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Environmental factors and satisfaction in a specialty store
The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research
Abstract
Given the intense competition experienced in the sector, retailers have been designing strategies to create an environment conducive to consumer satisfaction and purchase, particularly in supermarkets and hypermarkets. This paper develops a conceptualization of customer satisfaction based on field data collected in a specialty store, focusing on the relative importance of the environmental factors on satisfaction. The results show that the most important environmental determinant of customer satisfaction is the variety of products. The help from employees, lighting, layout and design also stand out from the set of stimuli considered.
... Pan and Zinkham (2006) argued that the friendliness and know-how of the sales staff are important factors for a shop's future attractiveness. Further, Marques et al. (2013) showed that personnel assistance is the second most important factor leading to customer satisfaction and is related with the stimuli customers get from a shop. In the same line, Zeithaml et al. (2006) claim that things like a smile or small details, like a pleasant voice or a friendly disposition by staff members, may influence customer emotions, perceptions and their total experience (Slatten et al., 2011). ...
... According to Pan and Zinkhan (2006), it is the most important factor for customers when they rank their preferences and select a store. A similar relationship was found by Morales et al. (2005), Bauer et al. (2012) and Marques et al. (2013). More specifically, Morales et al. (2005) argued that consumer decisions are positively associated with merchandise variety, while Marques et al. (2013) concluded that merchandise variety is the factor with the greatest impact on customer satisfaction. ...
... A similar relationship was found by Morales et al. (2005), Bauer et al. (2012) and Marques et al. (2013). More specifically, Morales et al. (2005) argued that consumer decisions are positively associated with merchandise variety, while Marques et al. (2013) concluded that merchandise variety is the factor with the greatest impact on customer satisfaction. Thus, the following hypotheses arise: ...
The present study investigates the factors affecting consumer repurchase intentions in retail stores. More specifically, it emphasizes on the concept of in-store customer shopping experience. In that direction, a new conceptual framework (research model) is developed and empirically tested, using primary data collected from retail store customers. The proposed model includes twelve research factors that are classified into three dimensions (groups): six independent factors (antecedents), five mediating factors and repurchase intention (dependent factor). In more detail, the study examines the antecedents of customer behavior, which constitute the in-store customer shopping experience (Physical environment, Interior shop environment & layout, Interaction with the staff, Interaction with other customers, Merchandise value/quality, Merchandise variety). It argues that the effect of the antecedents on repurchase intention is indirect, mediated through five other factors (mediators) (Customer experience, In-shop emotions, Perceived value, Customer satisfaction, Customer loyalty). Under that context, eleven research hypotheses were tested, using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique. The final sample includes 618 retail store customers, who participated in a web-survey. Results offer support for the underling mechanism of the proposed research model, arguing that antecedents significantly affect the mediators, which, in turn, affect the repurchase intention of retail shoppers. Results indicate that in order to have more return customers, retailers should enhance their interior shop environment and layout and increase the value of their merchandise. The originality of the study lies in its three-dimensional approach. It offers an understanding about the mechanism that impacts repurchase intentions, an approach lacking in the relevant literature. Moreover, it focuses on all kinds of retail stores, offering wider generalizability of its empirical findings. Also, it examines in-store emotions and experience of customers inside a store, two factors which very seldomly have been investigated in the context of physical retail stores.
... The layout and design of the in-shop environment is important as it exposes customers to more products, which in turn, enhances the opportunities for customers to meet or exceed their shopping goals. The concomitant increase in experiences leads to customer satisfaction (Marques et al., 2013). The competition emanating from omnichannel retailing challenges brick-and-mortar retailers to create in-store environments that would give them an advantage over other channels. ...
... An extensive body of empirical research confirmed that merchandise variety is a key determinant whether consumers will patronise the retailer in the future (Bauer et al., 2012). In a study by Marques et al. (2013) it was found that the variety of products available in a shop was the single factor that had the biggest influence on customer satisfaction. Argouslidis et al. (2018) emphasize the freedom of choice that an anticipated merchandise variety offers customers and the negative responses of customers when the variety offering is insufficient. ...
