Servicescapes and Performance Predictors

Servicescapes, as defined by Booms and Bitner, are the environment in which the service is assembled and in which the seller and customer interact, combined with tangible commodities that facilitate performance or communication of the service*.

The servicescape is concerned with a customer's perceived surrounds and includes tangible and intangible aspects. Tangible aspects include decor, layout and architecture. Intangible aspects include smells, time, sound, temperature, lighting and colours. All these aspects will have an impact on the customer's mood and feelings, which ultimately alters their behaviours (hopefully, for the marketer, in a positive manner).

The servicescape influences customer’s thoughts and behaviours. As everyone is different, based on their unique experiences in life, the interpretation of the servicescape will be slightly different for every customer.

This interpretation is largely influenced by the tangible aspects of the physcial environment which forms part of the servicescape. For example, a clean and tidy retail store is typically interpreted as being inhabited by an efficient business. In this example, the store environment acts as an important performance predictor.

*Source: Wikipedia [Accessed 25/03/08].