The servicescape response: do brand committed consumers respond differently to the cellar door experience?

Abstract

PURPOSE - The purpose of this study is to measure consumer outcomes of cellar door servicescape, and whether these outcomes are moderated by a consumer’s level of trust and commitment to the winery brand. The primary relationships measured are Servicescape to Response Behaviours of Approach and Avoidance (Mehrabian and Russell 1974), and Servicescape to Future Purchase Intention. METHODOLOGY – 613 usable responses were obtained from online questionnaires distributed to the databases of five wineries from the McLaren Vale Wine Region in South Australia. FINDINGS – Primary relationships are confirmed with results showing significant relationships for servicescape to response behaviour, and servicescape to future purchase intention. Brand trust and commitment are found to have a significant moderating effect on both relationships; both moderators weaken the primary relationships as the consumer’s levels of brand trust and commitment increase.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS- for wineries, the results of this study indicate the importance of creating a positively perceived servicescape by implementing a high quality, attractive cellar door. Results suggest that servicescape influences consumer responses, but more specifically identifies those consumers who are more/less influenced by their surrounding environment.