... XYZ offers a choice of different brand names Marques et al. (2013). ...
The omni-channel shopping phenomenon creates major challenges for brick-and-mortar stores to remain relevant and appeal to customers. A way to counteract these challenges is to offer customers a journey where in-store experiences enable them to encounter numerous physical and virtual touchpoints evoked by affective, cognitive, physical, relational, sensorial and symbolic responses. This study ascertained the customer journey activated by the experiences causing value and resulting in intentions to revisit a retailer specializing in outdoor apparel. Our web-based survey collected 300 valid responses for analyses. The statistical analyses confirmed a positive relationship between the customer in-shop experience factors and the shopping trip value experienced, which in turn mediated the relationship with intention to repatronage. Some conclusions are made and various suggestions for future research are recommended.
... Similarly, prior research indicates that the store product variety and assortment is the most influential variable affecting the retail format choice (Hansen and Solgaard 2004) and influencing customer satisfaction (Marques et al. 2013). Further, the location of retailers and the selection of the products commercialized is a crucial factor in customers' purchase intentions (Mikalef et al. 2017). ...
... In addition, previous studies indicate that customer satisfaction with store retail outlets is influenced by the interpersonal interaction between the customer and store personnel (Bitner et al. 1994), and that helpful, knowledgeable and courteous staff, personal attention, and prompt service contribute to customer satisfaction (Marques et al. 2013). Thus, the following research hypothesis is presented: ...
... So, the research proposed hypotheses are presented in Figure 1. lets is influenced by the interpersonal interaction between the customer and store person-nel (Bitner et al. 1994), and that helpful, knowledgeable and courteous staff, personal attention, and prompt service contribute to customer satisfaction (Marques et al. 2013). Thus, the following research hypothesis is presented: ...
Much of the literature on the attractiveness and pleasantness of retail stores has focused on the critical influence of store atmosphere or ambient attributes, which influence customer satisfaction and store choice. However, little is known about the environmental cues that influence customers’ satisfaction in different shopping contexts. In this context, the present research aims to answer the following questions: “Are the store atmospheric variables equally relevant in hedonic and utilitarian shopping?”; and further: “Does the influence of store environment on customer satisfaction vary depending on the type of shopping?”. For this purpose an empirical research is developed through PLS Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) based on data obtained from hedonic (n = 210) and utilitarian (n = 267) shopping contexts. Results indicate that customers perceive differently store atmospherics in utilitarian and in hedonic shopping. More precisely, findings report that customer satisfaction is driven by internal ambient and merchandise layout in hedonic shopping contexts; while the external ambient and the merchandise layout are major atmospheric cues in utilitarian shopping. Interestingly, store crowding does not influence customers’ satisfaction. This study provides a deeper understanding into the specific store attributes that influence customer satisfaction, which could be used by retailers to differentiate themselves from competitors.
... An effective shop layout not only assists customers to purchase, it also leads to higher satisfaction levels with product choices (Morales et al., 2005). Marques et al. (2013) also emphasise the importance of layout and design in that it creates opportunities for customers to explore more, while it also has a relationship with satisfaction. Recent research has also drawn attention to the so-called 'kinetic quality' of a shop's environmentthose movements and gestures by customers during shoppingthat may further enhance their shopping experience and satisfaction (Bonnin and Goudey, 2012;Borghini et al., 2012). ...
... For instance, Pan and Zinkhan (2006) found that the friendliness and expertise of salespeople are significant predictors of future shop patronage. In their study of speciality shop customers, Marques et al. (2013) established that staff assistance was the second most important factor when customers rated their satisfaction with the shop's environmental stimuli. The Retail Service Quality scale, developed by Dabholkar et al. in 1996, included the interaction between staff and shoppers as a factor of the scale. ...
... Bauer et al. (2012) alludes to a large body of empirical research that confirmed that the merchandise variety offered by the retailer is a key determinant for future patronage of that retailer. Marques et al. (2013) established that the variety of products offered in a shop emerged as the factor with the biggest influence on customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction, in turn, is a prerequisite for a positive in-store shopping experience. ...
