The Impact of In-Store Experiential Marketing Strategies on Customer Perceived Value in Service Delivery: A Study on International Franchised Fast-Food Restaurants in Sri Lanka

Abstract

One of the key developments in the restaurant industry is that individuals not only come to restaurants for a meal but also spend their extraordinary time and gain spontaneous excitement. Thus, experiential marketing activities create unique value towards the consumer. Yet the available literature indicated a dearth of knowledge on experiential marketing strategies and customer perceived value. To achieve research objectives, a quantitative approach was utilized. In this regard, data was collected from 306 respondents who have visited restaurants within the past three years. According to the results generated, the research concluded that In-store experiential marketing strategies have significant impact on customer perceived value, with experiences of sense, feel, think, and act demonstrating strong positive impacts, while the relate experience did not achieve statistical significance in the franchised fast-food restaurants context. The study's findings are limited to using convenience sampling, which may restrict the generalizability of results to the broader population of international franchised fast-food customers. Furthermore, the study faced limitations due to a lengthy questionnaire, which may have reduced data richness, and a filtering criterion that excluded individuals from not visiting franchised fast-food restaurants within the past three years, narrowing the participant pool. Additionally, the cross-sectional design constrained the study's ability to capture changes in customer perceptions over time, limiting the scope of insights obtained.This research contributes to the literature on experiential marketing by validating its role empirically in the service delivery of the internationally franchised fast-food sector, while providing certain insights to enhance customer experience. From a practical viewpoint, this study provides implications for fast-food operators and marketers regarding the need for the creation of sensory-rich, emotionally engaging, and thinking experiences. Therefore, future studies can develop new dimensions regarding moderating and mediating variables, alternative contexts, and the use of advanced analytical techniques to enrich this area further.