Objective: This study aims to investigate the impact of experiential marketing on the consumer's intention to revisit the brand, evaluating each stage of their perception process in the experiences of consuming hamburgers in fast-food restaurants. Fifteen hypotheses were developed to test whether experiential marketing practices and service quality lead to immediate customer satisfaction through experiential value and, consequently, whether immediate customer satisfaction induces positive post-purchase behaviour. Also, this research investigated the differences between experiences in places belonging to a large or a small restaurant chain.
Methodology/approach: Data were collected through a survey resulting in 442 respondents in the Portuguese context, and a Structural Equation Modelling was applied.
Main results: Empirical results revealed that some of the strategic experiential modules (namely sense, feel and relate perception) and the service quality perception positively impact the experiential value, either on its functional or emotional dimension. These impacts also depend on whether the experience occurred in a restaurant belonging to a large or a small restaurant chain. Additionally, results showed that immediate customer satisfaction induces positive post-purchase behaviour.
Relevance/originality: This study will support managers by offering empirical support to implement experiential marketing strategies specifically targeted to their type of establishment.
Management or social implications: This study can serve as a basis for future studies on the possible differences in the strategic experiential modules and the service quality perception when the model is applied to a service belonging to different groups.
; Mariana Alves Santos