Immersive services like healthcare, eldercare, education, and travel embed consumers in structured environments, often shaping their life experiences. A how these services can both challenge and empower consumer agency鈥攖he freedom to make independent choices.
Authored by Laurel Anderson (Arizona State University), Catharina Von Koshull (University of Vaasa), Martin Mende (Arizona State University), and Johanna Gummerus (Hanken School of Economics), the study explores the structural characteristics of immersive services and their impact on consumer wellbeing.
鈥淥ur research identifies key challenges to consumer agency in immersive services,鈥 says Anderson. 鈥淏ut it also highlights how consumers creatively navigate these environments to regain control and autonomy.鈥
Key Findings
The study identifies four structural characteristics of immersive services that can limit consumer agency:
- Encapsulation: Consumers are deeply embedded in the service, often isolated from other aspects of life.
- Positionality: Hierarchies and power dynamics influence interactions between consumers and service providers.
- Protocolization: Rigid rules and routines shape consumer behavior.
- Multivocality: Conflicting voices and perspectives within the service create uncertainty about how to act.
These factors are becoming increasingly relevant in today鈥檚 polarized society and as AI-driven decision making expands in service settings.
鈥淔rom rigid protocols to power imbalances, immersive services can limit consumers鈥 freedom to act,鈥 says Von Koshull. 鈥淗owever, we found that consumers aren鈥檛 passive鈥攖hey actively work to reclaim their agency.鈥
Consumer Pathways to Agency
The study identifies five strategies consumers use to regain agency:
- Expanding their world by exerting control over time and space.
- Voicing concerns to challenge rules and advocate for change.
- Taking on meaningful tasks to assert independence.
- Pushing back against rigid protocols to co-create better service experiences.
- Using play and imagination to reframe experiences and celebrate life.
鈥淭hese improvisations are critical,鈥 explains Mende. 鈥淭hey show how consumers creatively navigate constraints to find meaning and autonomy in immersive services.鈥
Managerial Implications
The findings offer actionable insights for managers seeking to empower consumers while maintaining service structures. Two key strategies stand out:
- Leverage technology to enhance consumer freedom: Digital tools can help address encapsulation and protocolization by offering more flexible and personalized experiences.
- Develop empathy-driven relationships: Strengthening interpersonal connections helps address power imbalances and conflicting perspectives, making consumers feel valued and heard.
鈥淭o truly enhance consumer wellbeing, managers must balance structure with opportunities for freedom and self-expression,鈥 says Gummerus.
The study also recommends a two-step approach for evaluating and addressing gaps in consumer agency:
- Assess how encapsulation, positionality, protocolization, and multivocality impact consumers.
- Evaluate how well the service supports consumers鈥 pathways to agency, including voicing and challenging protocols.
鈥淪ervices that embrace agency don鈥檛 just benefit consumers鈥攖hey create stronger, more loyal relationships,鈥 says Anderson. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a win-win for everyone involved.鈥
Full article and author contact information available at:聽
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