Does Experiential Marketing and Lifestyle Impact on Customer Loyalty?

The food and beverage industry is one of the sectors most affected by the pandemic. Social restrictions to reduce the spread of the covid virus are carried out by lowering outdoor activities, including shopping and eating out. To survive in the business world, companies must have a strategy to increase sales while keeping customers loyal during the pandemic. One marketing approach to increase customer loyalty is to experience marketing through sense, feel, think, act, and relate to building customer satisfaction and loyalty. The survey was conducted on 180 samples using purposive sampling with the characteristics of visiting Excelso Coffee within the last six months, aged 17–65 years and domiciled in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara. Using the SEM-PLS analysis technique shows that experiential marketing affects customer satisfaction, and customer satisfaction significantly influences customer loyalty. Furthermore, customer satisfaction is an intervening variable between experiential marketing and customer loyalty. This study found that the sense indicator in experiential marketing has the most decisive influence in creating customer loyalty. Business owners of a coffee shop or restaurant can use this study to strengthen customer loyalty based on customers’ experience while they are in the restaurant or coffee shop that involves five senses by maximizing the restaurant facility, product, and services. Atmosphere and comfort in a coffee shop or restaurant is essential for the customer who value most their lifestyle.