In contemporary society, the beauty industry has evolved beyond merely enhancing external appearance to emphasizing emotional satisfaction and relational value throughout the entire customer service experience. In particular, franchise hair salons hav...
In contemporary society, the beauty industry has evolved beyond merely enhancing external appearance to emphasizing emotional satisfaction and relational value throughout the entire customer service experience. In particular, franchise hair salons have provided customers with consistent service quality through professionally trained staff and standardized service manuals, while simultaneously building distinctive brand identities. Within this context, understanding how the service environment perceived by customers influences their evaluations and behaviors has become a critical research topic.
The term “servicescape,” introduced systematically by Bitner, has since been applied across various service sectors. Servicescape encompasses spatial layout, interior design, visual and auditory stimuli, cleanliness, and convenience—all of which directly stimulate customers’ emotions and attitudes during their stay. Hair salons, where customers spend a relatively long time, are particularly affected by both the physical and psychological environment, which play significant roles in determining service satisfaction and brand perception.
Meanwhile, “brand value” represents an intangible corporate asset in the market, encompassing the trust and satisfaction consumers experience with a brand. Beyond a simple brand image, it leads to customer loyalty and positive attitudes, and it is especially critical in the beauty industry, where services are highly intangible. A positively perceived servicescape enhances brand value and serves as a foundation for strengthening long-term business competitiveness.
In consumer behavior research, word-of-mouth (WOM) continues to attract scholarly attention. Customers share their personal experiences with others, which greatly influences potential customers’ service choices. Hennig-Thurau and Gremler explained that relational benefits and service quality are closely linked to customer attitudes and WOM behavior. In beauty services, where the outcomes are directly connected to personal appearance, WOM tends to have higher credibility and a broader impact. Furthermore, with the advancement of digital platforms, online reviews and social media WOM spread more rapidly and extensively than traditional offline WOM, playing a central role in shaping brand image. Studies by Lee Da-hae, Ban Ju-ho, and Jang Ham have empirically demonstrated that online reviews directly influence perceived value, trust, revisit intention, and reservation behavior.
Although numerous previous studies have examined the influence of servicescape on customer satisfaction and reuse intention, integrated research that empirically verifies the structural relationship among servicescape, brand value, and word-of-mouth remains limited—particularly within the beauty industry and among franchise hair salons. Moreover, few empirical studies have analyzed brand value as a mediating pathway influencing WOM behavior in actual beauty service contexts.
Accordingly, this study seeks to empirically verify how the service environment influences brand value perception and ultimately leads to word-of-mouth effects, based on theoretical frameworks established in prior research. The case company, Leekaja Hairbis Hair Shop, is a leading franchise salon in Korea, recognized for its nationwide network and standardized service system, maintaining both a strong brand identity and customer loyalty. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the process by which the service environment affects brand value perception and subsequently word-of-mouth, thereby contributing academically to the expansion of structural relationships among servicescape, brand value, and word-of-mouth, and providing practical implications for developing customer experience–based brand strategies within the beauty industry.