Introduction
介绍
The purpose of this research is to explore customer satisfaction with premier access services at Disneyland. Disneyland is a globally renowned theme park, and the Disney Premium Pass, a superior service within the theme park, is designed to enhance the visitor experience by designating play periods, reducing waiting times at popular attractions, and prioritising access to popular attractions. Disneyland was chosen for this research because of its reputation as a global leader in entertainment and customer service, but the shift from a free to a paid model for premier access services from 2021 and the knock-on effects it brings have sparked controversy amongst visitors. (Luke, 2024) Some tourists appreciated the time-saving benefits, while others expressed dissatisfaction with not only the increased costs but also the longer queues still required at peak times, which they felt was contrary to the all-inclusive service previously offered by Disney.
本研究旨在探讨顾客对迪士尼乐园高级通道服务的满意度。迪士尼乐园是全球知名的主题公园,而迪士尼高级通行证是主题公园内的一项上级服务,旨在通过指定游玩时段、减少热门景点的等待时间以及优先进入热门景点来提升游客体验。迪士尼乐园之所以被选中进行这项研究,是因为它在娱乐和客户服务方面享有全球领导者的声誉,但从2021年开始,高级访问服务从免费模式转变为付费模式,以及它带来的连锁反应,引发了游客的争议。(Luke一些游客对节省时间的好处表示赞赏,而另一些游客不仅对增加的费用表示不满,而且在高峰时期仍然需要排更长的队,他们认为这与迪士尼以前提供的全包服务相反。
As customer reactions to the pricing and perceived benefits of this service can have an impact on brand loyalty and customer retention at Disneyland, this study will provide recommendations for improvements to Disneyland in order to maintain Disney's competitive advantage by providing an overview of previous relevant research and by taking a qualitative approach to the study and analysing the findings.
由于顾客对这项服务的定价和感知利益的反应可能会对迪士尼乐园的品牌忠诚度和顾客保留产生影响,因此本研究将通过概述以往的相关研究以及采用定性方法进行研究并分析结果,为迪士尼乐园提供改进建议,以保持迪士尼的竞争优势。
Research Background
研究背景
Disneyland is a theme park owned by the Walt Disney Company in the United States, which has so far opened six theme parks around the world, attracting millions of tourists every year. At Disneyland, visitors can fully immerse themselves in the story-telling of Disney classics, relaxing themselves, enjoying themselves and gaining a sense of well-being. Among them, a rich variety of entertainment shows and experiences bring psychological and spiritual comfort to visitors of different age groups. In order to increase the company's profitability, Disneyland introduced "Disney Genie+" in 2021 to replace the free FastPass system. In 2024, the "Lightning Lane" system and "Premier Pass", a more advanced queue-free tool, were introduced to replace "Disney Genie+". (Luke, 2024) This service allows guests to make more efficient use of their visit by paying an additional fee to avoid long queues at specific attractions.
迪士尼乐园是美国华特迪士尼公司旗下的主题公园,该公司迄今已在全球开设了6个主题公园,每年吸引数百万游客。在迪士尼乐园,游客可以充分沉浸在迪士尼经典的故事讲述中,放松自己,享受自己,获得幸福感。其中,丰富多样的娱乐节目和体验,为不同年龄段的游客带来心理和精神上的慰借。为了增加公司的盈利能力,迪士尼乐园在2021年推出了“迪士尼精灵+”,以取代免费的FastPass系统。2024年,推出“闪电车道”系统和更先进的免付费工具“Premier Pass”,取代“迪士尼精灵+"。(Luke,2024)这项服务允许客人通过支付额外费用来更有效地利用他们的访问,以避免在特定景点排长队。
According to the 2016 Shanghai Disney Crowd Insights Report, Disney visitors are mainly young people aged 35 and below and married families with cars, mainly middle-class families.The introduction of the "Lightning Lane" system may attract higher-income visitors who are willing to pay for convenience, while budget-conscious customers may view it as an unfair service model.
《2016年上海迪士尼人群洞察报告》显示,迪士尼游客主要是35岁及以下的年轻人和拥有汽车的已婚家庭,以中产家庭为主,“闪电车道”系统的推出可能会吸引收入较高、愿意为便利买单的游客,而有消费意识的顾客可能会将其视为一种不公平的服务模式。
In order to increase visitor return and loyalty to the park, it is critical to improve customer satisfaction.Customer satisfaction is a state of feeling of pleasure or disappointment developed by a customer after comparing the perceived effects of a product with expectations.(Cardozo, 1965) Studies have shown that factors such as service efficiency, fair pricing, perceived value for money and emotional satisfaction drive overall satisfaction in the tourism and entertainment industry.(Oliver, 1997) In the case of Disneyland's “Lightning Lane” system and “Premier Pass”, the balance between price and the perceived benefits of queue-free access is critical.
