Servicescape design: balancing physical and psychological safety
Marketing Intelligence & Planning
ISSN: 0263-4503
Article publication date: 27 March 2023
Issue publication date: 9 May 2023
Abstract
Purpose
As physical evidence, servicescapes play a crucial role in tangibilizing service value. Since value creation and consumption are inseparable in many services, servicescapes also contribute significantly to consumer experiences. By reviewing the role of design factors on the physical and psychological safety of customers, particularly in different service contexts based on social factors, this paper aims to provide insights into how servicescape frameworks may be re-examined from a safety perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a critical review of studies in multidisciplinary domains, including environmental psychology, community medicine, architecture and engineering, this paper proposes a conceptual model anchored in stimulus–organization–response (S-O-R) theory and presents related propositions for safer servicescape designs.
Findings
The study reveals the need for re-evaluating current servicescape design frameworks by incorporating the concept of servicescape safety, discusses the significance of various interior factors and presents the moderating effects of social factors and service types on perceived safety.
Originality/value
With no robust models currently available to evaluate the impact of servicescape designs on users' physical and psychological safety, this paper provides guidelines based on a multidisciplinary review of studies. A healthy and safe servicescape requires interdisciplinary investigations, the results of which will reshape future design approaches.
Keywords
Citation
S Kumar, D., Nair, K.U. and Purani, K. (2023), "Servicescape design: balancing physical and psychological safety", Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 41 No. 4, pp. 473-488. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-06-2022-0259
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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