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Introduction
Service quality that meets consumer expectations can lead to positive cognition (e.g. awareness), affection (e.g. consumer attachment) and behavior (e.g. purchase intentions) (Al-Hawari, 2014; Anderson et al. , 2008; Black et al. , 2014; Chavan and Ahmad, 2013; Choy et al. , 2012; Liang et al. , 2013; Singh and Kaur, 2011). Among a myriad of factors that determine service quality, scholars are interested in post-consumption and emotions. Post-consumption is reported to be a major element in gauging consumers' service experiences (Chang et al. , 2014; Chua et al. , 2015; Comm and LaBay, 1996; Grace and O'Cass, 2001; Zeithaml and Bitner, 2000), but as suggested by some scholars (Du Plessis, 2009; Gelbrich and Sattler, 2014; Lacey, 2012; Lamb et al. , 2010; Oliver, 2015; Ostrom and Iaccobucci, 1995; Ottenbacher and Harrington, 2010; Tim et al. , 2010), evaluating these experiences is not an easy task because consumers are uncertain of how to assess the quality of the services they purchase. For instance, in the health-care industry, consumers may find it difficult to determine whether they are receiving the best medical treatment (Grace and O'Cass, 2004). Grace and O'Cass (2004) add that consumers' lack of knowledge leads them to rely on the expertise of others.
Evaluation of the service quality becomes even more complex when emotions are involved. A number of studies emphasize on the role of emotions in sectors such as banking, lodging, restauration and health care (Chang et al. , 2014; Hur et al. , 2015; Kozub et al. , 2015; Maguire and Geiger, 2015). Although many of these examples are not linked to hedonic consumption, researchers succeeded in explaining the impact of emotions on satisfaction, quality perception, loyalty, purchase intention, etc. (Chebat and Slusarczyk, 2005; Crittenden et al. , 2014; Koenig-Lewis and Palmer, 2014; Ladhari et al. , 2011).
This study focuses on funeral services for two main reasons. First, emotions are pervasive in funeral services before, during and after consumption, and therefore, examining consumers' emotions in this context may shed more light on how they affect consumers' purchasing decisions. In fact, when it comes to funeral services, it would seem that emotions are differently expressed, regulated and processed than during other services (such as banking and leisure). Second, some...