The importance of physical evidence in marketing a service (AO3)
The physical environment influences the satisfaction of consumers receiving a service. Banks, for instance, spend considerable amounts on the design of branches and automated machinery. Multinational coffeehouse chains, like Starbucks, focus on creating clean, homogeneous and friendly environments, wherever in the world they are located. This provides the tangible security a customer requires before buying a service. Physical evidence is an essential ingredient of the service mix as consumers’ perceptions of the service is influenced by their perception of the delivery environment.
There are many examples of physical evidence:
- packaging
- web pages
- brochures
- signage
- uniforms
- building design
Some organisations depend heavily upon physical evidence for marketing communications, such as tourist attractions (e.g. Disney World) and mail services (e.g. DHL vans).