Quality Technology & Quantitative Management

Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 51-67, 2010

ICAQM 2010

QTQM

Experiential Goods and Customer Satisfaction: An Application to Films

Francesca Bassi
Department of Statistics, University of Padova, Italy
(Received March 2007, accepted December 2007)

__________________________________________________________________
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to develop an instrument to measure customer satisfaction with
reference to the entire consumption experience of an experiential product, with specific application to cinema films. Experience is defined as a new dimension of product offer: a combination of goods and services enriched by sensations. Experiential marketing has innovative features, with effects on all phases constituting a consumption experience. The research looked for important aspects in the consumption process related to satisfaction by means of a literature review and an exploratory survey. A list of items was tested on a sample population and the scale was evaluated for validity and reliability, with satisfactory results.

Keywords: Consumption experience, disconfirmation paradigm, measurement scales.

__________________________________________________________________ 1. Introduction
he aim of this paper is to propose a scale to measure customer satisfaction with reference to experiential goods. The peculiar nature of these goods means that both the classical theory of consumer behaviour and traditional marketing need revision and extension. Experience may be defined as an event that involves a person in a memorable way (Pine and Gilmore [29]). This means that experiential goods cannot be treated with traditional criteria (for example, utilitarian), since they involve a greater affective component, hedonistic criteria, and customers personal characteristics (Babin et al. [1]). The scale proposed here was designed within a research project which aims at measuring customer satisfaction by considering all aspects involved in a consumption experience. Items were generated by a review of the scientific literature in the field and an exploratory survey with two focus groups and an open-question questionnaire. The scale was tested on a sample population and its reliability and validity were evaluated following the protocol proposed by Zaichowsky [40]. The product chosen for our experiment was a film seen at the cinema. The paper is organised as follows. Section 2 describes experiential goods, the experiential model, and changes regarding the traditional marketing approach. Section 3 examines the new aspects introduced by the experiential approach in the five phases composing a consumption experience. Section 4 describes the empirical work done in order to prepare and test the scale. Section 5 contains some concluding remarks.

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2. Experiential Goods and Experiential Marketing

Experiential goods are a natural and coherent reaction to the New Economy: demand saturation, wide offer, and pervasive information technology. Demand for goods and services tends to be saturated by a wide offer with low prices; at the same time, new needs emerge, linked to a sort of superior demand: experience. Customers are not satisfied only by the functional characteristics of a product; they need and look for experience. Hirschman and Holbrook [11] identified some goods with special features called entertainment goods, which may be considered within the field of hedonistic consumption. They showed that the traditional model to describe consumer behaviour cannot completely explain hedonistic consumption, and proposed an experiential model; Schmitt [32] extended and clarified the definition of experiential marketing. Experience may be viewed as a new kind of product offer, emerging when a company intentionally uses services as a theatre in order to involve customers (Pine and Gilmore [29]). Experiences are memorable by definition, and are not consumed as goods, but for what they represent. Experiences are strictly personal and subjective, and involve the emotional, intellectual, spiritual and physical spheres. For these reasons, two experiences cannot be equal. An experience may be perceived through different channels: a consumer may be led to think, sense, feel, act, and relate (Schmitt [32]), and be exposed to various experiences which are induced by marketing policies through stimuli devised by companies. The first important aspect of experiential goods is that their characteristics are primarily intangible; they refer to symbols and multisensorial perceptions (Holbrook and Hirschman [12]). They are not considered as the simple sum of their attributes, but as the potentials arising from their combination. For example, if the components of a painting are combined differently, even if single elements in it do not change, the overall meaning changes. Secondly, experiential goods are characterised by the reasons guiding their choice: utilitarian criteria are replaced by subjective criteria such as personality expression, dream realization, search for pleasure, and fun. One peculiar motivational response to consumption is the arousal of emotions (Mano and Oliver [25]). A third important aspect of the experiential model focuses on consumption rather than on purchase - that is, on the psychological reaction induced by using the product. Experiences last longer than goods: a book or a concert generate emotions even after they have been read or listened to (see, for example, the works by Holbrook and Grayson [14] and Lacher and Mizersky [21]). Perception of experiential goods cannot be referred only to the cognitive component; there is another dimension which is linked to emotional and sensorial stimuli: the affective component. Experiential marketing, following Schmitts [32] model, has new and different characteristics with respect to traditional marketing. The main instruments of experiential management consider both the traditional approach to goods, which stresses the functional characteristics and benefits of a product, and customer experience. Customers take it for granted that products possess innovative characteristics and look for a sensitive, emotional, and relational consumption

