Customer perception and service quality:

an analysis of an aesthetic clinic

Abstract

The growth of the aesthetic services sector in Brazil has intensified competition among clinics, particularly microenterprises, making customer perception a strategic management element. In this context, this study aimed to identify the attributes most valued by clients of an aesthetic clinic and to analyze the clinic’s situation in relation to these attributes from the customers’ perspective. This is a descriptive study with a quantitative and cross-sectional approach, conducted in a small aesthetic clinic located in the city of São Paulo. Data were collected through two structured questionnaires applied in person to clients. The first questionnaire focused on ranking the most important service attributes, while the second assessed the clinic’s performance compared to competitors using a five-point Likert scale. The results show that customer service and communication, service quality, organization, and physical environment are the most valued attributes, surpassing factors such as price and digital presence. In addition, the clinic was perceived as performing better than competitors in most evaluated aspects. It is concluded that the clinic’s competitive advantage is mainly associated with functional and relational service quality, highlighting the importance of customer perception-oriented management in aesthetic service microenterprises.