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Experiential purchases, such as movies, theme parks, and vacations, represent a unique, and exceedingly popular, type of marketing behavior. Despite the increasing popularity of purchased experiences, the question of what makes one experiential purchase superior to another remains elusive. Using a multimethod, grounded theory approach, the authors perform two qualitative studies that reveal high-quality experiential purchases are composed of five dimensions: uniqueness, fun, escapism, servicescape quality, and social congruence. Next, an empirical model of experiential purchase quality (EPQ) and its outcome variables is tested in two different settings. The results find support for the EPQ conceptualization and uncover that a high-quality experiential purchase can positively influence braggart word of mouth, nostalgia, and self-connectedness to the experience while also lowering price consciousness perceptions to repeat the experience. A comparison of short and long experiences found that customers put a heavier weighting on concepts such as escapism and social congruence in shorter experiences where longer experiences had a heavier emphasis on the servicescape and perceptions of fun. From a managerial perspective, our results highlight that a one-size-fits all approach in experiential management is problematic. Managers need to understand that customers have different evaluative criteria depending on the length of an experiential purchase.

Self-service technologies (SSTs) can help firms reduce labor costs while providing more channel options, but customers must be convinced of their value before foregoing a full service alternative. To understand how customers evaluate an SST, the authors conducted three studies to analyze the importance of convenience in the evaluation process along with exploring what constructs ultimately influence customers' need for human interaction with an SST. Surveying both users' experiences with an SST and also nonusers' perceptions of an SST, a comprehensive analysis was undertaken to assess the perceived benefits of using an SST. In Study 1, the authors found that convenience had a strong positive effect on the perceived accuracy, speed, and exploration intentions of an SST. Building on these results, Studies 2 and 3 reveal that SST users have a lower need for interaction when they are satisfied with an SST, while nonusers' trust perceptions had the greatest influence on the need for human interaction during an SST transaction. The authors discovered that user satisfaction can be enhanced by focusing on the speed and accuracy of an SST, whereas nonusers' perceptions of accuracy and exploration increased the trust placed in an SST.

Nonresponse error is a topic that draws little attention but can dramatically affect the ability to generalize results of a research study. The authors carried out an empirical investigation that took a critical look at the marketing discipline to see how nonresponse error was being addressed in three of the top five marketing journals. The data for this study consisted of a content analysis of all articles from the Journal of Marketing , the Journal of Marketing Research , and the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science from 1999 through 2003 to determine if and how nonresponse error was being addressed in academic marketing research. This article details the findings of this content analysis, i.e., what measures are being used to assess nonresponse error along with the literature cited in support of these measures. The article concludes with an overall analysis of how well this topic is being addressed along with further suggestions for assessing nonresponse in the field of marketing research.

To managers of companies with a Web presence, an awareness of how customers perceive service quality is essential to understanding what customers value in an online service transaction. Previous research in e-service quality has primarily focused on the interaction of the consumer and the Web site while missing the big picture that e-service quality is composed of more than Web site interactivity. The goal of this article is to extend the work on e-service quality to encompass not only Web site interactivity or process quality but also outcome quality and recovery quality. A conceptual framework of e-service quality is proposed and empirically tested that combines process, outcome, and recovery dimensions. Contrary to previous service quality studies, formative instead of reflective indicators are used to conceptualize e-service quality. This study found empirical support for the use of formative indicators and the three-dimensional approach to conceptualizing e-service quality.

For most organizations, the ability to adapt a service experience is the responsibility of frontline employees (FLEs). Previous research on adapting or customizing a service has focused much of its attention on the internal motivations or predispositions of FLEs to adapt a service. However, the ability to adapt a service experience is often a function of management setting expectations and allocating appropriate resources. Regardless of the FLE's internal motivation, service providers need to educate employees on how and when to adapt a customer's service experience. Drawing on role theory, our study focuses on how mangers can promote adaptive behaviors with FLEs. Our findings identify two major processes in adapting a service experience: (1) recognition of customer needs through employee empathy and anticipation and (2) creation of alternatives to meet those needs through employee creativity. To further examine the managerial influence on adapting a service, we explore how the perceived service climate of the organization and employee empowerment influences FLEs' ability to adapt a service. Results of our study indicate that perceived service climate has a larger impact on recognition of customer needs, while empowerment has a stronger influence on the creation of alternatives. From a managerial perspective, this research highlights that adaptive behavior can be fostered in FLEs and is not solely dependent on hiring the "right" people who are predisposed to adapt. The findings of our study have implications for business practice in managing service encounters, employee empowerment, and training.