Ontological (in)security in servicescapes: Consuming the Christmas market experience

Abushena, Rebecca ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2122-8357, Kerrane, Benedict ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2114-5965, Platt, Louise ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9063-1110, Medway, Dominic ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6102-1716 and Warnaby, Gary ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6696-6671 (2025) Ontological (in)security in servicescapes: Consuming the Christmas market experience. Marketing Theory. ISSN 1470-5931

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Abstract

This interpretive, qualitative study explores ontological (in)security within the servicescape of Manchester’s Christmas Market. We scrutinise this temporary setting, revealing evidence of paradoxes which create uncertainty and ontological (in)security for consumers. Specifically, we identify a social paradox, encompassing crowds and the conduct of ‘others’ within the space; a safety paradox, including material paraphernalia of security and security actors present; and a sensorial paradox, involving stimuli such as light, scent, and sound. We provide a critical context for unpacking consumers’ cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses to wider servicescape settings with implications which reach beyond our temporary context. In doing so, we contribute to the marketing theory of servicescapes, where the paradoxes of ontological (in)security are not yet well understood.