Conference Agenda

This paper explores current approaches to customer-centric experiential strate-gies in a luxury fashion context, through an analysis of two UK luxury retailer case studies: Anya Hindmarch and MatchesFashion. While earlier studies have shown the importance of the physical luxury store, emphasis on customer experience (CX) and aspects related to service interactions that lead to pleasurable experi-ences remain nascent. Underpinned by interrelated theoretical constructs – cus-tomer experience, store atmospherics and retail design – and taking an explora-tory, qualitative approach (including documents, expert interviews and store ob-servation), the research promulgates the dimensions comprising customer-centric physical store experiences in luxury fashion. In doing so, it is the first known study to offer a conceptual framework to advance scholarly and practi-tioner luxury customer experience research.

Since Pine & Gilmore (1999) introduced the concept of Experience Economy two decades ago, both academic and practical worlds have embraced the idea, with various frameworks and applications built and evolved around related concepts, design, and management. However, the concept of managing artifacts, which directly impact experiences, has received limited development. Through a literature review approach, this study defines experience design management as "the management of artifacts that can influence the perceived customer experience, to achieve business strategic objectives, balancing the resource capabilities of service providers with the value propositions of service recipients." Besides, this study summarizes the framework, processes, and key factors of XDM, to help designers conduct experience design practice and innovation with a clear overview. The results shed light on future directions of research and development of experience design management, with implications for both business success and academic significance.

Live streaming sales have emerged as a prominent trend in global retail, following the COVID-19 pandemic.This study aims to investigate the influence of different forms of background in live streaming sales on consumer purchase behavior through eye-tracking experiments. The study involved 25 participants (15 males). Four distinct background conditions were implemented. The obtained results were analyzed and discussed based on the affordance theory and context effect theory.The findings revealed that under the original background condition, participants tended to primarily focus their attention on the product. In the absence of a background, participants exhibited the longest gaze duration on the product and facial features of individuals. A background consistent with the theme of the product not only enhanced participants' overall attention towards the product but also significantly increased their revisit frequency to the background. A background inconsistent with the theme of the product attracted considerable attention from participants.

This paper discusses a mixed method study in which we combine eye-tracking with semi-structured in-depth interviews, conducted at two similar stores of a re- tailer in the cosmetics sector. With this study the retailer wanted to investigate, on the one hand, how customers navigate and move around the store and, on the other hand, what they think of the design and experience of the two stores. Through this qualitative research method, you get a very rich set of information that mainly provides insights into the "why" behind shopping behavior. The results concerning shop- ping behavior indicate that in this store customers mainly navigate at eye level through product recognition. On the evaluation of the shopping experience, customers fairly unanimously recognize which elements are positive and which are more likely to be disruptive in a store design.

This qualitative case study explores the blending of physical and digital as phygital experience at the Rovaniemi Local Heritage Museum in the very specific context of periferal Arctic Lapland. The case study builds on participatory design and provides findings and discussions on how to utilize mobile head-mounted eye tracking sensor technology and empathy map as methods in researching phygital customer experiences during the tourism customer journeys in peripheral, remotely situated micro and small-scale organisations. The findings provide tourism, service and experience design researchers, developers, and service providers with relevant information about the future challenge of phygital touchpoint design. The case study worked as a test bed for experimenting, developing and introducing a hospitality service in fragile local context for the larger tourism audience and simultaneously paying attention and care for local community, Sustainable Development Goals and future developments in hospitality context.