Marketing academics and practitioners agree on customer experience as a means for differentiation. The customer experience is challenging for retailers because it is influenced by elements which the retailer can control and elements which are beyond their control. This paper deals with the in-store customer shopping experience of a supermarket and found that merchandise assortment, interaction with staff and the internal shop environment and customers’ in-shop emotions have a strong positive and significant relationship with cumulative customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction has a strong positive relationship with repatronage intentions. A comparison of the current study's findings with those of two similar earlier studies yielded considerable differences. The major contributions of this study are firstly the identification of differences over time of the elements of an in-store customer shopping experience in a supermarket and the role of positive emotions that are caused by supermarket shopping environments.
... Store attributes are present in the store environment and retailers use these attributes to provide a pleasant shopping experience (Kotler 1973). They attempt to create a shopping environment that affects buyers functionally and emotionally, to increase the probability of a purchase (Marques, Cardoso, and Palma 2013). ...
... Store attributes are tangible and intangible aspects that can change the consumer's shopping experience (Puccinelli et al. 2009;Shankar and Yadav 2011). Therefore, retailers seek to Tangible store attributes and product value create an exciting shopping environment for their clients (Kaltcheva and Weitz 2006;Marques, Cardoso, and Palma 2013). ...
... Store prices and convenience are key to understanding utilitarian value, because they involve functional needs related to time, place and possession (Rintamäki et al. 2006). Therefore, retail stores offer lower prices, product availability, parking convenience and store accessibility (Marques, Cardoso, and Palma 2013). ...
Previous retailing studies have linked consumer satisfaction to perceived hedonic or utilitarian product value. This research extends previous studies by examining how the context in which the product is purchased (store attributes) and product value influence consumer satisfaction. We conducted a field study with 213 consumers attending two major running events. The findings from structural equation modelling suggest that a specific combination of store attributes (tangible and intangible) and hedonic product value has a positive influence on satisfaction. Results also show that tangible store attributes have a stronger positive impact on utilitarian (vs. hedonic) product value, and that intangible store attributes have a positive impact on hedonic product value. However, we found that only hedonic product value has a positive impact on satisfaction. This research contributes to theory by showing that a match between store attributes (tangible and intangible) and hedonic product value can positively influence satisfaction. In managerial terms, the findings provide insights on how to improve consumer satisfaction in retail environments through store attributes and hedonic product value.
... It was found that merchandise variety positively affects customer retention in supermarkets and clothing stores (Terblanche & Boshoff, 2004). As the store provides more various products, customers are likely to be more satisfied with them (Marques et al., 2013;Terblanche, 2018). Merchandise variety also elevates the level of customer satisfaction in online shopping (Alam et al., 2021). ...
... Furthermore, our analysis underscored that merchandise variety is inextricably linked with crowd perception. Affirming the observations of previous studies (Alam et al., 2021;Marques et al., 2013;Terblanche, 2018), a diversified product range can be a magnet, drawing more consumers and painting a positive crowd perception. Yet, retailers must tread cautiously. ...
Plain Language Summary
In our study, we wanted to understand what makes customers loyal to brands that have both online and physical store presence, known as “omnichannel” retailers. To do this, we examined factors like personal interaction, how many different products are offered, and how customers perceive crowdedness both online and in-store. We also looked at customers’ attitudes toward online reviews. We used surveys to collect data and then analyzed the responses to draw conclusions. We found that personal interactions, both in-store and online, play a crucial role in making customers return. Offering a variety of products is also important, but how customers perceive crowdedness in both spaces can impact their satisfaction. Our study helps businesses understand the importance of balancing both online and offline experiences. They should focus on providing personal interactions and a variety of products while managing perceptions of crowdedness. However, our study does have some limitations. For instance, we only looked at certain factors and did not consider others that might influence customer loyalty. Future research could delve deeper into other aspects of the omnichannel experience. In short, for businesses to be successful in today’s digital age, they need to offer a seamless shopping experience, both online and in physical stores, focusing on personal interactions and product variety.
