Huang, Y. (2012).

The moderating effect of customer knowledge on the relationship between store

image, service quality and customer satisfaction: an empirical study of Taiwanese
equestrian customers. Master Thesis. University of Amsterdam.

In a separate study, Huang (2012) examined how service quality and image contribute to
customer satisfaction. Their findings indicate that favorable store image may result in customer
satisfaction. The author further identifies image attributes that play a significant role in
promoting guest satisfaction. He identifies service personnel, product assortment, and product
quality as the most significant image dimensions in as far as customer satisfaction is concerned.
This implies that hotels should spend more effort on these dimensions and carefully sustain them.
The author notes that it is possible to create a positive image by providing a wide range of
products that meets the needs of existing customers, while attracting new customers. Other than
product assortment, product/service quality is equally important because guests have higher
expectations and they expect premium or memorable experience from the products/ services
provided. When a guest has a good experience at a hotel, his satisfaction is higher, but more
importantly, he is likely to come back and spend more at the facility the next time he requires
similar services or products. It is important to make the guest feel that the services or products
bought from the hotel are worth the price.
dimension, thus this research shows them how to effectively satisfy target
customers by limited budget. Club managers have to satisfy customers along these
three dimensions, at least make customers perceive a positive image of each
dimension. Any negative image or feeling toward these dimensions would cause
more customer dissatisfaction than others. 2. Service quality has positive effect to
customer satisfaction but will not moderate the relationship between store image
and customer satisfaction The result of this research supports the hypotheses that
service quality has positive effect to customer satisfaction but against the
hypothesis that moderating effect on the relationship between store image and
customer satisfaction, which deny the argument in previous chapter to examine
service quality and store image separately in customer satisfaction framework

which service has been always categorized as one of main dimensions of store
image. In service industry, the service quality should be regarded as the root of
business and is able to affect other dimensions of store image as the author
assumed, however, when the service
71 quality of equestrian club is higher, customers will be impressed more by its store
service while forming their satisfaction of equestrian clubs, but they will not take
store image dimensions into account more seriously. Instead, they will remain
objective to judge the store image separately. The author of this research might
attribute the reason to the high similarity between Store image dimensions and
Service Quality or even link to previous literature that asserts consumers are always
consider service quality as a part of the Store image dimension (Hopkins and Alford,
2001). Although this research failed to identify service quality has the moderating
effect on the relationship between Store image and Customer knowledge, but Store
image has been seen as a tool to convey store image thus inferior service quality
would not give customer positive feeling toward stores even if other dimensions of
store image are outstanding. On the other hand, those equestrian clubs without
exclusive store images has to reinforce the shortage by providing superior service
quality to keep customer satisfied and confident about the improvement. 3.
Customer Knowledge will not moderate the relationship between store image and
customer satisfaction, and the relationship between service quality and customer
satisfaction respectively.
72 From the results of previous chapter, the hypothesis of the significant moderating
effect of Customer Knowledge on customer framework has not been supported. It is
obvious that different extent of customer satisfaction, which are caused either by
customers perception of store image or service quality, exist in each level of
customer knowledge of each business model. But there is no obvious sign shows
that different level of customer knowledge will lead to different emphasis either on
store image or service quality. Therefore, customer knowledge cannot affect the
importance of store image or service quality toward customer satisfaction. However,
although previous research asserts the importance of store performance in
determining satisfaction was less for customers with low knowledge due to their
lack of experience could not distinguish real service quality (Patterson, 2000), but
there still might be certain variables within Customer knowledge concept that
wasnt included in this research scope should be further discussed. For example,
the extent of customer knowledge was assessed by the respondents themselves but
without a concrete benchmark. A low customer knowledge respondent might see
himself as a high customer knowledge consumer only because he has been
engaging equestrian for a longtime, vice versa. More over, probably the mindset of
consumers in high-end service industry is quite straight forward and dont take too
much knowledge perspective into
73 account. Take one of the luxury brand -- Louis Vuitton as an example, once
consumers step in the store will be convinced to shop as long as they believe the
purchase is worth and able to satisfy themselves. Lack of knowledge on the history

of luxury accessories or manufacturing technology behind doesnt matter to them

at all!