The impact of perceived crowding on customer satisfaction

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop and test an explanatory model of how perceived crowding and coping behavior impacts upon customer satisfaction. The paper contributes to the service management literature by; 1) identifying key factors impacting crowding perception in a winter sport outdoor setting; 2) highlighting its influence on customer satisfaction; and 3) advocating the need for winter destination managers to overcome perceived crowding. Design/methodology/approach The paper applied a quantitative methodology to explore the relationship between customer demographics, coping mechanisms and customer satisfaction. This data is utilized to highlight management issues to overcome perceived crowding. Findings The theoretically developed and empirically tested model proves that perceived crowding in winter sport settings is influenced by a number of different factors, such as a customer’s demography. Perceived crowding leads to coping behavior that in turn increases the crowding perception of affected people. Perceived crowding and coping behavior both negatively influence customer satisfaction in a winter outdoor setting. Research limitations/implications The most significant limitation of the paper are the non-random sampling approach, the rather small sample size, the selected factors in the presented model, as well as the nature of the services (outdoor experiences) explored in this paper. Originality/value The paper is the first to explore the constructs of crowding, coping behavior and visitor satisfaction for a winter sports outdoor setting. Results show that crowding is an important construct for service sector managers to recognize and manage in order to overcome an increase in dissatisfied visitors.

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