Role and implications of external customer microenvironment factors in nightclub business

Hospitality Management. Aspects of external customers on the night club business.

The nightclub industry is a highly competitive and consumer driven market that focuses on client centric services such as top shelf alcohol and VIP lounge private entertainment. Consumers of the night club vary as much as the type of night club venue varies. Some night clubs offer a VIP lounge while others do not. In fact, the majority of night clubs actually are dance clubs but are within the night club category as they attract the same clientele.

Men and women frequent night clubs and according to Moss, Parfitt, & Skinner (2009), expect perhaps different amenities or experiences that are gender specific. "It (research) suggests that an understanding of the gendered nature of place and the differing preferences of men and women can assist businesses in shaping their product and services around the needs of their customers. In Phase 1 of the research, purposive sampling examined men and women's attitudes to the servicescape and offerings by mainstream nightclubs and bars. The results highlight differences as well as similarities, in terms of the importance to men and women of various elements of the servicescape and service offering." (Moss, Parfitt, Skinner, 2009)

Additionally, according to Moss, Perfitt, & Skinner (2009), "In a saturated and competitive marketplace, these findings can assist mainstream venues within the late-night economy improve their competitive position. They can do this by isolating elements that are gendered, thereby providing the venues with the opportunity to deliver service offerings that match these preferences and expectations." (Moss, Perfitt, Skinner, 2009)

Night clubs require an unconventional marketing framework that is necessary to differentiate the club from others and sometimes necessary to create a sense of exclusivity. Additionally, night clubs take on a personality of the type of consumer that patron the club. On certain nights, a venue may be offered and these venues then become a popular engagement for a specific type of crowd. According to Goulding & Shankar (2004), "Dance or rave, a phenomenon usually associated with youth culture. It (research) suggests that there is a hidden consumer who falls into the 30-40 age group. It (research) suggests that youth-related activities are migrating up the age scale and draws on the results of a phenomenological study to support this. The findings suggest that the experience is closely related to cognitive age and the dimensions of "felt" age, "look" age, "do" age, and "interest" age." (Goulding, Shankar, 2004)

According to Losekoot (2001), "Modern customer service training is often predicated on the concept of (employee and customer) "scripts," which are routines, including verbal routines, designed to be delivered at a particular "moments of truth," Thus, a member of waiting staff will enquire, within a specified time of delivering a component course of a meal, whether the customer is content with the service/product. This lends the customer-client interaction a certain mechanistic quality." (Losekoot, 2001)