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experience. In this context, the usual product classifications do not apply; two products compete if they refer to a similar consumption experience. Values emerging from a consumption experience have both social and individual characteristics, since they give the customer social integration on one hand and, on the other, a feeling of sensorial and emotional satisfaction; in this sense, consumption becomes a holistic experience. Another aspect of experiential marketing is to consider consumer behaviour as guided by both rationality and emotion. Consumers make rational choices daily, but they are often also guided by emotions, since experience may be a source of fun and meditation and generate important feelings (Havlena and Holbrook [10]). Lastly, experiential goods oblige companies to relate differently to brands. A brand itself may in fact be a source of experience involving customers; this means that all methods of communication offering a holistic experience are used. Experiences are defined as personal events in reaction to stimuli. Experiences may be induced when companies use appropriate marketing stimuli. Experiential marketing defines five types of strategic experiences (SEMs: Strategic Experiential Modules): sense, feel, think, act, and relate, to which consumers may be exposed: 1. Sense involves sensorial perception through sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. Marketing strategies based on sensorial experiences may be used to distinguish products, define their identities, add value to them, and motivate customers. 2. The feel experience involves feelings and emotions. Feel marketing aims at creating emotional experiences ranging from a mild attitude towards goods to a strong emotion. According to the most accredited psychological models, emotions are evoked by three main factors: (i) agents intervening in the consumption experience, such as sales personnel, other customers, etc.; (ii) events, that is, the circumstances of purchase and consumption; (iii) product characteristics. If we take as an example a film at the cinema, emotions are generated by the film itself (product), by cinema characteristics such as room temperature, comfort of seats, sound quality (events), and personnel helpfulness (agents). Emotions arise not only in the final phase of consumption, but in all phases constituting the experience. 3. The think experience involves customers ability to generate creative thoughts. The main factors which induce this kind of experience are surprise, curiosity, appeal, and challenge. Think marketing is mainly used for advertising campaigns in order to attract attention and discussion on a particular subject. 4. The act experience reveals customers alternative ways of doing something, alternative styles and interactions. Act marketing induces customers to change physically and mentally. 5. Relate regards relations with a group or culture. Experiences which refer to this type of marketing highlight customers desires such as being positively perceived by others, belonging to a context, and becoming better individuals. For each kind of experience, Schmitt [32] also defines appropriate instruments for marketing managers in order to provide stimuli to customers: z Communication, which includes advertising and other kinds of internal and external promotion.

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z z z z

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z z

Logo identity, which is made up of the product name and signature and which helps to establish profitable relationships with customers. Product design, packaging and display. Co-branding: sponsorships, events, products in films 1 , alliances. Buildings and places in general: offices, stores, and everything concerning them which evokes experiences, such as architecture, furnishing and colours. Websites and other electronic media. Lastly, people may also be important experience suppliers: sales personnel, sales representatives, testimonials, and all those who are linked to a product or brand.

Neelamegham and Dipak [26] define four experience fields: entertainment, education, escape, and aesthetic experience. Entertainment experiences passively absorb individual senses, examples being listening to music, seeing a film, or reading a book. In educational experiences, individuals absorb events which happen in front of them but, at the same time, education also implies active participation. Educational events involve both body and mind in order to involve individuals and increase their abilities. Evasion experiences imply deeper active involvement. Examples are amusement parks, playgrounds, etc. During an aesthetic experience, individuals enter an event or an environment on which they have little or no influence. Examples of aesthetic experiences are a visit to a museum or to a tourist site, or eating in a famous restaurant. During an educational experience, people are willing to learn; during an evasion experience, they are willing to act; during an entertainment experience, they are willing to try. Those who participate in an aesthetic experience simply wish to be in that place or at that event. Many experiences mainly involve one of the fields described above, although some are located on the boundaries of these definitions. Richer experiences involve all four fields. Companies may intensify an experience by acting on its definition boundaries.