为了提高游客的回头率和对公园的忠诚度,提高顾客满意度是至关重要的。顾客满意度是顾客在比较产品的感知效果和期望后产生的愉快或失望的感觉。(Cardozo,1965)研究表明,服务效率,公平定价,感知物有所值和情感满意度等因素推动了旅游和娱乐行业的整体满意度。(奥利弗,1997年)在迪斯尼乐园的“闪电车道“系统和“总理通行证“的情况下,价格和免费进入的感知利益之间的平衡是至关重要的。
Methodology
方法
This research adopts a qualitative research approach to explore the factors influencing customer satisfaction with Disney Premier Access. The qualitative method is particularly suited for this research because it allows for an in-depth exploration of customers’ subjective experiences, perceptions, and attitudes(Wilson, 2018), which are crucial for understanding satisfaction in a nuanced and detailed manner. Unlike quantitative research, which focuses on numerical data and general trends, qualitative research emphasizes depth over breadth, focusing on individual and community experiences, producing insights that are more practical and responsive to real-world complexities and needs(Lim, 2024). To collect qualitative data, focus groups will be conducted. Based on the comparison with alternative methods, focus groups are chosen mainly for the following reasons. First, compared with individual interviews, focus groups are more cost-effectiveness, and the group discussion nature enables focus groups to foster dynamic discussions and reveal richer and deeper insights (Nyumba et al., 2018, Kitzinger, 1995). Second, surveys rely on pre-designed questions ,they do not capture the depth or context behind users' satisfaction, nor do they allow for follow-up questions or clarification,limiting their usefulness for this exploratory study(Wilson, 2018).
本研究采用质性研究方法,探讨影响迪士尼尊享服务顾客满意度的因素。定性方法特别适合本研究,因为它可以深入探索客户的主观体验、感知和态度(Wilson,2018),这对于以细致入微的方式理解满意度至关重要。与定量研究不同,定量研究侧重于数字数据和一般趋势,定性研究强调深度而不是广度,侧重于个人和社区经验,产生更实用的见解,并对现实世界的复杂性和需求做出反应(Lim,2024)。为了收集定性数据,将进行焦点小组讨论。在与其他方法进行比较的基础上,选择焦点小组的主要原因如下。 首先,与个人访谈相比,焦点小组更具成本效益,小组讨论的性质使焦点小组能够促进动态讨论,并揭示更丰富和更深刻的见解(Nyumba et al.,2018,Kitzinger,1995)。其次,调查依赖于预先设计的问题,它们不能捕捉用户满意度背后的深度或背景,也不允许后续问题或澄清,限制了它们对这项探索性研究的有用性(Wilson,2018)。
Research Question
研究问题
1. Does Disney premier access effectively reduce wait times to enhance visitor experience?
1.迪士尼贵宾通道是否有效减少了等待时间,从而提升了游客体验?
Some popular attractions still require long-time waiting for Disney premier access due to the large crowds(Ady,2020). This raises concerns about whether premier access truly achieves its goal of reducing wait times and minimizing the negative impact of long waits on visitor satisfaction.
由于人群众多,一些受欢迎的景点仍然需要长时间等待迪士尼高级访问(Ady,2020)。这引发了人们的担忧,即总理访问是否真正实现了减少等待时间和尽量减少长时间等待对游客满意度的负面影响的目标。
2. Is the high cost of Disney premier access justified by its convenience and value?
2.迪士尼高级入口的高成本是否符合其便利性和价值?
Differential pricing strategies significantly affect customers’ perceptions of price fairness, especially for people paid a premium(Pan,2018). Given the high cost of premier access, this question examines whether the perceived convenience and experience align with the high price.
不同的定价策略显着影响客户对价格公平性的看法,特别是对于支付溢价的人(Pan,2018)。考虑到高级访问的高成本,这个问题考察了感知的便利性和体验是否与高价格相一致。
3. Does using Disney premier access reduce visitors’ immersion by skipping themed areas?
3.使用迪士尼高级通道是否会因为跳过主题区域而减少游客的沉浸感?
Visitors highly value a park's dreamlike and imaginative atmosphere(Wu,2018). This causes question of premier access may potentially diminishing people’s immersive experience and overall satisfaction because of bypassing carefully designed areas.
游客高度重视公园的梦幻和想象力氛围(吴,2018)。这导致了首要访问的问题,可能会因为绕过精心设计的区域而潜在地降低人们的沉浸式体验和整体满意度。
To analyze the focus group discussion data on Disney premier access satisfaction, we will transcribe the interviews and use Nvivo for coding and thematic analysis. The three main themes will be examined to understand participants' perceptions and motivations. After analysis, data validation will be conducted through triangulation and participant validation to ensure credibility.
