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requirements and demands (Fajarwati et al., 2004). Satisfaction is a result of people’s feelings upon encountering the service or product
experience whether it is an amusement or despondency after comparing it with their expectations. Pei et al. (2020) found that there were four
factors of customers experience that affected customer satisfaction: experience with the shopping environment, staff service, shopping
procedure and product experience. Customer dissatisfaction is essential to be recognized so that a business can sustain itself because the
effects of customer dissatisfaction are greater than the effects of customer satisfaction towards the business (Kim et al., 2019). A business
that does not pay attention to its customer satisfaction level will not be successful whether it is a governmental or private organization
(Ghasemi et al., 2017).
In addition, according to Park et al. (2020), customer satisfaction is a powerful instrument that keeps customers for the long-term, and
it has been proven that only a few businesses survive without maintaining their customer satisfaction. To conclude, customer satisfaction is
a subjective emotional response to purchasing, shopping, or the activity of purchasing and acquiring, as well as a user experience evaluation
parameter used to evaluate the intended product qualities with the genuine values (Pei et al., 2020).
2.2 CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Each exchange of services leads to a client experience irrespective of its type and shape (Schmitt et al., 2015). The recent practice in
business describes customer experience as including “all elements of a company's offer — of course, the quality of customer service but also
advertising, packaging, product and service characteristics, simplicity of use and dependability” (Lemon & Verhoef, 2016). Management
thinks that customer experience is key to competitiveness (McCall, 2015). Marketing experts describe it as the basic foundation of the
management of marketing (Homburg et al., 2017). In some studies, the customer experience intersects with results factors, such as satisfaction
or value, while in others, for example, it is an independent variable that leads to satisfaction (Becker & Jaakkola, 2020).
In retail, the present market position is strong rivalry, high consumer needs and complicated technology (Pei et al., 2020). For retailers,
the customer experience has become essential to execute diversified strategies and lasting unique strength (Artusi et al., 2020). Since clients
live in an economic environment, businesses' competitive advantages are derived from a product- or service-based experience that attracts
consumers (Bhattacharya & Srivastava, 2020). Hence, actively directing and providing a pleasant emotional experience in the buying process
result in high levels of consumer satisfaction and loyalty (Pei et al., 2020).
2.2.1 Customer Experience with Shopping Environment and Customer Satisfaction
According to Levy and Weitz (2012), creating an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere is a critical retail technique for eliciting favourable
emotional reactions and influencing customer purchasing behaviour (El-Adly & Eid, 2016). If retail customers are seen as shoppers, they
perceive the website as a shopping environment and not as a computer-mediated interface as its technical characteristics (Connell et al.,
2019). Unlike the physical retail store, an online shopping environment is more likely to be spotted on by the consumers' eyes in terms of
the user interface, website design, layout and others. Consequently, online purchasing settings have been more cognitively interpreted than
physical surroundings (Demangeot & Broderick, 2007).
An online shop can be on many types of platforms instead of only websites. To date, the development of online shops grows
exponentially. The website is a key part of the current (and likely future) omnipresent shopping environment, in which consumers may
interact with retail companies via several channels: websites, retail locations, social media and apps, and direct marketing (Verhoef et al.,
2015). From time to time, online shops keep evolving, and the design is not focusing on looks, but aiming to ease the process with a lot of
functions and features for the consumers. With the growth of the e-commerce industry, established merchants are constantly considering
enhancing their websites to attract more consumers while new shops create websites that are not only aesthetically effective, but also distinct
(Pappas et al., 2018).
Web design is essential to demonstrate the online marketer expertise to provide comfortable e-commerce environment for consumers,
which affect their satisfaction (Park & Kim, 2003). To attract more online shoppers, it is vital for a shopping website to evaluate how the
online shopping environment may be made more attractive to the customer base (Lin & Sun, 2009). Therefore, the researcher proposes the
following:
H1: Customer experience with an online shopping environment has a significant positive influence towards customer satisfaction.
2.2.2 Customer Experience with Staff Service and Customer Satisfaction
Employees in the retail sector have a responsibility to provide value for customers and to offer excellent service (Judd, 2003).
According to Wu et al., the consumer satisfaction is influenced by a variety of variables (Wu et al., 2020). Customer satisfaction is highly
influenced by the quality of service (Ying et al., 2021). When it comes to customers, the workers represent both the companies for which
they work as well as the products or services that they offer. As mentioned by Young et al. (2009), many businesses depend on their
employees to develop and provide services or goods. Customers' happiness with the services they get increases their propensity to make
repeat purchases (Dabholkar & Abston, 2008).
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