3. Consumer Behaviour in Experiential Marketing Theory

In the traditional literature on consumer behaviour (see, for example, the works by Engel et al. [9] and Wilkie [38]), the decisional process is divided into five phases which constitute the consumption experience: 1. need or problem recognition, 2. information search, 3. evaluation of alternatives, 4. purchase decision, 5. consumption and post-purchase evaluation. The aim of this section is to explore how customers decide on a purchase with reference to experiential goods, in order to take this into account when constructing the scale to measure customer satisfaction. The traditional model of customer behaviour (see, the work by Kotler and Amstrong [19]) is extended and completed by also considering emotional and hedonistic dimensions.
1

For example, in Tomorrow never dies James Bond drives a BMW car, wears an Omega watch and uses an Ericsson cell phone.

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Holbrook and Hirschman [12] note that the traditional model of customer behaviour does not consider all emotional dimensions of purchase and consumption; instead, emotions can explain choices better than attitude and cognitive components. In these authors opinion, the concept of problem-solving, on which traditional literature is based, must be considered together with that of experience search. The new model completes traditional psychological theories and focuses on pleasure, entertainment, fun, imagination, and the search for stimuli. There are a few recent studies in the literature which reveal the opportunity to take into account the experiential process in order to explain customer behaviour. For example, Phillips and Baumgartner [28] propose an experiential satisfaction response model, and Kao et al. [18] estimate a structural equation model to test the relationship between experiential elements and loyalty intentions. The five phases constituting a consumption experience are still valid, but they must be extended and completed in order to consider the aspects proposed by the new model. Purchase decisions are influenced by cultural, social, personal and psychological factors. Companies aim to identify these factors and exploit them in order to make a product more interesting and attractive. Cultural factors include knowledge, beliefs, artistic expressions, moral and legal principles, and the habits and customs of individuals as members of a society. Every person belongs to a subculture, which is a group in society sharing common values and living environment, and to a social class, which is a group of people in the same position with reference to power relations and income inequalities. Cultural factors influence nature and intensity needs and condition ways of need satisfaction. Free time, its importance, favourite entertainments, and the value assigned to products, all depend on cultural factors. Personal factors regard individual characteristics. Among them are life-style and personality, which are individual psychological characteristics, as emphasised by Sirgy [34]. Personal factors are very important in the experiential field, since their combination defines emotional intelligence, creativity, and the dreams and aspirations of customers, and influences their choices and attitudes. Psychological factors influence the purchase process, especially in the final phases: alternative evaluation and post-purchase. Motivation induces customers to satisfy a need. Opinions and attitudes describe thoughts and judgements regarding a product, ideas and experiences. Learning is a behavioural change due to experience. Perception is a process by means of which an individual selects, organises and interprets stimuli and information, in order to obtain a view on things with meanings. The experiential model highlights two other elements: variety, introduced by Raju [30], and the search for sensations and emotions, stressed by Zuckerman [41]. Variety search is the spontaneous tendency of customers to change purchasing choices within a class of products. This need is linked to the optimal stimulation level, i.e., the physiological stimulation an individual receives from internal and external sources in daily life. When the individual level of stimulation is low, a person becomes bored and starts looking for variety. Stimulation level is very much influenced by personal factors. Experiential goods offer a high level of stimulation, since they act on more than one sense and induce an emotional response. The search for sensations and emotions is the need for strong stimuli which makes people feel that they are actors of

