THE EFFECTS OF SERVICE QUALITY, SERVICESCAPE, AND SERVICE PERSONNEL ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF SERVICE INNOVATION IN WEDDING BUSINESSES
Keywords:
Service Quality, Servicescape, Service Personnel, Service InnovationAbstract
Objectives of this research article were: 1. To examine how service quality, servicescape, and service personnel influenced customer satisfaction in the wedding industry in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China, and 2. To investigate the mediating role of service innovation between service quality, servicescape, and service personnel and customer satisfaction. The study employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. The population consisted of customers who had used wedding services in Kunming within the past year, and a quota sampling method was used to select 312 respondents. Research instruments included a structured questionnaire that was tested for validity and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha ranging from .88–.92) and semi-structured in-depth interviews with 18 key informants, along with two case studies. Data collection was conducted both online and offline through wedding venues, photography studios, and WeChat groups. Quantitative data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with 5,000 bootstrapping resamples, while qualitative data were analyzed through descriptive content analysis.
The findings revealed that service quality (β=.41, p < .01), servicescape (β=.27, p < .01), and service personnel (β=.36, p < .001) significantly influenced customer satisfaction. Service innovation strongly predicted customer satisfaction (β=.44, p < .001) and partially mediated the effects of the three antecedents, with indirect effects ranging from .11 to .17. The structural model explained 58 percent of the variance in service innovation and 67 percent in customer satisfaction. Qualitative findings identified three key themes: the tension between personalized and standardized services, the hidden role of emotional labor among service personnel, and cultural identity as a driver of service innovation. The study expanded the understanding of service-dominant logic and servicescape theory and provided practical implications for enhancing customer experience through innovation in culturally distinctive industries.
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