Exploring the UK high street retail experience: is the service encounter still valued?

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Resnick, S. ORCID: 0000-0002-4471-7594, Foster, C. ORCID: 0000-0003-2462-5155 and Woodall, T. ORCID: 0000-0002-8949-5577, 2014. Exploring the UK high street retail experience: is the service encounter still valued? International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 42 (9), pp. 839-859. ISSN 0959-0552

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijrdm-05-2013-0090

Abstract

Purpose: The relationship between service quality, the service encounter and the retail experience is explored within a changing UK retail environment.

Design: Data was gathered from forty customers and twenty staff of an established UK health and beauty retailer with a long standing reputation for personal customer service. A qualitative analysis was applied using both a service quality and a customer value template.

Findings: Customers focused more on the utilitarian features of the service experience and less on ‘extraordinary’ aspects, but service staff still perceived that the customer encounter remained a key requisite for successful service delivery.

Research implications: Recent environmental developments - involving customers, markets and retail platform structures - are challenging traditional service expectations.

Practical Implications: Retailers may need to reassess the role of the service encounter as part of their on-going value proposition.

Originality/value: There has been limited research to date on the perception of shoppers to the service encounter in a changing retail environment and to the evolving notions of effort and convenience.

Item Type:

Journal article

Publication Title:

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management

Creators:

Resnick, S., Foster, C. and Woodall, T.

Publisher:

Emerald Group Publishing

Place of Publication:

Bingley

Date:

2 September 2014