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their own lives. When considering consumption, this tendency leads individuals to look for goods which involve them both physically and mentally and help them to tolerate daily routine. Sensation search depends very much on customer characteristics, such as gender, age, etc. Problem recognition initiates the consumption decisional process. The traditional model describes this phase as the moment when an individual identifies a gap between a desired situation and the actual one, which reveals a need to be satisfied (Wilkie [38]). Within the traditional model, customers are seen only as logical thinkers who solve their problems in a systematic and rational way, but this is not enough to explain behaviour. As already noted, the traditional model leaves out aspects such as pleasure, aesthetic experience, and emotional reactions - elements more linked to the feeling sphere, which are often expressed unconsciously. Purchase choices, especially regarding experiential goods, are not only motivated by a rational search for the solution to a problem, but also by a search for pleasure, satisfaction, and stimuli for the senses and the imagination. According to the motivational approach, as the value of a product increases, information search becomes more important. For experiential goods, this importance does not only depend on the commercial value of a product, but also on the emotional impact it has on the consumer. Information is also supplied by sensorial and not only verbal stimuli. Moreover, these products are more immaterial and subjective than others; this implies that the pre-purchase phase is more complex. Customers refer not only to information given by producers and sellers, but also to the opinions of friends or acquaintances who have had similar experiences (see, for example, Berning and Jacoby [3]). For the phase of evaluation of alternatives, the experiential model follows the traditional one on consumer behaviour: customers evaluate alternatives and express a judgement on each of them. Traditional model rules to define criteria and variables important for evaluation are also valid in the case of experiential goods. Attention must be paid to the fact that comparison is not among alternative products but among similar experiences. Purchase choice depends on various factors; the most important ones are decisional problem characteristics as time constraints, individual characteristics, and the social and cultural context (Bettman [4]). Traditional theory on customer behaviour describes two main choice processes: (i) formal strategies: decisional processes referring to normative theory according to which customers choose the alternative which maximises expected utility, and (ii) simplified procedures: occasional strategies which solve the choice problem without necessarily leading to the best alternative. Customers sometimes use even simpler procedures which do not imply an explicit elaboration phase, defined as heuristic. For experiential goods, a single choice criterion cannot be defined; rarely is only one model used, as Neelameghan and Dipak [26] show. Nevertheless, heuristic rules apply easily to this product category, since purchase is often influenced by other peoples opinions or personal memories regarding similar experiences. Holbrook and Hirschman [12] note that one main feature of experiential goods, when they are judged, is subjectivity. While reading a book, each person consumes a different

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product, undergoing a different emotional and intellectual reaction (for the measurement of customer satisfaction with reference to cultural goods, see Bourgeon Renault [5]). Satisfaction becomes an extremely personal judgement.

4. Scale Development
Our objective is to construct a valid and reliable scale to measure customer satisfaction with reference to experiential goods. The methodology for the scale development followed the recommendations of Churchill [7]. The method used to construct the scale followed Zaichowskys [40] protocol, starting with exploratory research in order to define the object to be measured. Items were then generated by means of a literature review and an exploratory survey with two focus groups and interviews with an open-question questionnaire. Items were first evaluated and selected with reference to their representativity and consistency with the concept to be measured, and then on the basis of validity and reliability (Litwin, [23]). The traditional disconfirmation paradigm defines customer satisfaction as the result of an evaluation which compares product performance, as perceived by customers, with their expectations and desires (Spreng et al. [35]). In the present paper, the nature of the concept is maintained as an evaluation deriving from a comparative process, but the terms with which expectations and desires are compared are extended: from product performance to consumption experience. Customer satisfaction is defined as an evaluation emerging from a comparison between expectations and performance of aspects relevant to the entire consumption experience (for a review of paradigms explaining the determinants of satisfaction, see Woodruff et al. [39]). Not only is product performance considered, but also all aspects important for the customer in the phases which precede and follow purchase and which influence final satisfaction. The concept of customer satisfaction is still linked to an evaluation emerging from a comparison, which is influenced by cognitive and affective elements. These are very much dependent on the characteristics of the experiential good examined. Items were generated with reference to the various phases of a consumption experience, focusing on experiential goods with relative aspects connected to purchase. A literature review 2 (covering customer behaviour, experiential goods, development of scales, and customer satisfaction) suggested 104 items, referring to all five phases of consumption experience. The experiential characteristics for each item were highlighted. In order to define important aspects in a consumption process regarding an experiential product, two focus groups were organised. Participants were selected so that they were similar to those who later answered the questionnaire: age between 25
2

