A Study on Consumer Perception of Servicescape in Shopping Malls

Service offerings are often considered as experiences which are created and delivered in 'service factories'. Customer seek for 'experiences' in many settings such as restaurants, movies, hotel stays, sports, vacations, amusement parks, etc. Modern retailers especially shopping malls are expected to provide wholesome shopping experiences to their customers by offering large variety of products in a luxury ambience clubbed with entertainment and food options. In this regard servicescape has been widely adopted in providing excellent customer experiences. This paper attempts to understand the consumer perception of servicescape and its dimensions in shopping malls context. A survey has been conducted at selected shopping malls in Bangalore. Major findings indicate that customers have average perceptions of servicescape in all the dimensions such as ambience, aesthetics, layout, variety, cleanliness, signs, symbols & artifacts and social factors indicating considerable improvements. Further gender and shopping frequency significantly influences the perception of servicescape quality which is believed to affect customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions.