Exploring key factors influencing customer experience at the checkout counter in McDonald's Pitäjänmäki

Abstract

The relationship between customer experience and company growth is undeniable. A company that consistently delivers outstanding experiences is more likely to build a loyal customer base. By focusing on meaningful and efficient interactions with customers, companies can foster loyalty, increase satisfaction, and create a positive reputation in the competitive market of the industry. This study examines the customer experience at the newly renovated McDonald’s in Pitäjänmäki, with a focus on understanding how the customer experience has influenced and increased footfall to the location. Therefore, the study focuses on exploring key factors influencing customer experience at the checkout counter in McDonald's Pitäjänmäki.. This study has been developed in alignment with the company's current objectives and operational requirements. The demand, or in other words preferences of customers, were analyzed using the qualitative method. This study has conducted interviews with ten customers who visit McDonald's Pitäjänmäki. Some of the participants are not regular customers of the place. Therefore, they do not widely express their opinions on some of the methods. The selected candidates are in the age group of 20-40. The interview guide was designed to serve the study's purpose, and the collected data were analyzed by using the thematic analysis method. The results were categorized into six themes as follows: general questions, general customer experience, bottleneck and challenges, peak vs off-peak experience, suggested improvements, and additional comments. These themes help to identify the general experience of customers to consider when analyzing the key factors influencing the customer experience at the place. These results support providing recommendations to the company and exploring key factors influencing customer experience at the checkout counter at McDonald's Pitäjänmäki. The limitation of this study is that the sample size is small. The general idea was taken from a limited crowd to develop the customer experience at the checkout counter at McDonald's Pitäjänmäki. The results of this study were presented in April 2025; therefore, the recommendations and proposed enhancements may evolve as circumstances and customer expectations change.