Among many others, with reference to consumer behaviour, see Engle et al. [9], Howard [16], Hoyer and McInnis [17], Kotler and Amstrong [19], Salomon et al. [31], Wilkie [38]; with reference to experiential goods, Holbrook and Hirschman [12], Holbrook et al. [13], Seiders et al. [33], Pine and Gilmore [29]; with reference to customer satisfaction, La Tour and Peat [22], Oliver [27], Westbrook and Oliver [37]; with reference to measurement scales, Bearden et al. [2] and De Vellis [8]. A complete list of references is available from the author.

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and 30, men and women, workers and students. Participants with the same socio-demographic characteristics were chosen, following the principle according to which people who have similar feelings are more prone to express their opinions without fear of being criticised. In the groups, men and women were mixed, to stimulate discussion and to favour expression of new hypotheses (Krueger [20]). Discussion was guided with projective techniques, in order to encourage respondents to express their opinions, and focus on all five phases composing a consumption experience concerning the product chosen for the experiment: a film seen at the cinema. Film characteristics were considered together with aspects referring to the cinema and its services, able to arouse sensations and emotions. Subjects were stimulated to express an opinion on their reasons for deciding to spend time at the cinema, information collection, alternative evaluation, and subsequent choice all important aspects in consumption experience satisfaction (see Appendix A). Discussion in both focus groups 3 showed that the reasons for going to the cinema are mainly due to the fact that a large screen exalts film characteristics. A cinema is also a place in which to relax and become involved with the story and the emotions of the film. Information on both movie and cinema was gathered from advertising (bills, trailers, Internet); the opinions of friends and relatives were very important. Evaluation of alternatives was conducted with heuristic criteria and looked for quality in the entire consumption experience. Choice depended on film characteristics (genre, story, actors), global cinema offer (comfort, time, and place, but also price) and on relatives and friends opinions. In the phase of product consumption and evaluation, the affective component emerged as very important: the entire experience was considered satisfactory if the film was able to surprise, attract attention, generate strong emotions, generate discussion with friends, and/or was good. In other words, consumption experience was satisfactory if expectations were not only confirmed but exceeded. The focus groups were followed by a survey with an open-question questionnaire (see Appendix B) on a convenience sample of 60 persons between 20 and 30 years old, 29 men and 31 women (27 students, 33 workers). Questions referred to the five phases of consumption experience and were retrospective, in order to retrieve information from respondents memory. Results from the exploratory survey confirmed and extended those emerging in the focus groups. New aspects in the problem recognition phase were stressed: a cinema is perceived as a place where one can learn, get to know new things, both real and fantastic, and be induced to discussion. Secondly, one great influence on the wish to go to the cinema is advertising. In the last phase of consumption experience, more emotional and affective elements were emphasised. Perhaps because the questionnaire was self-reported and anonymous, respondents described very personal experiences, including the fact that satisfaction with reference to a film meant that the experience did not finish once they had left the cinema building: customers felt that it was important for a memorable scene, a message, or a new point of view to be kept in
3

The first focus group was composed of seven persons, between 20 and 25 years old, three men and four women (four students, three workers). The second focus group was composed of eight persons aged 26 to 30, five men and three women (three students, five workers). No significant differences were noted in consumption behaviour between men or women, students or workers, or between the two groups.