为了分析关于迪士尼高级访问满意度的焦点小组讨论数据,我们将转录访谈并使用Nvivo进行编码和主题分析。将对三个主题进行审查,以了解参与者的看法和动机。分析后,将通过三角测量和参与者验证进行数据验证,以确保可信度。
To build trust with participants, the moderator will explain the purpose of the study, the data handling process, and the practical significance of issues before focus group discussions. Regarding confidentiality, as participants may share opinions on purchases or pricing that involve personal feelings or sensitive content, the research will ensure all data is anonymized, access to data is restricted, and it is used solely for research purposes. The report will avoid revealing any details that could identify participants.
为了建立参与者的信任,主持人将在焦点小组讨论之前解释研究的目的,数据处理过程和问题的实际意义。关于保密性,由于参与者可能会就涉及个人情感或敏感内容的购买或定价分享意见,因此研究将确保所有数据都是匿名的,数据访问受到限制,并且仅用于研究目的。该报告将避免透露任何可能识别参与者的细节。
Data collection instrument and sampling
数据收集仪器和采样
Stratified random sampling will be used in this study, as consumers of Disney Premier Access may be distributed across different regions, age groups, or visit frequencies. This method ensures that the sample is representative and greatly improves the accuracy and statistical efficiency of the results. However, stratified random sampling means that researchers need to know the overall information in advance and stratify it properly, which can increase the complexity of data collection. Also, if the hierarchy is not accurate, it may affect the representativeness of results.
由于迪士尼尊享消费者可能分布于不同地区、年龄组别或到访次数,故本研究将采用分层随机抽样。该方法保证了样本的代表性,大大提高了结果的准确性和统计效率。然而,分层随机抽样意味着研究人员需要事先了解整体信息并对其进行适当分层,这会增加数据收集的复杂性。此外,如果层次结构不准确,可能会影响结果的代表性。
Our planned sample size is 40, which is divided into five groups for research.
我们计划的样本量为40人,分为五组进行研究。
Demographic profiles can be roughly divided into four aspects: age, region, occupation, and frequency of visits. Our study focused on young adults and family groups aged 18-45. The respondents are mainly from or around the Disneyland, such as Shanghai and Guangzhou. And occupations surveyed will include office workers, freelancers, students and families with children. Respondents need to have visited Disneyland at least once in the past year.
人口概况大致可分为四个方面:年龄、地区、职业和访问频率。我们的研究集中在18-45岁的年轻人和家庭群体。受访者主要来自上海、广州等迪士尼乐园周边或周边地区。调查的职业将包括办公室工作人员、自由职业者、学生和有孩子的家庭。受访者需要在过去一年中至少去过一次迪士尼乐园。
As for the psychological profiles, respondents are keen on theme parks and entertainment projects from the perspective of interests. And from the perspective of values, they pay attention to time efficiency and service experience, with their main expectation for the premier access being to reduce queuing time and enhance their overall park experience. In terms of consumption behavior, they are willing to pay for efficiency and convenience, and seek to maximize their enjoyment within a limited time.
在心理特征方面,从兴趣角度看,受访者热衷于主题公园和娱乐项目。从价值观的角度来看,他们注重时间效率和服务体验,他们对首选通道的主要期望是减少排队时间,提升整体公园体验。在消费行为上,他们愿意为效率和便利买单,寻求在有限的时间内享受最大化。
We can recruit respondents in four ways, including online recruitment, offline recruitment, consumer community and acquaintance recommendations. First of all, questionnaires can be published through social media platforms such as WeChat, Weibo and TikTok, specifically targeting users who have previously used Disney premier access. Secondly, we can invite qualified visitors to participate in the study face-to-face in the Disneyland or at the surrounding commercial districts. Additionally, Disney fan communities and forums like Douban and Reddit can be utilized to find users willing to share their experiences. Alternatively, respondents can recommend eligible friends or family members to take part in the study.
我们可以通过线上招募、线下招募、消费社群和熟人推荐四种方式招募受访者。首先,可以通过微信、微博、TikTok等社交媒体平台发布调查问卷,专门针对之前使用过迪士尼尊享访问的用户。第二,我们可以邀请合资格的旅客在迪士尼乐园或附近的商业区面对面参与研究。此外,还可以利用迪士尼粉丝社区和豆瓣、Reddit等论坛来寻找愿意分享体验的用户。或者,受访者可以推荐符合条件的朋友或家人参加这项研究。
There are several biases that may affect data collection. The first is non-response bias, where some consumers may refuse to participate, resulting in a loss of representativeness in the sample. To address this, we can offer incentives like small gifts to encourage more respondents to take part. And questionnaires should be designed to be concise and easy to complete. The second is social desirability bias, where respondents may provide "more positive" answers rather than genuine feedback(Nikolopoulou, 2022). To mitigate this bias, we can adopt anonymous methods for certain sensitive questions during focus group discussions, such as closed-eye responses or written notes, ensuring respondents can answer honestly without external pressure.
