The concept of ‘customer experience’ has evolved as an imperative area of study within the marketing discipline. Despite its importance and the positive attention this concept has received during the last few years, the explanation of customer experiences have remained vague and lack a thorough theoretical foundation. Furthermore, practitioners across many industries claim that there is a connection between customer experience and loyalty, yet there is a paucity of research to validate this theoretical assumption. This study aims to address this gap in the literature and to facilitate better understanding of the concept of 'customer experience' and its antecedents and focus on brand loyalty as consequence from the consumer perspective. Accordingly, a mixed-method research design was adopted that consisted of two phases. The first phase involved a netnography study to gain better understanding of the notion of customer experience and refine a conceptual framework that has been developed on the basis of the existing literature. In the second phase this framework was tested by means of a survey of British customers to examine their experience with resort-hotel brands in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the survey responses. The structural model showed a very good fit to the data and good convergent, nomological and discriminant validity and reliability stability. The findings of this study identified four aspects of customer experience in the resort-hotels in Egypt; i.e. educational, aesthetics, relational and novelty. Those aspects are congruent with prior work in the tourism literature. Additionally, the study found that customers rely on some service cues such as: price, core service and WOM to predict and assess their experiences. The findings also indicated that perceived service quality has a mediating role in the relationship between customer-contact employees and core service and customer experience. A key contribution of this research is offering a robust model that explains the nascent phenomenon of customer experience and demonstrating that experience has a definite positive impact on brand loyalty. The use of netnography to identify customer experience dimension is also considered as a methodological contribution in the area of marketing research. Moreover, the present study adds novel perspective to the growing body of brand literature (particularly service brand) and suggests directions for future research. Finally, the study provides managerial implications for service managers to identify the experiential needs of their customer and properly design the customer experience.

Esse trabalho propõe-se a apresentar um modelo conceitual para avaliação da comunicação em franquias, a partir da criação de experiências diferenciadas para o consumidor no ponto-de-venda e consolidação das marcas que atuam nesse formato. Com o referencial teórico apresentado, pretendeu-se realizar um mapeamento sobre a evolução do marketing na tentativa de identificar elementos que promovam maior satisfação e envolvimento do consumidor através da comunicação integrada. Destacou-se também o processo de planejamento da comunicação e o maior entendimento da contribuição dos investimentos em comunicação no ponto-de-venda para o fortalecimento da marca, consolidação do posicionamento e construção de mecanismos de fidelização com clientes. O objeto de estudo foram empresas de franquia em função do rápido crescimento da receita e elevado número de lojas, como também por possuir uma comunicação integrada que contemple ações de ponto-de-venda fortemente associadas à marca. A pesquisa de campo caracterizou-se como uma pesquisa qualitativa em profundidade, buscando identificar como empresas que atuam no formato de franquia realizam os investimentos em comunicação, implementam tais ações e avaliam os resultados. Como resultados, pode-se identificar nas duas empresas analisadas dificuldade em avaliar e medir o retorno e contribuição das atividades de comunicação, em especial realizadas no ponto-de-venda, mesmo sendo hoje um importante ponto de contato para comunicação e realização de transações com consumidores e clientes. A análise dos casos e a revisão da literatura permitiram a elaboração de um modelo conceitual para avaliação da comunicação a ser utilizada conforme as dimensões dos franqueadores e franqueados, na geração de resultados e construção de mecanismos de fortalecimento das marcas e fidelização dos consumidores. Essa abordagem contribui para a consolidação dos estudos na área de avaliação e mensuração dos retornos de comunicação, bem como para o aprimoramento das atividades desenvolvidas por empresas de bens de consumo e serviços que atuam no formato de franquia ou até mesmo outros formatos que pretendem aumentar os investimentos em comunicação para o fortalecimento da marca e melhores resultados no longo prazo. / This study aims to present a conceptual model for the evaluation of communication in franchises, from creating unique experiences for the consumer at the point of sale and consolidation of brands that operate in this format. With the presented theoretical framework, it is intended to map on the evolution of marketing in an attempt to identify elements that promote greater satisfaction and consumer engagement through integrated communication. Also notable was the communication planning process and greater understanding of the contribution of investment in communication at the point of purchase to strengthen the brand, positioning consolidation and building loyalty mechanisms with customers. The object of study were franchise companies due to the rapid growth of revenue and the large number of shops, but also equipped with a communication that includes point-of-purchase actions strongly associated with the brand. The field research was characterized as a qualitative research, trying to identify how companies that work in the franchise format prepare investment in communication, implement such actions and evaluate the results. The results indicates that the two companies analyzed has difficulty in assessing and measuring the return and contribution of communication activities, in particular performed at the point-of-purchase, today is an important point of contact for communications and transactions with customers and clients. The analysis of the cases and the literature review allowed the development of a conceptual framework for the evaluation of communication to be used as the size of franchisors and franchisees in the generation of results and construction of strengthening mechanisms of brands and loyalty of consumers. This approach contributes to the consolidation of the studies in the area of evaluation and measurement of communication returns, as well as to the improvement of activities for consumer goods and services companies operating in the franchise format or even other formats aimed at increasing the investments in communications to strength the brand and better results in the long run.

