Short answer
Focus design efforts on creating an immersive and engaging environment that appeals to the senses, encourages social connection, and integrates natural elements, as these are the most effective levers for improving customer experience and driving repeat business.
- Field
- Innovation & Markets
- Source
- Journal of Nusantara Studies (JONUS) (2025)
- Method
- Quantitative research employing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).
- Sample
- 153 participants
- Evidence
- Strong effect
The overall customer experience, significantly shaped by sensory, social, and natural elements within a coffee shop, is the primary driver of customers' intentions to return. This innovation & markets research insight is drawn from a 2025 study published in Journal of Nusantara Studies (JONUS). Using Quantitative research employing partial least squares structural equation modeling (pls-sem). with 153 participants, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Focus design efforts on creating an immersive and engaging environment that appeals to the senses, encourages social connection, and integrates natural elements, as these are the most effective levers for improving customer experience and driving repeat business.
Sensory, Social, and Natural Elements Drive Coffee Shop Revisit Intentions Through Enhanced Customer Experience
The overall customer experience, significantly shaped by sensory, social, and natural elements within a coffee shop, is the primary driver of customers' intentions to return.
Journal of Nusantara Studies (JONUS) · 2025
Key Findings
- 01Sensory, social, and natural 'experienscape' components significantly enhance customer experience.
- 02Customer experience mediates the relationship between sensory, social, and natural components and revisit intentions.
- 03Functional and cultural components had weaker effects on customer experience and revisit intentions.
Application
Design takeaway
Focus design efforts on creating an immersive and engaging environment that appeals to the senses, encourages social connection, and integrates natural elements, as these are the most effective levers for improving customer experience and driving repeat business.
How to apply
When designing or redesigning a coffee shop, invest in elements that enhance sensory appeal (e.g., unique coffee aromas, curated music, visually pleasing decor), create spaces conducive to social interaction (e.g., communal tables, comfortable lounge areas), and integrate natural elements (e.g., plants, natural light, wood textures).
Project actions
- 01When researching customer preferences for a coffee shop, consider how different sensory inputs (smell, sound, sight) might influence their overall feeling.
- 02Explore how the layout of a space can encourage or discourage social interaction among customers.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Employs a robust quantitative methodology (PLS-SEM) for analyzing complex relationships.
- +Addresses a specific gap in understanding customer behavior in the Malaysian coffee market.
Limitations
The study's findings are specific to specialty coffee shops in Malaysia and might not apply to other types of cafes or different cultural contexts. The sample size, while adequate for the method, is limited.
Reliability & validity
The use of PLS-SEM suggests a focus on predictive accuracy and model fit, which contributes to the study's validity. Reliability would be assessed through measures like Cronbach's alpha for the scales used.
Think critically
To what extent do the findings on sensory, social, and natural elements hold true for different types of hospitality venues, such as restaurants or bars, and how might cultural nuances further influence these relationships?
Design Principles
"The 'Experiential Integration Principle': Design elements that engage multiple senses, foster social connection, and incorporate natural aesthetics are paramount in cultivating a positive customer experience that drives loyalty."
Understanding how specific environmental components contribute to a holistic customer experience is crucial for businesses aiming to foster loyalty and repeat patronage. This insight helps in strategically designing physical spaces and service offerings that resonate with customer desires, ultimately impacting market competitiveness.
What This Means for Your Design
To make customers want to come back to your coffee shop, focus on making the place feel good through its sights, sounds, smells, and by making it easy for people to meet and chat, and by adding plants or natural light.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use this study to justify focusing on sensory and social design elements in your own design project, explaining how they contribute to customer experience and revisit intentions.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This research highlights the critical role of sensory, social, and natural 'experienscape' components in shaping customer experience and driving revisit intentions within specialty coffee shops. By prioritizing these elements in design, businesses can cultivate a more engaging environment that fosters customer loyalty and repeat patronage, as evidenced by the significant mediating effect of customer experience on revisit intentions.
Source
Journal of Nusantara Studies (JONUS)
Exploring the coffee shop experience: The impact of customer experience on revisit intentions in urban specialty coffee shops
journal · 2025
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about sensory, social, and natural elements drive coffee shop revisit intentions through enhanced customer experience?
- Focus design efforts on creating an immersive and engaging environment that appeals to the senses, encourages social connection, and integrates natural elements, as these are the most effective levers for improving customer experience and driving repeat business. Evidence: Journal of Nusantara Studies (JONUS) (2025).
- Why does "Sensory, Social, and Natural Elements Drive Coffee Shop Revisit Intentions Through Enhanced Customer Experience" matter for design?
- Understanding how specific environmental components contribute to a holistic customer experience is crucial for businesses aiming to foster loyalty and repeat patronage. This insight helps in strategically designing physical spaces and service offerings that resonate with customer desires, ultimately impacting market competitiveness.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Focus design efforts on creating an immersive and engaging environment that appeals to the senses, encourages social connection, and integrates natural elements, as these are the most effective levers for improving customer experience and driving repeat business.
- What were the main findings?
- Sensory, social, and natural 'experienscape' components significantly enhance customer experience.. Customer experience mediates the relationship between sensory, social, and natural components and revisit intentions.. Functional and cultural components had weaker effects on customer experience and revisit intentions.
- What research method was used?
- Quantitative research employing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). with 153 participants.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2025 journal from Journal of Nusantara Studies (JONUS).
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing or redesigning a coffee shop, invest in elements that enhance sensory appeal (e.g., unique coffee aromas, curated music, visually pleasing decor), create spaces conducive to social interaction (e.g., communal tables, comfortable lounge areas), and integrate natural elements (e.g., plants, natural light, wood textures).
- What are the limitations?
- The study was conducted in a specific geographical region (Malaysia's Klang Valley), and findings may not be universally generalizable to all specialty coffee shop markets. The focus was on frequent customers, potentially excluding the perspectives of infrequent visitors.