Investigating Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction and Repeat Visitation in Escape Rooms. A Case Study of The Great Escape Kajaani
Agbai, Chimobi (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121536498
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121536498
Tiivistelmä
This bachelor’s thesis investigates the drivers of customer satisfaction and repeat visitation at The Great Escape, escape rooms in Kajaani and Vuokatti, Finland. Employing a qualitative single-case study design, the research integrates the expectancy-disconfirmation model, the perceived-value framework, flow theory, and the concept of post-game “froth” to examine how design and operational elements shape player experiences and behavioral loyalty.
Data were collected in November 2025 through a structured open-ended online questionnaire distributed to recent customers and Kajaani University of Applied Sciences students. Thematic analysis of 21 responses revealed that, when technical components functioned reliably, the venue consistently delivered high levels of immersion, social enjoyment, and intense emotional peaks.
However, three preventable weaknesses significantly reduced satisfaction and constrained repeat visitation: (1) frequent technical malfunctions (reported by 11 out of 21, 52% of respondents), (2) accessibility barriers caused by intentionally dim lighting (reported by 10 out of 21, 48%), and (3) a pricing-and-content-renewal model that conflicted with customers’ desire for more frequent play.
Despite these issues, 100% of respondents expressed strong recommendation intent, illustrating a clear gap between attitudinal and behavioral loyalty. The study provides the commissioner, The Great Escape, with concrete, low-to-medium-cost recommendations: implementing systematic preventive maintenance, introducing optional accessibility aids, accelerating content renewal, and revising pricing through expanded discounts and leisure-benefit platform compatibility (ePassi, Smartum, and Klarna).
Findings contribute to the under-researched area of customer experience management in Nordic location-based entertainment and offer actionable insights for enhancing retention in seasonal tourism markets.
Data were collected in November 2025 through a structured open-ended online questionnaire distributed to recent customers and Kajaani University of Applied Sciences students. Thematic analysis of 21 responses revealed that, when technical components functioned reliably, the venue consistently delivered high levels of immersion, social enjoyment, and intense emotional peaks.
However, three preventable weaknesses significantly reduced satisfaction and constrained repeat visitation: (1) frequent technical malfunctions (reported by 11 out of 21, 52% of respondents), (2) accessibility barriers caused by intentionally dim lighting (reported by 10 out of 21, 48%), and (3) a pricing-and-content-renewal model that conflicted with customers’ desire for more frequent play.
Despite these issues, 100% of respondents expressed strong recommendation intent, illustrating a clear gap between attitudinal and behavioral loyalty. The study provides the commissioner, The Great Escape, with concrete, low-to-medium-cost recommendations: implementing systematic preventive maintenance, introducing optional accessibility aids, accelerating content renewal, and revising pricing through expanded discounts and leisure-benefit platform compatibility (ePassi, Smartum, and Klarna).
Findings contribute to the under-researched area of customer experience management in Nordic location-based entertainment and offer actionable insights for enhancing retention in seasonal tourism markets.