Research On The Influence Of Impulse Consumption Behavior Of Customers In Expressway-themed Service Areas

In the first and middle stages of expressway development,expressway service areas were built according to standardised and formatted criteria,resulting in a low level of service and a serious phenomenon of "homogenisation".However,with the development of "traffic and travel integration" and the continuous optimisation of the public consumption structure,the expressway service area,as an important part of the modern integrated transport system,is facing new opportunities and challenges."Theme-based" is the basic construction idea to meet the public’s demand for better travel and the quality development of modern transportation.Thematic service areas are not only resting places for expressway users,but also new tourist destinations for people travelling short distances around them.As a result,themed service areas have a wider audience,more types of customers and a variety of consumption behaviours.Impulsive consumption behaviour is a common but special kind of consumption behaviour in daily life,which is important for promoting the growth of enterprise sales and should be the potential of consumption in theme-based service areas.How to promote the economic benefits within themed service areas to feed the economic growth of transportation and tourism has become a key concern for the themed service area industry.This study combines experiential marketing theory and perceived value theory with the S-O-R theoretical framework to construct a model of the influence mechanism of impulse consumption behaviour of customers in theme-based service areas,considering the role of perceived value and time pressure in it,and further proposes corresponding research hypotheses.The study then conducted a questionnaire survey on customers in theme-based service areas.Based on the data from 539 valid questionnaires,the study used statistical analysis to empirically test the influence of theme experiences on customers’ impulsive consumption behaviour,as well as the mediating role of perceived value and the moderating role of time pressure.The study found that all five forms of thematic experience(sensory,emotional,thinking,action and association)had a significant positive impact on customers’ impulsive consumption behaviour,while the other four forms of experience,except sensory experience,had a significant positive impact on customers’ perceived value;perceived value had a significant positive impact on customers’ impulsive consumption behaviour;perceived value mediated the relationship between thematic experience and customers’ impulsive consumption behaviour;Time pressure has a significant negative moderating effect on the relationship between perceived value and impulsive consumption behaviour.This study explores the influence of impulsive consumption behaviour of customers in theme-based service areas in the context of the "integration of transport and tourism" and the transformation of expressway service areas,and constructs a model of impulsive consumption behaviour of customers in theme-based service areas.This study complements the existing theoretical research on impulsive consumption behaviour and provides empirical support for the expressway service area industry,helping themed service area operators to understand the formation mechanism of impulsive consumption behaviour from the demand side,and providing development directions and ideas to enhance customer leisure experience and promote themed service area consumption.