Emotional influences of environmental cues on chinese consumers in a leisure service setting

This study investigates the emotional influence of environmental cues on Chinese consumers under a leisure service setting. By surveying 200 Chinese customers of game centers in Guangzhou, China, empirical findings of this study confirm the belief that the perceived physical environment of the game center exerts a direct and positive influence on Chinese customers’ emotional state as well as on their repatronge intention. They also indicate that if such an environment really makes customers feel excited, their excitement will, in turn, induce them to spend more resources in the center. Despite the fact that many researchers have suggested that Chinese consumers may adopt unique consumption characteristics, the influence of physical environment of a service setting on consumer responses seems to remain intact in both Western and Chinese cultures. These findings remind service executives operating in Chinese societies of the importance to pay close attention to all aspects of their service environment to ensure corporate success. Lastly, the lack of a significant relationship between resource expenditure and repatronage intention identified in this study also warrants further exploration in future research.