... Lighting as an environmental, architectural element can provide an interesting tool in this respect. Indeed, the significance and benefits of lighting for retail have been repeatedly acknowledged, not only by lighting manufacturers themselves but also in academic literature (e.g., Boyce, 2004;Marques, Cardoso, & Palma, 2013;Schielke, 2010;Summers & Hebert, 2001). However, from the viewpoint of a critical retail designer interested in lighting and its impact on costumers and customer behaviour, the picture emerging from the available evidence remains somewhat unsatisfactory as the issue appears to have been studied in a rather fragmented way. ...
... Although the perceived atmosphere is linked to other perceptual or more cognitive attributions -for example Brengman and Willems (2009) illustrated the importance of store design and atmospherics to store personality for fashion stores -in many cases the goal of creating a certain atmosphere in a retail environment is precisely to try to elicit a certain emotional effect in the consumer in order to achieve some desired behavioural result (cf. Kotler, 1973). For example, in the model put forward by Ray and Chiagouris (2009), store atmosphere is directly related to store affect and store affect directly influences customer loyalty in that customers with more positive affective responses to a particular store tend to be more loyal to that store. ...
... In a physical offline store (brick and mortar), a good and consistent layout can attract customers to move around the store and buy more products than originally intended [2]. The store environment is a major factor influencing customer satisfaction [12]; however, a complex and inconsistent layout can increase customer dissatisfaction [2]. Design and placement of shelves are the primary considerations for a store design; hence, retailers pay close attention to shelf space. ...
To improve users’ tendency towards shopping in Virtual Reality (VR), en-hancing the User Experience (UX) of the VR shopping environments is of primary importance. Product viewability, reachability, and personalisation are some of the primary UX factors in a shopping environment. This paper proposes and discusses three factors for a Personalised Adaptive Aisle (PAA) in a VR shopping environment to improve the shopping experience. They are 1) Shelf placement for viewability and reachability, 2) User view-point in VR, and 3) Personalised Product placement.
... The measurement items for task-focused orientation, experiential-focused orientation (Baker and Wakefield, 2012;Büttner et al., 2014;, salesperson consultation (Hass and Kenning, 2014), store satisfaction (Marques et al., 2013) and store patronage (Grewal et al., 2003) were drawn from prior literature. Modifications to the measurement items were made to reduce ambiguity and complexity in interpretation. ...
Purpose
This study examines how formal retail formats (FRFs), and informal retail formats (IRFs) may coexist as substitutes and complements in emerging markets because of store patronage driven by customers’ chronic shopping orientations, and differences in salesperson consultation in the two retail formats.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a shopping motivational orientation framework, we develop and test a moderated mediation model using survey data from 515 shoppers of formal and informal grocery retail outlets in India.
Findings
While task-focused and experiential-focused shopping orientations influence both FRF and IRF patronage, store satisfaction mediates these relationships and crucially attenuates the negative impact of task-focused orientation on FRF patronage. Salesperson consultation moderates the mediating effects of satisfaction in the link between shopping orientation and patronage of both FRFs and IRFs.
Research limitations/implications
The findings suggest that FRFs and IRFs could coexist as complements and substitutes when patronage is examined as repeated visits determined by shopping orientation, mediated by satisfaction and moderated by salesperson consultation.
Practical implications
For FRFs and IRFs to be complements, both formats must prioritize their distinctive attributes that satisfy a consumer's chronic shopping orientation. Substitution depends on how both retail formats prioritize salesperson consultation and in-store characteristics that appeal to consumers’ chronic orientation during specific shopping trips.
Originality/value
Whilst FRFs must satisfy task-focused shoppers to compete with IRFs, salesperson consultation can inhibit such satisfaction. However, the extent of coexistence between FRFs and IRFs depends on how each format leverages salesperson consultation to enhance satisfaction of experiential-focused shoppers.
... In recent years, we have witnessed an increasingly competitive market, which in turn has led to an increase in consumer demand for products and services that satisfy their basic needs, but not only. This intensification of competition, especially in the retail sector, promotes, among other things, the development and improvement of strategies that lead to purchase and customer satisfaction and, consequently, their retention (Marques et al., 2013). The relationship that exists between consumers and retailers is crucial to their success, and for this reason it is essential to create atmospheres and environments that meet customers' needs, providing them with quality services and products at competitive prices and surrounded by a pleasant experience. ...
