Thesis (Ph.D.) - Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, 2022
The creation of engaging and enjoyable customer experiences is important in many industries, and this enjoyment often extends beyond the physical experience through the memories retained by customers. These memories provide enduring value to consumers. Yet, despite their importance, there is a lack of research examining how to enhance consumers’ memory of the experience and its impact on future behavior in a marketing context.
In my dissertation, I investigate how consumers’ viewing of photos of past experiences affects their remembered enjoyment, other emotions, and behavioral responses. Across seven studies, multiple methodologies (including life-sized virtual scenarios, head-mounted displays, eye-tracking, GSR, and retrospective reporting) were used to create immersive experiences and measure consumer engagement and emotional response. In Studies 1A and 1B, participants outfitted with mobile eye-tracking glasses experienced life-sized virtual scenarios (Frankfurt tour, fire performance, campus festival). Studies 2A and 2B used participants’ real-world experiences (e.g., campus life, birthday, vacation) as stimuli to improve the external validity of the research and test the generalizability of the findings. Study 3 examined whether photos of emotionally engaging (peak) scenes have a greater impact on remembered emotions and behavioral intentions than images of frequently photographed, but non-peak scenes. Study 4 examined how photographic images can selectively cue specific emotional reactions (positive or negative) associated with a dynamic consumer experience, thereby affecting the consumer’s vi future behavioral intentions. Study 5 compares the effect of peak versus non-peak cues with a more immersive VR simulation. The results from these studies show that, when photo cues are present, consumers remember greater enjoyment, have greater repurchase intentions, and are more likely to share their experience with others. However, the findings show that when negative moments are cued, remembered enjoyment, repurchase intentions, and recommendation likelihood are reduced.
This research contributes to the growing literature on the customer experience by exploring how consumers can “capture and keep” their past experiences and the associated emotional reactions with photographic images. Furthermore, it provides managerial insights on how to leverage digital photography to maintain consumers’ memory of enjoyment over time, encourage future loyalty and positive word-of-mouth, and bring economic value to the firm.