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memory. Items were evaluated as regards content validity on the basis of two criteria: (i) the representativity of the concept to be measured, and (ii) comparison of aspects emerging from the literature with those expressed in the focus groups and questionnaires. Twenty selected items composed the final scale. Respondents were requested to express their judgement on each item with reference to their expectations and wishes on a five-point scale ranging from much less than expected to much more than expected. Items 1-3 refer to the need recognition phase of the consumption experience, items 4-7 to information search, items 8-10 to evaluation of alternatives, items 11-14 to purchase decision, and items 15-20 to consumption and post-purchase evaluation (Appendix B). The scale was given to a convenience sample of 100 respondents between 20 and 30 years old, 50 men and 50 women (50 students, 50 workers). Table 1 lists item-to-total correlation coefficients and their significance level. Item-to-total correlation is the correlation between item score and the total score. Table 1. Item-to-total correlation coefficients and significance levels.
Item Coeff. Sign. level Item Coeff. Sign. level 1 .225 .024 11 .511 .000 2 .363 .000 12 .604 .000 3 .422 .000 13 .388 .000 4 .382 .000 14 .526 .000 5 .364 .000 15 .500 .000 6 .483 .000 16 .617 .000 7 .168 .095 17 .605 .000 8 .610 .000 18 .636 .000 9 .553 .000 19 .650 .000 10 .371 .000 20 .386 .000

Correlation coefficients were higher than 0.5 (threshold values proposed by Zaichowsky [40]), except for items 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 13 and 20; in particular, item 7 to total correlation coefficient was not statistically different from 0 at a significance level of D 0.05 . We therefore conclude that items 1 to 7, referring to the two first phases of the consumption experience, are not completely suitable for measuring customer satisfaction with reference to a film seen at the cinema, and must be better formulated. Factor analysis confirmed this hypothesis: one dominating eigenvalue was found, with a factor correlated to all items except 1, 2, 5 and 7. There was one factor explaining 24% of total variance not a very high percentage, but significant in confirming the internal reliability of items. Correlation coefficients between total average score and average scores calculated on the items constituting each phase of the consumption experience (Table 2) confirmed that items in the first (need recognition) and second (information search) phases were weak. This may have various causes: mistakes in generating items or misunderstanding by respondents, but also the fact that need recognition and information search are not very important phases in determining the overall satisfaction level. Nevertheless, coefficients which measure internal scale reliability showed satisfactory levels of internal consistency: Spearman-Brown (0.65), Guttman (0.64) and Cronbachs [6] alpha (0.81) coefficients were calculated and showed a satisfactory level of internal consistency 4 .
4

Deleting items 1, 2, 5 and 7, item-to-total correlation coefficients increased ranging form 0.451 to 0.711, and Cronbachs alpha rose to 0.88.

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Table 2. Phase average scores and total average score correlation coefficients and significance levels. Phase1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5 Coeff. .473 .485 .746 .723 .776 Sign. Level .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 In order to evaluate scale reliability over similar conditions, the sample was randomly divided into two groups (table 3). A t-test showed not only that the means in the two groups were not significantly different, but also that the internal reliability coefficients had similar, and high, values in the two random subsamples. Table 3. Statistics referring to two random subsamples. Units Mean St. dev. Spearman-Brown Guttman Subsample 1 52 66.48 9.46 .8217 .6561 Subsample 2 48 66.77 8.52 .8114 .6609

Alpha .6404 .6486

Criterion validity is the degree of correspondence between a measure and a criterion variable, usually assessed by their correlation. To assess criterion validity, we need a variable that gives us a standard with which to compare our measure. In the final part of the questionnaire, one additional item was introduced, asking respondents to express their satisfaction with the entire consumption experience a film seen at the cinema - on a five-point scale. This item was our criterion variable. The correlation coefficient between the average scale value and the criterion variable was 0.5 - not very high, but sufficient to ensure validity. Univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA; for the method, see Malhotra [24]), with the total score as dependent variable and the criterion variable as factor, showed that the total average score was significantly different among the five levels of the criterion variable 5 . Table 4 shows that the total average scale score increased with the level of the criterion variable, as expected. Table 4. Scale average score by declared satisfaction level. Declared sat. level 1 2 3 4 5 Average score 52.20 53.00 56.33 65.28 72.48 Construct validity assesses whether a measure relates to other observed variables in a way that is consistent with theoretically derived predictions. In order to evaluate construct validity, three more additional items were introduced into the final part of the questionnaire, describing aspects assumed to be positively correlated with the overall satisfaction level: 1. I would like to see this film again. 2. I will speak well about this film and this cinema. 3. I do not have any complaint about the consumption experience. Respondents were asked to answer on a five-point scale.

