The antecedents of patient experience of aesthetic clinic and its impact on revisit intention

Abstract

Purpose: Aesthetic clinics have expanded dramatically in recent years due to social media trends. This study aims to examine the antecedents of patient experience: product quality, service encounter, servicescape, outcome quality, electronic word of mouth (EWOM) on cognitive experience (CE) and affective experience (AE), and its influence on revisit intention (RI) moderated by social media engagement (SME).

Methodology: This study used a quantitative survey with a cross-sectional approach. Data is collected by purposive sampling using a self-report questionnaire from 280 patients who attended Youthology Aesthetic Clinic^®, South Jakarta minimum of twice between July to August 2022 and followed the clinic’s social media account. Partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was deployed for data analysis.

Results: Electronic word of mouth is the most prominent antecedent influencing AE and CE, with more effect in CE than AE. Servicescape was found not significant to influence CE. Finally, AE has a slightly more substantial influence on RI than CE, but the moderating impact of SME was found insignificant.

Practical implications: The findings of this study suggested that management should pay attention to all the mentioned antecedents, especially EWOM. The administration should develop a strategy to give the best experience to the patients visiting the clinic. This experience should prioritise the patient’s emotional response by patient-centric approach.

Originality/value: This study used cognitive and affective mediation from the patient’s perspective, where these two variables mediate their antecedents to RI. Therefore, this study offers a more comprehensive functional service model such as service encounter and technical approach.