Dual effect of sensory experience: engagement versus diversive exploration

Abstract

Purpose. The objective of this work is to examine the dual effect of sensory experiences on customer behaviour in the context of retailing. Based on the theoretical framework of the optimal stimulation level theory, the authors propose that sensory experiences reinforce satisfaction, engagement, and loyalty, but increase customers’ diversive exploration and curiosity for other experiences and may eventually led to reduced loyalty. Design/methodology/approach. A self-administrated online questionnaire was distributed via email to 1,000 households in a Spanish town, and 325 usable responses of supermarket customers were collected. The hypothesized relationships were tested using the partial least squares approach. The analysis is extended with an experiment in online fashion stores that explores whether a varied sensory experience reinforces consumers’ diversive exploration. Sixty-eight students participated in the study. Hierarchical regression analysis is performed to analyse the results of the experiment. Findings. Findings support the notion that a pleasant sensory experience increases customer satisfaction and therefore their engagement and behavioural loyalty (exclusivity) towards the retailer whilst also generating more ambitious consumer expectations vis-à-vis the shopping experience and thus encouraging them to search for new retailers and, so, to be less loyal. Research implications. This research warns of the risk of increasing customers’ expectations and reducing their loyalty; hence indicating that satisfaction is not enough. Retailers should consider offering new experiences and so surprising customers every so often by attempting to curtail the effect of satiation or over-arousal. Originality/value. The novelty of this study is the proposal of a twofold effect of sensory experience on loyalty; a positive effect, through satisfaction, and a negative effect, through the search for new experiences.