Service Evaluation and Switching Behavior for Experiential Services: An Empirical Test of Gender Differences within a Broader Conceptual Framework

Abstract

The service evaluation literature has focused mainly on service process and only recently started to explore the role of service outcome. Another critical issue for both researchers and service providers is the influence of intrinsic (i.e., process and outcome) versus extrinsic factors on switching behavior. A comprehensive framework is proposed to examine the relative importance of process, outcome, and extrinsic factors for both service evaluation and switching behavior for different groups of customers. As an empirical test of this framework, qualitative research as well as a quantitative study are conducted for a hair salon context, where a service experience offers a rich variety of process and outcome factors as well as some critical extrinsic factors.  Gender is used to differentiate groups of customers within this framework, and actionable gender differences for practitioners are found both in service evaluation and reasons for switching. The proposed framework and the findings of the study provide insights and implications for future research on service evaluation and switching behavior in general, beyond experiential services.