Consumption emotional experiences : an investigation of their design, outcomes, and underlying mechanism of action in the context of repeated services episodes

• Main Author: Paquet, Catherine, 1977-
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: McGill University 2007
• Subjects: Consumer satisfaction > Psychological aspects.; Customer services > Psychological aspects.
• Online Access: http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=102841

Despite many efforts to promote the importance of considering consumer experience, few studies have provided empirical evidence of their impact on immediate consumption outcomes and on their relationship with existing product/service design attributes, while considering the subjective nature of consumer experiences. In the present dissertation, we propose that important insights could be gained in building such evidence by considering research on emotions and rigorous empirical approaches that account for the subjectivity of the experience. Specifically, we propose a framework that builds on the consumption emotion literature and on functional theories of emotions and that is based on a Bayesian approach that takes into consideration individual differences in emotional experience. The framework rests on four core elements: (1) assessment of emotional experience emerging over the consumption episode, (2) link between this experience and immediate evaluative and behavioral outcomes, (3) exhaustive consideration of potential eliciting factors among elements of the consumption object and environment, and (4) assessment of the added value of the experience elicited by the consumption offering and consideration of alternative influences of consumption emotions on consumption outcomes consistent with their functional values. === The framework was applied in the context of extended health services in which repeated consumption episodes were observed. Results show that emotional states that arise during consumption do impact satisfaction measures, but have a limited impact on consumers' immediate consumption behavior. These relationships however could not be explained by the added value brought by the experience, as no evidence for mediation by emotional experience was found between service attributes and consumption outcomes. Emotional states experienced either prior or immediately following consumption showed a superior ability to predict consumption outcomes, with their influence being tied to their respective informational and, to some degree, motivational functions. We also provide evidence that emotions experienced before and elicited during consumption moderated the impact of service attributes on both satisfaction and immediate consumption behavior. Results highlight the importance of considering emotional states experienced at any stage during consumption, but also the challenge of doing so with existing resources in the present context. Contributions, limitations, and future directions are also discussed.