... In recent years, we have witnessed an increasingly competitive market, which in turn has led to an increase in consumer demand for products and services that satisfy their basic needs, but not only. This intensification of competition, especially in the retail sector, promotes, among other things, the development and improvement of strategies that lead to purchase and customer satisfaction and, consequently, their retention (Marques et al., 2013). The relationship that exists between consumers and retailers is crucial to their success, and for this reason it is essential to create atmospheres and environments that meet customers' needs, providing them with quality services and products at competitive prices and surrounded by a pleasant experience. ...
... Relationships between employees and customers that increase rapport and employee responsiveness have led to greater customer satisfaction (Menon et al., 2000). Marques et al. (2013) established that employee satisfaction was the most important factor when customers rated their satisfaction with the hypermarket. Employees are the driving factor behind customer satisfaction and loyalty when employees are happy at work. ...
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to knowledge on the impact of corporate social
responsibility (CSR) activities (community support, environmentally friendly, sell locally
produced products, treating employees) on customer satisfaction and loyalty (hypermarkets).
This study aims to examine the influence of CSR on customer satisfaction and customer
loyalty of Malaysian consumers and whether they consider CSR for hypermarket before
making purchase decisions of the products and services. With the support of empirical
evidence and rational arguments, a set of eleven (4) hypotheses were proposed for testing. A
sample of 384 respondents loyal to hypermarket has been used to collect the data using a
convenience sampling method. Data was collected from the hypermarket in Kuala Lumpur.
Statistical analysis was done through SPSS for primary analysis and Smart PLS for analysis
of the outer model and testing the relationships hypothesized. Findings revealed that all the
hypotheses were significantly effective. The originality and value of this paper is the study
of consumer-oriented CSR as a variable that allows competitive differentiation of the
company, by improving the relationship with the consumers and the generation of
satisfaction and loyalty. One of the major conclusions of the study is that CSR and can only
yield optimal performance for the customer satisfaction and customer loyalty if it is
combined with the knowledge, experiences, and outstanding abilities in the use CSR
activities dimensions.
... Customer satisfaction for this study refers to the evaluation of customer experience of anything associated with food truck dining experience, which meets or exceeds their expectation (Westbrook & Reilly, 1983). Antecedents such as store environment (Marques, Cardoso, & Palma, 2013), store image (Bloemer, Ruyter, De Ruyter, Ruyter, & De Ruyter, 1998), store attitude (Ishida & Taylor, 2012) have been shown to influence customer satisfaction significantly. Customer satisfaction has significant influence on behavioural intention (Ryu, Han, & Jang, 2010;Xie & Heung, 2012), customer loyalty (Lombart & Louis, 2012) and brand equity (Pappu & Quester, 2006). ...
... A global study carried out by Nielsen (2015a), shows that price (68%), quality (55%), convenience (46%) and special promotions (45%) are the most common motivations consumers have regarding store choice behaviour, whereas the least common are cleanliness (39%), selection/assortment (36%) and store staff (27%). Moreover, the variety of products is an important environmental determinant of customer satisfaction (Marques et al., 2013), and pleasant atmosphere, accessibility and responsiveness explain the customers' choice of hypermarket, while nice decoration and empathy with the staff explain the customers' choice of supermarkets (Marques et al., 2015). ...
... .748 .889 5 Marques, Cardoso andPalma, 2013;Dabholkar, Thorpe and Rentz, 1996;Baker, Parasuraman, Grewal and Voss, 2002;Machleit, Meyer and Eroglu, 2005; Hennig-Thurau, 2004. , 1996;Hennig-Thurau, 2004;Yoo and Donthu, 2001. ...
Customer loyalty has remained a managerial issue of particular concern in recent times. As consumers demonstrate differing levels of involvement in their buying decisions depending on the nature and characteristics of the product or service they are considering buying, the type of retailer (retail format) and the in-store retail mix on offer may become important drivers of loyalty. It can thus be expected that retailers would attempt to provide in-store retail mixes that not only address the involvement expectations of customers but also enhance customer loyalty. The primary purpose of this study was to empirically assess the validity of this contention. The empirical results revealed that customer loyalty at retail level is influenced by the nature of the different retail formats where they shop and the different in-store retail mixes on offer at each type of retailer. In-store retail mixes are, in turn, a result of customer involvement needs. In other words, customer loyalty is not driven by the same variables in all types of retail stores.