有几种偏见可能会影响数据收集。第一种是无回应偏差,一些消费者可能拒绝参与,导致样本失去代表性。为了解决这个问题,我们可以提供小礼物等激励措施,以鼓励更多的受访者参与。问卷设计应简洁、易于填写。第二种是社会期望偏差,受访者可能会提供“更积极”的答案,而不是真正的反馈(Nikolopoulou,2022)。为了减轻这种偏见,我们可以在焦点小组讨论中对某些敏感问题采取匿名方法,例如闭眼回答或书面记录,以确保受访者能够在没有外部压力的情况下诚实回答。
The discussion begins with light and engaging question to set a relaxed tone and help participants ease into the discussion. It gradually turns to Transition Questions and Think-Back Questions to encourage participants to recall and reflect on their past experiences in detail. Once participants are deeply engaged in reflection, it moves to more sensitive Key Questions, such as those related to value perception, focusing on the core research objectives. These questions are phrased carefully to avoid being too direct and triggering defensive responses. Finally, it concludes with suggestion questions that summarize the discussion while leaving room for creativity and free expression. Overall, the question design follows a progressive approach, guiding participants from general ideas to specific and in-depth exploration of the research topic.
讨论以轻松和吸引人的问题开始,以设置轻松的基调,帮助参与者轻松进入讨论。它逐渐转向过渡问题和回想问题,以鼓励参与者详细回忆和反思他们过去的经历。一旦参与者深入思考,它就会转向更敏感的关键问题,例如与价值观相关的问题,重点关注核心研究目标。这些问题措辞谨慎,以避免过于直接,引发防御性反应。最后,它以建议性问题结束,这些问题总结了讨论,同时为创造性和自由表达留下了空间。总体而言,问题设计遵循循序渐进的方式,引导参与者从一般思路到研究主题的具体深入探索。
Managerial implications
管理意涵
We take a qualitative research, but qualitative research do not typically take samples from large-scale data (Ananian, 2024), so the results of the analysis may not be representative when generalized to a wider population. And with focus groups, how to find and motivate the right participants is a challenging and money-consuming task (McLeod,2023), and it may be difficult for us to find and convince enough people in Disneyland to participate in our survey. At the same time, transcribing and coding the group to discuss the content, interpreting the data and compiling it into a report takes time and expertise (McLeod,2023), and we encounter difficulties in this process. We need to keep a complete record of what each person said and code it accordingly. When interpreting the data, we should always be careful to reduce the bias caused by the subjective judgment of the researcher.
我们进行定性研究,但定性研究通常不从大规模数据中抽取样本(Ananian,2024),因此分析结果在推广到更广泛的人群时可能不具有代表性。对于焦点小组,如何找到和激励合适的参与者是一项具有挑战性和金钱消耗的任务(McLeod,2023),我们可能很难在迪士尼乐园找到并说服足够多的人参与我们的调查。与此同时,转录和编码小组讨论内容,解释数据并将其汇编成报告需要时间和专业知识(McLeod,2023),我们在这个过程中遇到了困难。我们需要完整地记录每个人所说的话,并相应地对其进行编码。在解释数据时,我们应该始终注意减少由研究者的主观判断造成的偏差。
the suggested timeline for the project: Gantt chart
建议的项目时间轴:甘特图
The insights gleaned from the study of Disney's premier access service provide some guidance for company management to better improve customer satisfaction, as Disney remains committed to ensuring guests have a good experience at its parks (Weinberg, 2023). For example, through our survey, Disney can better understand the value perception of customers on high-priced express passes, adjust the price of a single product and change the combination of bundled products, so as to better formulate the company's pricing strategy. By recognizing the impact of the premier access on appreciating the elements of the park, the company can refine its operational strategy to emphasize that the full experience can be enjoyed even with the premier access. This could include a more structured itinerary or a well-planned appreciation experience. As for customers who have purchased the premier access and still experience long queues, the company can provide additional services, such as special rest areas, to enhance the overall play experience.
从对迪士尼的首要访问服务的研究中收集到的见解为公司管理层提供了一些指导,以更好地提高客户满意度,因为迪士尼仍然致力于确保客人在其公园获得良好的体验(温伯格,2023)。比如,通过我们的调查,迪士尼可以更好地了解顾客对高价快线的价值感知,调整单品价格,改变捆绑产品的组合,从而更好地制定公司的定价策略。通过认识到首要访问对欣赏公园元素的影响,公司可以完善其运营战略,强调即使使用首要访问也可以享受完整的体验。这可能包括更有条理的行程或精心策划的欣赏体验。 对于购买了高级通道但仍然需要排队的客户,该公司可以提供额外的服务,例如特殊的休息区,以提高整体游戏体验。
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