Part 2

FOCUS ON THE
CUSTOMER

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 The Customer Gap

Expected
service

Customer Gap

Perceived
service

Part 2 Opener

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 Chapter
Consumer Behavior in Services 3

 Search, Experience, and Credence

Properties
 Consumer Choice
 Consumer Experience
 Postexperience Evaluation
 Understanding Differences Among
Consumers
 Objectives for Chapter 3:
Consumer Behavior in Services
 Enhance understanding of how consumers choose and evaluate
services, through focusing on factors that are particularly
relevant for services.

 Describe how consumers judge goods versus services in terms

of search, experience, and credence criteria.

 Develop the elements of consumer behavior that a services

marketer must understand: choice behavior, consumer
experiences, and postexperience evaluation.

 Explore how differences among consumers (cultural differences,

group decision making) affect consumer behavior and influence
services marketing strategies.

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 Consumer Evaluation
Processes for Services
 Search Qualities
 attributes a consumer can determine prior to purchase of a
product

 Experience Qualities
 attributes a consumer can determine after purchase (or
during consumption) of a product

 Credence Qualities
 characteristics that may be impossible to evaluate even after
purchase and consumption

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 Figure 3.2

Continuum of Evaluation for

Different Types of Products

Most Most
Goods Services

Easy to evaluate Difficult to evaluate

Clothing

Jewelry

Furniture

Houses

Automobiles

Restaurant meals

Vacations

Haircuts

Child care

Television repair

Legal services

Root canals

Auto repair

Medical diagnosis
High in search High in experience High in credence
qualities qualities qualities

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 Figure 3.3

Stages in Consumer Decision Making and

Evaluation of Services

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 Issues to Consider in Examining the
Consumer’s Service Experience

 Services as processes

 Service provision as drama

 Service roles and scripts

 The compatibility of service customers

 Customer coproduction

 Emotion and mood

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 Global Feature:

Differences in the Service

Experience in the U.S. and Japan
 Authenticity
 Caring
 Control
 Courtesy
 Formality
 Friendliness
 Personalization
 Promptness

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