The article “Dibs! Customer Territorial Behaviors” written by Merlyn A. Griffiths and Mary C. Gilly is a study about the territorial behaviors that customers exhibit when visiting cafés or coffee shops, also referred to as “Third Place” servicescapes which according to sociologist Ray Oldenburg, “Describe informal gathering places where people spend time away from home and work.” (Dibs! Pg. 132) The researchers addressed three major questions when planning and conducting their research: (1) How and why do customers behave territorially in service environments? (2) How do customers react to territorial behaviors by other customers? (3) How do personal and public agendas regarding psychological ownership converge and diverge in the servicescape?
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First, they discovered there is a very general display of territorial behavior by marking your space with personal belongings, such as purses, clothing, and computers. This display was confirmed by an interview with customer Lauren, “If my laptop is there then they [other customers] know I’m not too far. I mean it’s not like they can say I wasn’t sitting there; my stuff is there.” The researchers observed that many customers see the café as extensions of their home, and they are laying claim to their area as they would similarly do at home. By offering amenities such as Wi-Fi, comfortable sitting areas, and air conditioning, they encourage customers to engage in their individual activities and get away from distractions at home or …show more content…
“The servicescape design encourages approach behaviors, which encourages territoriality resulting loyalty by the territorial customer but avoidance by other customers.” (Dibs! Pg. 144) The territorial customers are detrimental to a business’s success by creating low turnover and sales because customers are spending extended periods of time at tables while spending the limited amount of money on goods being sold. New customers may interpret this behavior as unwelcoming and deter them from entering the business, which results in lost potential sales. If businesses want to deal with this territorial issue, they will need to implement a new design layout that separates customers with differing
First, they discovered there is a very general display of territorial behavior by marking your space with personal belongings, such as purses, clothing, and computers. This display was confirmed by an interview with customer Lauren, “If my laptop is there then they [other customers] know I’m not too far. I mean it’s not like they can say I wasn’t sitting there; my stuff is there.” The researchers observed that many customers see the café as extensions of their home, and they are laying claim to their area as they would similarly do at home. By offering amenities such as Wi-Fi, comfortable sitting areas, and air conditioning, they encourage customers to engage in their individual activities and get away from distractions at home or …show more content…
“The servicescape design encourages approach behaviors, which encourages territoriality resulting loyalty by the territorial customer but avoidance by other customers.” (Dibs! Pg. 144) The territorial customers are detrimental to a business’s success by creating low turnover and sales because customers are spending extended periods of time at tables while spending the limited amount of money on goods being sold. New customers may interpret this behavior as unwelcoming and deter them from entering the business, which results in lost potential sales. If businesses want to deal with this territorial issue, they will need to implement a new design layout that separates customers with differing