"Customers’ expectations have never been higher" : A quantitative study of customers’ perceptions of customer experiences delivered by physical beauty and makeup stores in Sweden.

Abstract: The aim of this bachelor thesis is to examine which experiential dimensions that are perceived as important for customers and how these dimensions are delivered by Swedish beauty and makeup retailers. The focus is to examine how their physical in-store environments succeeds with delivering extraordinary customer experiences. The thesis is conducted through a deductive approach and a quantitative research method have been implemented. Further on, the software Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) have been used to process the data collected from an online questionnaire. The empirical findings were then calculated into six variables that were analyses and discussed in relation to existing theories to strengthen and improve the research of customer experience. The thesis found that experiential dimensions of interaction, emotion, differentiation and in-store technologies are considered as important by customers within the age of 18-30, when creating extraordinary customer experiences in the context of beauty and makeup in-store environments. Moreover, the collected data prove that Swedish Beauty and makeup stores fails to deliver these four dimensions in the extent to create extraordinary customer experiences. Customers of today want new and interesting in-store environments, which means that retailers need to permanently elaborate their environments with unique design element within these dimensions to deliver memorable customer experiences. The result from this thesis can be used by beauty and makeup retailers and other industries to increase their delivery of extraordinary customer experience.