Education is always seeing as the flash of enlightenment, reputing as the sign of bright future on career and life. Along with the globalization and economic development, higher education is facing fierce international competition, so the international cooperation programs come into fashion. China has the biggest population in the world. The education resources are relatively limited, so they are changing to respond the growing numbers of new applicants and the trend of globalization. My research bases on the background, to assess the links of customer value and customer experience between different university system performances.The research will cover the employee and customer relation via service delivery and receiving, educational quality and sustain the positive effect to the students’ future life. The conceptual framework comprises the field of business model, value proposition, customer experience, service quality, which are related to the research questions and the linkage of assessment. It is focused on customer value and customer experience by researching on two selected universities.The purpose of this thesis is to study whether the sino-foreign cooperative university model creates different customer value and customer experience through the comparison with traditional university model. The research data and information are collected by interviewing employees and students with research questions. Based on the acquired literatures, it comprehensively evaluates and compares the collected data and information. Then the thesis discusses the research questions by assessing the linkage of customer value and customer experience between new model university performance and traditional university performance.The paper concludes with how to deal with the found problems, challenges and give future suggestions for future research in this field.

The purpose of this study is to learn more about the consumers' interaction with companies over different channels. It is conducted from a consumer's point of view, but the insights gained through this study will help companies to design and build better services. In this context, the concepts of User Experience, cross-channel and Customer Experience provide a theoretical framework. The new approach in this study is to combine the three concepts, their framing and their identified design elements. This conceptual framing contains a list of design elements with a positive influence on the service experience. However, the conceptual framing provides no answers on how to apply these design elements. In the methodology part, possible approaches are discussed. The heuristic evaluation used in the two case studies is a method that takes all three concepts from the theoretical framework into account. With the first heuristic, it is possible to analyze single touchpoints like User Experience demands. The following heuristics are used within a cross-channel context. Finally, the last heuristic is responsible for the holistic perspective from Customer Experience. The case studies are then conducted to verify the applicability of the design elements with the heuristic evaluation. The findings of the study were positive and suggest that the heuristic evaluation is a suitable method to analyze a company's service offerings. Additionally, the case studies lead to results which are useful for the two companies (Migros and Nestlé). The overall conclusion of this study is that the three concepts complement each other very well. User Experience is responsible for well designed touchpoints. Cross-channel expands the perspective on ecosystems and evaluates how the touchpoints operate together. Finally, Customer Experience analyzes the whole company and its touchpoints on a heuristic perspective.

This organizational leadership thesis explored how becoming a learning organization could support Servus Credit Union's increased focus on sales to enhance the customer experience and adhered to the Royal Roads University Research Ethics Policy. An appreciative stance was applied within an action research methodology to enhance the understanding of what is involved in being a learning organization. Four interviews were conducted with external participants to learn from their experiences with learning organizations. An internal focus group was then conducted with Servus Credit Union District and Regional Managers to further explore what would be required to create an exceptional customer experience and to continuously improve. The following recommendations emerged from the research: involve employees in revitalizing the vision, mission, and values; integrate the vision, mission, and values into the performance management process; formalize a leadership development program; establish a cross-functional innovation team; and engage customers to understand their needs.

