Dimensions of customer experience in escape room establishments in malaysia and their influence on revisit intention / Lim Qian Pink

Faculty of Industrial Management

Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy) -- Universiti Malaysia Pahang – 2025

Includes bibliographical references

Escape rooms have emerged as a popular form of interactive entertainment, yet little research has explored the customer experience dimensions that drive player engagement and revisit intention. This study aims to (1) explore the dimensions of customer experience in escape rooms, (2) investigate the mechanisms linking these dimensions to revisit intention, and (3) examine the structural relationships between these constructs. Using a sequential mixed-methods approach, the study first employs transcendental phenomenological analysis to derive key experience dimensions from semi-structured interviews with escape room players in Malaysia. The qualitative findings identify 12 core dimensions of customer experience, including skill, challenge, involvement, flow, positive and negative anticipated emotion, perceived authenticity, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, attitude, desire, and revisit intention. The study then integrates Flow Theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) and the Model of Goal-Directed Behavior (MGDB) (Perugini & Bagozzi, 2001) to develop a theoretical model explaining how these dimensions interrelate. The model is tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) on survey data collected from escape room participants (N=339). Findings indicate that desire is the strongest predictor of revisit intention, influenced by flow, social norms, and anticipated emotions rather than traditional satisfaction-based determinants. Unlike conventional consumer behavior models, the results suggest that goal-oriented motivation and emotional anticipation play a greater role in escape room engagement than habitual loyalty or post-consumption satisfaction. Practical contributions emphasize game design strategies, emotional priming techniques, and personalized challenge adjustments to enhance player retention. This study advances theoretical understanding by offering a new integrative model for immersive entertainment experiences, providing insights applicable to broader experience-based service industries, gamified consumer experiences, and adventure tourism sectors. Future research is encouraged to validate findings cross-culturally and further explore longitudinal behavioral patterns in escape room engagement.