The Impact of Other Customers on Customer Experiences: A Psychological Distance Perspective

Managing customer experiences is critical to the success of hospitality businesses in today's economic climate and competitive environment. A better understanding of the impact of other customers on customer experiences is needed, as sharing the service environment with other customers is often an inherent part of the experience. To that end, this research examines the impact of other customers on customer experiences from a psychological distance perspective. The results from two experimental studies provide strong empirical evidence for the effect of psychological distance from other customers on a host of customer responses, such as spontaneous emotional responses, symbolic emotional responses, emotion-regulation strategies, and encounter satisfaction. Additionally, this research examines how other-customer-elicited responses jointly affect the overall customer experience.