Identification of factors affecting customer experience using a meta‐synthesis approach

Although research in the emerging field of customer experience is growing rapidly and different frameworks and models have been proposed for improving certain aspects of the customer experience, the general factors affecting the customer experience have not yet been precisely identified and can not conceptualize this phenomenon easily. Therefore, this study aims to address this research gap and provide a comprehensive model of factors affecting the customer experience based on previous research.

The methodological approach of this study is qualitative, and the research method adopted is Sandelowski and Barroso’s meta-synthesis. Of the 63,546 articles from the last three decades’ literature search in the selected electronic databases, 121 studies fit the eligibility and inclusion criteria.

From 121 studies, Factors affecting customer experience were identified in 10 themes as follows: product/service, social, environmental, product process, customer factors, personnel, marketing strategy, past experience, brand, and external factors.

The model presented in this study can be used as a basic model which helps managers and researchers interested in this field gain a comprehensive understanding of the concept of customer experience, evaluate and assess the importance and weight of each factor in their business environments, and based on the results, determine appropriate strategies to improve the customer experience.