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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the role played by the social servicescape and positive emotions in the post-use in terms of response – satisfaction, perceived value and consumer loyalty – in hedonic services. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative study was conducted to gather data from 867 opera-goers through e-mail with a link to a questionnaire. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling based on partial least squares. The effects of the social servicescape and emotions as moderators were examined using interaction techniques. Findings The paper provides empirical support on the multidimensional configuration of the social servicescape composed by both characteristics and interactions of employees and customers. The results demonstrate significant relationships between the social servicescape and positive emotions in perceived value, satisfaction and loyalty of consumers. Positive emotions are a moderating variable, intensifying the relationship between the social servicescape and perceived value. The opposite effect in the relationship between the social servicescape and loyalty is found. Research limitations/implications Further research is required to generalize the findings to other hedonic services. Practical implications Knowledge on both social servicescape and emotional effects on consumer behavior may enable cultural managers to improve the consumption experience of performing arts attendees. Originality/value This paper fulfills a research gap in the area of social servicescape as well as the effects of emotions in hedonic services. It makes two main contributions. First, it provides knowledge on social servicescape conceptualization and measurement. Second, the moderation, by interaction effect, of emotions and social servicescape in consumer behavior are confirmed.

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Purpose This paper aims to posit servicescape from a multi-dimensional formative approach beyond mere conceptualizations limited to its physical dimensions. An analysis is carried out to predict loyalty behaviours in a cultural service. Design/methodology/approach Partial least square was conducted for testing a third-order aggregate formative construct of servicescape on a sample of 867 opera goers. In addition, the authors carried out a predictive performance assessment of our model. Findings The proposed research model was largely supported by the evidence. Results show that the physical (exterior and interior) and social dimensions (employees’ and attendees’ characteristics and interactions) must be considered together in the artscape, servicescape named in the performing arts services, conceptualization and measurement. An appropriate servicescape can be of vital importance in the perception and subsequent consumer evaluation of the service in terms of loyalty. Research limitations implications Further research is required to extend the analysis of the holistic servicescape. Practical implications Cultural managers are provided in terms of highlighting the importance of managing the artscape in all its dimensions “not only physical but also social – showing its relevance as an antecedent of opera goers” loyalty. Social implications Besides the cultural product itself, designing appropriate artscapes can enhance the experience and post-use behaviour of performing arts attendees. Originality/value The authors make a relevant contribution in the configuration of high-order formative constructs, showing that marketing literature should appraise servicescape from a comprehensive perspective to predict post-consumption behaviour.

A distinct new development presented by this paper is the analysis of attendees' heterogeneity considering gender and its influence on consumer post-use behavior.The study analyses whether gender moderates the relationship between emotions and post-use behavior in terms of satisfaction and loyalty in public services. A quantitative study was conducted to gather data from 867 Spanish opera-goers of a public opera house through e-mail with a link to a questionnaire. Hypotheses were tested using a multigroup analysis by parametric approach in a structural equation modelling. Gender was found to moderate the relationships presented in the model. Empirical results show that gender provides differences in the effect of emotions in the post-use behavior. Particularly, the effect of the negative emotions in loyalty only exists for female attendees. Moreover, it can be concluded that the positive impact of satisfaction on loyalty is stronger for men than women. Results reveal the importance of managing emotions as well as considering gender differences as segmentation variables. Examining the phenomenon of emotions in context of performing arts, while considering gender as moderator, highlights the originality and contribution of the present study to the public hedonic services.