Esse trabalho propõe-se a apresentar um modelo conceitual para avaliação da comunicação em franquias, a partir da criação de experiências diferenciadas para o consumidor no ponto-de-venda e consolidação das marcas que atuam nesse formato. Com o referencial teórico apresentado, pretendeu-se realizar um mapeamento sobre a evolução do marketing na tentativa de identificar elementos que promovam maior satisfação e envolvimento do consumidor através da comunicação integrada. Destacou-se também o processo de planejamento da comunicação e o maior entendimento da contribuição dos investimentos em comunicação no ponto-de-venda para o fortalecimento da marca, consolidação do posicionamento e construção de mecanismos de fidelização com clientes. O objeto de estudo foram empresas de franquia em função do rápido crescimento da receita e elevado número de lojas, como também por possuir uma comunicação integrada que contemple ações de ponto-de-venda fortemente associadas à marca. A pesquisa de campo caracterizou-se como uma pesquisa qualitativa em profundidade, buscando identificar como empresas que atuam no formato de franquia realizam os investimentos em comunicação, implementam tais ações e avaliam os resultados. Como resultados, pode-se identificar nas duas empresas analisadas dificuldade em avaliar e medir o retorno e contribuição das atividades de comunicação, em especial realizadas no ponto-de-venda, mesmo sendo hoje um importante ponto de contato para comunicação e realização de transações com consumidores e clientes. A análise dos casos e a revisão da literatura permitiram a elaboração de um modelo conceitual para avaliação da comunicação a ser utilizada conforme as dimensões dos franqueadores e franqueados, na geração de resultados e construção de mecanismos de fortalecimento das marcas e fidelização dos consumidores. Essa abordagem contribui para a consolidação dos estudos na área de avaliação e mensuração dos retornos de comunicação, bem como para o aprimoramento das atividades desenvolvidas por empresas de bens de consumo e serviços que atuam no formato de franquia ou até mesmo outros formatos que pretendem aumentar os investimentos em comunicação para o fortalecimento da marca e melhores resultados no longo prazo. / This study aims to present a conceptual model for the evaluation of communication in franchises, from creating unique experiences for the consumer at the point of sale and consolidation of brands that operate in this format. With the presented theoretical framework, it is intended to map on the evolution of marketing in an attempt to identify elements that promote greater satisfaction and consumer engagement through integrated communication. Also notable was the communication planning process and greater understanding of the contribution of investment in communication at the point of purchase to strengthen the brand, positioning consolidation and building loyalty mechanisms with customers. The object of study were franchise companies due to the rapid growth of revenue and the large number of shops, but also equipped with a communication that includes point-of-purchase actions strongly associated with the brand. The field research was characterized as a qualitative research, trying to identify how companies that work in the franchise format prepare investment in communication, implement such actions and evaluate the results. The results indicates that the two companies analyzed has difficulty in assessing and measuring the return and contribution of communication activities, in particular performed at the point-of-purchase, today is an important point of contact for communications and transactions with customers and clients. The analysis of the cases and the literature review allowed the development of a conceptual framework for the evaluation of communication to be used as the size of franchisors and franchisees in the generation of results and construction of strengthening mechanisms of brands and loyalty of consumers. This approach contributes to the consolidation of the studies in the area of evaluation and measurement of communication returns, as well as to the improvement of activities for consumer goods and services companies operating in the franchise format or even other formats aimed at increasing the investments in communications to strength the brand and better results in the long run.