F statistics = 10.524; observed significance level = 0.0001.

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Correlation coefficients between total average score and scores on the three additional items were 0.5, 0.5 and 0.4, respectively; all statistically different from 0, as recommended by Zaichowsky [40] in order to assess construct validity. Our scale total score was classified into three categories: low (total score 63), medium (64  72) and high (t 73) , according to the quartiles of the distribution. Table 5 lists average scores on the three additional items, per class of scale total score. As expected, item scores increased with satisfaction level. Three ANOVAs, one per additional item, were conducted in order to evaluate differences among means per satisfaction level. Only for the first two items were means statistically different. This result, together with the fact that the third item also showed the lowest correlation with the total score, casts some doubt on its specification. It is, in effect, difficult for a customer not to have one single complaint about such a complex experience. Nevertheless, these complaints may not influence the overall satisfaction level.
Table 5. Average scores on additional items by scale total score in three classes, F statistics and significance level. Average score low medium high F Sign. Lev. Item 1 3.19 3.93 4.81 2.126 .005 Item 2 3.59 4.21 4.50 1.987 .009 Item 3 3.00 3.45 4.19 1.314 .173 Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA, for the method, see Malhotra [24]) evaluated all three items together with reference to satisfaction level (Table 5). The means of the additional three items were significantly different across total score levels 6 . This result means that respondents with a low scale score assigned scores to the three additional items differently than did those having medium or high scores which is another proof of scale construct validity.

5. Final Remarks
The aim of this paper was to develop an instrument to measure customer satisfaction with reference to the entire consumption experience of an experiential product. Experience is defined as a new dimension of product offer - a combination of goods and services enriched by sensations. Goods are tangible, services are fungible, experiences are memorable. Experiential goods are very personal, since they involve both the emotional and intellectual spheres. Experiential marketing has innovative features with respect to the traditional one. Products do not compete by belonging to the same category, but by referring to similar experiences. The traditional utility criterion to evaluate goods is used together with hedonistic criteria which consider pleasure, aesthetic experience, and fun. Customers are not only seen as rational, but also sensitive, since experience makes them think, sense, feel, act, and relate to other people. This obviously has effects on all the phases constituting a consumption experience and on the overall satisfaction judgement. Changes in the traditional theory of consumer behaviour due to the experiential model induced us to look for important aspects inside the consumption process and a
6

Wilks test = 0.215; observed significance level = 0.035.

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judgement of satisfaction. These aspects emerged from a literature review and an exploratory survey. Comparing the different sources, a list of items was given to 100 respondents. The scale was then evaluated for validity and reliability, with satisfactory results and a few recommendations for improvement. Future research may include: z new interviews, possibly on a larger sample, in order to evaluate if low correlated items should be eliminated; z questionnaire revision, looking for items difficult to understand; z identification of new significant aspects in the phase of need recognition and information search; z latent class model application, to test the significance of the first two phases in the overall satisfaction judgement. Generalisability of the scale is also an issue that must be faced, in order both to propose a scale usable for any experiential product and to extend the sample to other population segments, not only young customers, since it is well-known that personal characteristics play a fundamental role in customer satisfaction and its effects (Homburg and Giering [15] and Seiders et al. [33]).

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Appendix A
Problem Recognition Technique: answer to an open question. Give reasons and/or needs which induce you to go to the cinema. Information Search Technique: complete sentences. Complete sentences with your opinion. 1. I never go to see a film without asking about it 2. The most important opinion on a film for me comes from Evaluation of Alternatives Technique: answer to an open question. Which characteristics do you consider in order to judge the entire consumption experience? Purchase Decision Technique: each respondent is given pen and paper. Arrange the characteristics mentioned above from the most to the least important. Consumption and Post-Purchase Technique: complete sentences.

