Pre-purchase customer experience : multiple case study of leading service providers in Norway

Abstract

The theory of experience economy presents customer experience as a form of new economic offering and stresses the importance of customer experience for companies that are trying to differentiate from the competitors. Many service providers are increasing their focus on customer experience by putting the customer in the center of their business. This study investigates how experience centricity and customer centricity can be enhanced at prepurchase level. Nowadays, customer and experience centricity are concepts that are becoming highly popular among many different service companies. This master thesis expands on theory of customer experience and value by linking them in the context of pre-purchase stage of service consumption. The purpose of this study is to connect concepts of customer experience and customer value and provide innovative solutions for improving company performance at pre-purchase stage. Customer experience at pre-purchase can be a crucial factor that can influence customer decision-making process. The research design used in this study is qualitative design. We have constructed an interview guide consisting of three themes: pre-purchase, experience and value. In total, five in-depth interviews were conducted with managers of leading service companies in Norway. After the interviews, the data was transcribed and coded to facilitate the analysis process. The findings of the study show that experience is considered as an added value in the prepurchase stage. The study presents a conceptual framework that introduces a new theme that connects customer centricity with experience and value at pre-purchase stage. After analyzing the data from the interviews, we have identified a new theme of ideation at prepurchase phase. The findings of this study provide practical implications that are relevant to managers in service industry. Findings reveal new ways how to approach pre-purchase stage through actively co-creating and ideating solutions together with potential customers.