Banking through insufficiently coordinated and non-integrated channels (Multi-Channel) is slowly being discarded. With Omni-Channel banking, where channels are integrated and data and information are shared across cross channels, customers are in control of the channels they wish to use. Factors influencing the organisational decision to transition from Multi-Channel to Omni-Channel hasn't been fully explored. Is this decision responding to internal factors like efficiency improvements, or is it driven by external factors like customer demands, trying to enhance customer experience, gaining competitive advantage over the competitors, expanding the business by introducing new business models, or trying to gain access to smart technologies for financial benefit? This dissertation presents research findings into the investigation of factors that influence the organisational decision to transition from Multi-Channel to Omni-Channel banking. A positivist case study with inductive reasoning was adopted. Qualitative data was collected from a single organisation through interviews together with observations of the strategy documents between January 2019 and April 2019. An initial conceptual model was derived from the literature review to guide data collection, after which thematic analysis was used to analyse the data and develop an emergent theory. The key findings from the research study are that a customer centric approach informs the decision to transition. The customer is at the centre of the omni-channel strategy: that is through an enhanced customer experience or timeously responding to customer demands. Other factors are either enabling this strategy, like technological innovations, and efficiency improvements or are the outcome of the strategy like customer satisfaction, revenue or cost optimisation, and competitive advantage. The key implications are that organisations must pay more attention to the customer journey and ensure that they advance in the Customer Experience Capability Maturity Model. Most successful business transitions to the Omni-Channel strategy require a transformation in organizational culture, operations and processes, and the underlying technologies.

Customer experience in retail banking has become a key source of differentiation. Increased competition in the financial services industry and the global financial crisis caused financial institutions to find themselves in a difficult operating environment. A sustainable competitive advantage in the current environment cannot be achieved only through excellent service delivery, service quality and prices, but through the creation of memorable customer experiences. The current study expands on the conceptual framework for the creation of customer experience proposed by Verhoef, Lemon, Parasuraman, Roggeveen, Leonard and Schlesinger (2009). In this paper the nature and extent to which the determinants discussed by Verhoef et al. impact on the customer experience is assessed. Using a quantitative method, a survey questionnaire measuring customers’ perceptions about their experiences with the retail banking firms, was distributed to 1043 employees of the air transportation company. The study finds that the past experiences, brand and prices impacts more on customer experience than other determinants identified. The study also evaluates the impact of transformation and Black Economic Empowerment on customer experience. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Background: In the last 20 years, the retail industry has experienced a drastic transformation and the rise of e-commerce has resulted in a change in the retail business models. Thus, there has been a shift from the traditional single-channel format to a multi-channel format. A critical challenge that retailers face with the multichannel format is the concept of showrooming, where consumers visit the brick-and-mortar retailer to explore the assortment and thus utilise the services offered, but finally purchases the product online.     Problem: Brick-and-mortar retailers often consider showrooming as a threat regarding the act of free-riding which might lead to a loss of potential customers. However, opinions on how to conquer this undesirable behaviour vary. Previous research shares the underlying assumption that price is the critical driver for the consumers’ decision to perform showrooming. Although, there is no clear consensus on how to hinder this behaviour.   Purpose: The purpose of this study is to make sense of how customers’ in-store experiences affect showrooming in the clothing and footwear industry. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to beneficial theoretical retail knowledge as it investigates the underexplored research phenomenon of showrooming in a broad customer in-store experience context.   Method: To perform this research, a qualitative research design was applied and 15 semi-structured interviews with self-proclaimed showroomers were conducted.         Results: The findings declare that for a positive in-store experience to occur, it must be permeated by trust. When trust is achieved, the second critical factor of in-store experience in the context of showrooming concerns the availability. If these two factors of in-store experience are successfully managed, the desire to engage in showrooming decreases. These findings are visually demonstrated in a developed framework on page 49.

Nowadays, a hyper-connected consumer is not satisfied with using only one channel of everything the brand offers, but rather looks for the diversity of options to make their purchase. This research seeks to analyze how the customer experience is during the purchase process developed in the omnichannel strategy of the department store. The study used qualitative research methods to data gathering and analysis. To best capture customer experience, semi-structured interview, using open-ended questioning, was suited to data gathering. The participants were 13 customers who consented to be interviewed. Recruitment of participants concluded when data saturation occurred. It was evident how the omnichannel strategy works in a synchronized and positive way in the department store, without any interruption to consolidate the purchase.