Goal, customer experience and purchase intention in a retail context in China: An empirical study

In a retail business, how does goal affect customer experience? What are the relationships among the various dimensions of customer experience? And how does customer experience influence consumerʹs purchase intentions? In a retail business, the impacts of goal on customer experience are widely acknowledged to be important in current literature. To investigate this problem, we need to identify the relationships among the various dimensions of customer experience, which may significantly influence consumerʹs purchase intentions. We address these related questions by using structural equation model with the data in China. The results indicate that: (1) utilitarian-oriented goals have a significant effect on sensory experience and social experience, while the effect of these goals on emotional experience is insignificant. And hedonic-oriented goals have a positive effect on sensory experience, emotional experience and social experience. (2) In terms of the dimensions of customer experience, higher sensory experience leads to higher emotional experience and higher social experience, while the impact of emotional experience on social experience is insignificant. (3) Emotional experience and social experience have a positive effect on purchase intentions, and sensory experience has an indirect impact on purchase intentions. Based on these findings, we propose some managerial implications and suggestions.