Servicescape cues and customer behavior: a systematic literature review and research agenda

Abstract

Although management scholars have devoted considerable effort to researching the effects of servicescapes [Bitner, M.J. (1992). Servicescapes: The impact of physical surroundings on customers and employees. Journal of Marketing, 56(2), 57–71] on customer behavior, we still lack an up-to-date systematization of both theoretical and empirical findings. This paper aims at filling the gap with a systematic literature review based on rigorous criteria. In reviewing the 188 selected papers, attention has been devoted to an in-depth analysis of new research paths on the topic. Our research findings contribute to a deep understanding of the link between customer behaviors and new ways of interpreting specific features of the servicescape. We believe these implications are valuable for both managers and scholars.

Keywords:

• servicescape
• customer behavior
• atmospherics
• spatial layout

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the two anonymous SIJ referees for their helpful comments and suggestions.