Besitztumseffekte beim Kauf von Dienstleistungen - Wie die Berührung physischer Objekte die Dienstleistungsbewertung beeinflusst

Nägele, Nora; Wentzel, Daniel (Thesis advisor); Paluch, Stefanie (Thesis advisor)

Aachen (2018)
Dissertation / PhD Thesis

Dissertation, RWTH Aachen University, 2018

Abstract

There is a consensus in science that the most important criterion for distinguishing between services and goods is intangibility. Services such as insurance, travel or theatre visits cannot be touched and individuals do not receive any physical equivalent. To solve this problem, there are attempts in the literature to tangibilise services. Although there is agreement in the literature that tangible objects play an important role in the purchase of a service, there are few studies that investigate how physical objects that test persons may touch when purchasing a service (such as membership cards, member wristbands or pens) affect the evaluation of a service. This dissertation is dedicated to this question. To support this, an analysis of existing literature in the areas of intangibility of services and the role of touching physical objects on the behavior of individuals is carried out. The findings of these studies are combined with the theory of the property effect. On the one hand, this connection reveals an underlying explanation mechanism of the psychological processes and, on the other hand, potential influencing factors become clear. Four experiments support the assumption that the touch of physical objects induces a connection of the "self" of individuals to a service, which in turn is reflected in a more positive service evaluation. Furthermore, the studies show that physical objects only improve service evaluation if they have a high value and that the effect of touch can be influenced by the personalization of the physical object. The results therefore offer a new perspective on the role of physical objects in the purchase of services by showing that physical objects can be more than just a quality signal. Rather, they enable service companies to benefit from the positive effects of ownership - i.e. a connection to their consumers - by tangibilising in the original sense. The author intends to change perspectives in the theory of the role of physical objects in service marketing. On the other hand, the management is given concrete recommendations and design tips on how physical objects can be used specifically to establish a connection to consumers.