Exteriorscape: Physical surroundings of a service outlet in a shopping mall

While the physical elements inside service outlets have been actively researched, the physical surroundings outside the outlet have received limited attention. This study explores the critical factors of physical surroundings of a service outlet in a clustered context such as a shopping mall, and their customer effect. Specifically, the concept of "exteriorscape" is proposed, its components are identified theoretically and validated empirically and, finally, their direct and indirect customer effects are empirically examined. Academically, this study contributes by extending the scope of research on physical elements of a service outlet from inside to outside the service delivery site. Managerially, this study contributes by revealing the importance of managing physical elements surrounding a service outlet and by proposing the critical physical elements surrounding the service outlet.