FACTORS INFLUENCING CUSTOMER DECISION-MAKING IN CHOOSING VINTAGE BARBERSHOPS: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RESEARCH CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Abstract

This article aims to develop a conceptual research framework to explain the factors influencing customer decision-making when choosing vintage barbershops. Utilizing documentary research, the study reviews and synthesizes theories, concepts, and empirical evidence regarding consumer behavior, service marketing, and the nostalgia economy from 2016 to 2025. The synthesis reveals that consumer decision-making in this context extends beyond functional benefits to include aesthetic dimensions and identity construction linked to nostalgia. Consequently, the proposed framework integrates the "Service Marketing Mix (7Ps)"—Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Physical Evidence, and Process—as independent variables influencing the "Five-Stage Consumer Decision-Making Process". The study specifically highlights the critical roles of Product, Physical Evidence, and Promotion in conveying vintage semiotics to stimulate need recognition and alternative evaluation. This framework provides a robust theoretical foundation for developing hypotheses for future empirical research and offers practical implications for entrepreneurs crafting experience-based marketing strategies in the growing men's grooming industry.