The Impact of Experiential Marketing on the Customer Patronising Behaviour: Special Reference to Sri Lankan Modern Trade Industry and Moderating Effect of Store Personality

Abstract

The aim of this research is to investigate how experiential marketing impacts customer patronising behaviour, with a focus on the moderating effect of store personality. Nowadays, people do not just go to supermarkets to shop but also to have a unique experience and gain spontaneous excitement. This trend highlights the growing importance of experiential marketing to create value for customers. To achieve our research objectives, researchers utilised a quantitative approach and collected data from 405 respondents who have visited modern trade in and around Sri Lanka. The researcher used a Google Form as a web-based survey to administer the questionnaire. The results of the study show that there is a significant impact of experiential marketing on customer patronising behaviour. Modern trade managers can use these findings to gain a deeper understanding of their visitors' experiences, promote their services more efficiently, and formulate marketing strategies in order to maximise customer patronage. Ultimately, this can lead to improved repurchase intentions from customers. From a practical standpoint, the research indicates that supermarkets can enhance consumer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as raise repurchase intentions, by implementing experiential marketing methods. The focus on store personality as a moderating element suggests that the unique traits and reputation of the modern trade influence how experiential marketing affects consumer patronising behaviour.