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(a) I like the film I have just seen a lot because (b) Dont bother to go to see this film. I thought it would be, but

Appendix B
Questionnaire with Open Questions Personal Data: Sex:

Age:____

Condition:

Student

Worker

Before answering the questions, please think of a movie you saw recently at the cinema and that involved you emotionally when choosing it, during it and after seeing it.
1. What leads you to consider the idea of spending an afternoon or an evening at the cinema?

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 2. What information do you consider important, and how do you look for it in order to decide? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 3. Which criteria do you follow and which characteristics do you consider when evaluating and comparing films? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 4. Who or what most influences you? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 5. How important for you are additional services * offered by the cinema, such as the helpfulness and expertise of personnel, furnishings and seating comfort? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 6. Which aspects satisfy you most after seeing a movie? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 7. When do you tell other people that you have seen a really good movie? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
*

Additional services include, for example, ease of parking, booking, season tickets, newsletters with weekly or monthly programmes, etc..

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Final Questionnaire Personal Data:

Sex:

Age:____

Condition:

Student

Worker

Think of a film you saw at the cinema that involved you particularly. Express your judgement about it, with reference to your expectations and wishes, regarding the following aspects on the five-point scale below:
Much less than expected 1
Tick your choice

Less than expected 2

As expected 3

More than expected 4

Much more than expected 5

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

To what extent advertising stimulated your curiosity in the film. 1 2 3 4 5 To what extent advertising gave you a real idea of the film. 1 2 3 4 5 Film video and audio quality at the cinema with respect to home TV. 1 2 3 4 5 Correctness of information collected from friends who had already seen the film. 1 2 3 4 5 Correctness of information collected from advertising on the story, actors, director, and soundtrack. 1 2 3 4 5 Correctness of information on new shooting, photographic or cutting techniques used for the film. 1 2 3 4 5 Correctness of information on cinema prices and timetable, and other services costs. 1 2 3 4 5 Your judgement on the potentiality of the film to be enthralling, with reference to other movies available. 1 2 3 4 5 Your judgement on a suitable price with respect to your experience at that cinema. 1 2 3 4 5

6.

7.

8.

9.

10. Film availability at other cinemas. 1 2 3 4 5 11. Audio and video quality, seating comfort and cleanness of auditorium. 1 2 3 4 5 12. Environmental potential to involve customers positively (atmosphere, furnishings, etc.) 1 2 3 4 5

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13. Helpfulness of personnel. 1 2 3 4 5 14. Ticket price in relation to overall cinema offer. 1 2 3 4 5 15. Confirmation of information collected (story, soundtrack, special effects, etc.). 1 2 3 4 5 16. Originality of the story. 1 2 3 4 5 17. The film was not boring. 1 2 3 4 5 18. How the film involved you, distracting you from problems. 1 2 3 4 5 19. Your feelings did not finish in the cinema, but continued after the film. 1 2 3 4 5 20. Capability of the film to arouse discussion. 1 2 3 4 5 How satisfied are you with the entire consumption experience?
Not at all expected 1 Slightly expected 2 Neither unsatisfied expected 3 Moderately expected 4 Very expected 5

Express your agreement with the following items on the five-point scale: Total Disagreement Neither Disagreement Total Disagreement expected disagreement expected Agreement nor agreement 1 2 3 4 5
z z z

I would like to see the film again. 1 2 3 4 5 I will speak well about the film and the cinema. 1 2 3 4 5 I do not have any complaints about the consumption experience. 1 2 3 4 5

Authors Biography: Francesca Bassi is an Associate Professor, Department of Statistics, University of Padova, Italy. Courses: marketing research, basic and advanced; economic statistics; business statistics. Research interests: Longitudinal data: measurement errors and estimation of gross flows. Statistical models to describe economic behaviour; in particular loglinear and latent class models. Labour and unemployment: measurement and analysis. Customer satisfaction measurement.