influence on customer’s voluntary behavior dimension, that is, intention to cooperate, intention to participate in and loyalty.
Conclusions - This study aims to focus on and emphasize the social servicescape and its importance, which is different from the previous studies that have been focused largely on physical servicescape. Such results in this study indicated the social servicescape (service employee’s image and other customers) as an important factor that affects customer’s positive emotion and voluntary behavior.