Customer experience analysis at a small Café

In the twentieth century, the experience economy has challenged the companies of creating the unique experience to the customers. It is a key factor to distinguish the company in the competitive industry and to create satisfaction as well as loyalty. An event is considered a strategic marketing tool to highlight the evoke sensations and feelings of an individual. The thesis aims to analyse the customer experience during the exhibition at a Café. The thesis was conducted during the autumn 2018 and due to the company's wish, their brand name will not be revealed. They are mentioned as Company X throughout the entire thesis. The study covers a research on the influence of the event and the Company X's offerings on customer experience and the importance of customer experience in the entire business. The theoretical framework contains theories of event marketing and customer experience, which are utilized to support the customer journey mapping process and the discussion on the result. The qualitative research method was chosen to collect data from customers. The author conducted four interviews to understand the customer experience throughout their holistic journey at Company X. The outcome of this thesis is to figure out Company X's value creators and weaknesses based on the customers' positive and negative experience, leading to their satisfaction and dissatisfaction. There are also several recommendations for further development. With the support from this study, Company X might consider methods, including adopting event as a strategic marketing tool, to design distinctive customers' experience. The thesis also identifies issues for future research.