Liminality in customer experiences: The uncertain outcome of employing liminal spaces for customer escapism

Abstract

Liminality is a key concept for understanding escapism, which typically occurs in liminal spaces. However, while escapism in customer experiences has been widely studied, little research examines liminality. Extant research mainly focuses on escapism as a positive outcome, yet liminality concept in its original conceptualization is ambiguous and uncertain and may also result in negative experiences. This is the research gap this paper addresses; through an in-depth study at a luxury brand’s experience center, our findings shed light on how the use of liminal spaces may result in positive or negative experiences. Challenging the focus of the dominant literature on positive experiences, we recognize that liminality can lead to positive outcomes but contribute to the experience literature by first showing how employing liminal spaces can backfire, then analyzing the factors explaining how and when liminality can lead to negative outcomes, and finally identifying how service providers can limit this risk.