Exploring the UK high street retail experience: is the service encounter still valued?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between service quality, the service encounter and the retail experience within a changing UK retail environment. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered from 40 customers and 20 staff of an established UK health and beauty retailer with a long-standing reputation for personal customer service. A qualitative analysis was applied using both a service quality and a customer value template. Findings – Customers focused more on the utilitarian features of the service experience and less on “extraordinary” aspects, but service staff still perceived that the customer encounter remained a key requisite for successful service delivery. Research limitations/implications – Recent environmental developments – involving customers, markets and retail platform structure – are challenging traditional service expectations. Practical implications – Retailers may need to reassess the role of the service encounter as part of their on-going value proposition. Originality/value – Limited research to date on the perception of shoppers to the service encounter in a changing retail environment and to the evolving notions of effort and convenience.