Abstract:
In view of the increasingly competitive and experience-based nature of the service
industry in general and especially the wedding planning industry, the topic of
customer engagement has now become a crucial success factor, and there have been
few studies examining engagement through the lens of value co-creation within the
context of wedding planning services. This study addresses this gap and focuses on
customer experience as a mediator between customer co-creator and engagement, in
Sri Lanka, particularly, within the industry of wedding planning in the Western
Province. A quantitative approach to research was adopted to obtain data on 384
customers via the use of questionnaires using snowball sampling as a non-probability
sampling method. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS and structural equation
modeling to examine the direct and indirect relationships among variables. The
results have shown that active participation in the planning process will also increase
the engagement, especially when the experience is positive and memorable to the
customers. This research adds value to service marketing by confirming the
mediating effect of customer experience in a highly distinctive cultural context with
respect to service. In practice, the findings underline the necessity of wedding
planners to embrace collaborative approaches, contributing to positive customer
experiences that can lead to long-term customer involvement and sustainable
customer relationships.