... These authors also say that lighting is used in retail stores to highlight merchandise with the aim of creating a feeling or a mood. The benefits and significance of lighting in retail stores have not only been acknowledged by lighting manufacturers, but similarly by academic researchers ( Boyce, 2004;Marques, Cardoso & Palma, 2013;Schielke, 2010;Summers & Hebert, 2001). Pegler (2010 came to the conclusion that consumers will always move towards areas in the store that have the most light. ...
More than ever, consumers respond to more than just the physical product when making a decision to purchase a product. One of the most noteworthy features of a product is the atmosphere of the place in which the product is bought. From time to time, the store atmosphere is more powerful than the product itself. This study focused specifically on the most important atmospheric element – sight. The main research question explored the effect of sight atmospherics on consumer perceptions. Explorative research was conducted together with qualitative research by means of focus groups. Purposive sampling was deemed the most appropriate sampling method for this study. The findings indicated that sight atmospherics can influence consumers’ perceptions either subconsciously or consciously, and have a direct influence on the amount of time consumers spend in a specific store. Consumers perceived sight atmospherics as a tool to establish a ‘purchasing’ atmosphere and as a means of communication to represent the brand of the store. It was established that sight atmospherics create visual attraction and stimulation with consumers, and that they contribute to the image and the character of the store.
... For consumer use personal transport, availability of parking and distance parking lot to supermarket is important factor [34]. According to Marques et.al, [35] store environment including lighting, layout and design, assortment, display and help from employee influence customer satisfaction For merchandise, price and large variety of products always attracted consumer when shopping in large scale retail format [36]. Large retail format like hypermarket can offer lower and discount price to their customer because they buy in bulk from the producer compare to the small retailer were buy from wholesaler. ...
Retail environment in Malaysia was changed especially in food and grocery segment when hypermarket format was introduced by foreign retailer in 1993. In this paper we tried to understand consumer decision during shopping food and grocery either hypermarket is a main location or not. An empirical study, which was carried out in Shah Alam with 400 grocery shopper as respondent showed no significant relationship between shopping decisions and demographic characteristic except marital status. On the other hand, only two out of five trips characteristic showed significant relationship namely trip frequency and companion during shopping in hypermarket.
... The most recent research in shopping behaviour, concerned with the store choice for shopping, focuses on different research streams: some studies identified desired store attributes for consumers who prefer to shop in specific retail formats and/or specific patrons for a given format (Jayasankaraprasad 2014;Jayasankaraprasad and Aryasri 2011;Carpenter and Brosdahl 2011;Seock 2009;Baker et al. 2002); several studies emphasize the relationship between retail store environment and the shoppers' satisfaction (Marques, Cardoso, and Palma 2013;Mártinez-Ruiz, Jiménez-Zarco, and Cascio 2011;Mártinez-Ruiz, Jiménez-Zarco, and Izquierdo-Yusta 2010), and other studies have explored the evolving competition through strategies based on pricing across different retail store formats (Zielke 2010;Gauri, Trivedi, and Grewal 2008), on the location (González-Benito, Muñoz-Gallego, and Kopalle 2005;Mendes and Cardoso 2006;Farhangmehr, Marques, and Silva 2000), on a set of logistics clues (Teller, Kotzab, and Grant 2012), or even in considering emotional and arousal aspects intrinsic to the customers (Yoon 2013;Kaltcheva and Weitz 2006). ...
Are the atmospheric variables equally relevant for supermarket and hypermarket customers? As a contribution to the customers' choice of the store format, firstly this work aims to determine the perception of differences between hypermarkets and supermarkets in terms of store attributes. Second, it sheds light on the role played by atmospherics in the customers' decision process. This study uses a logit approach to model the probabilistic choice of the customers' store format using atmospheric and other marketing variables as important attributes of the grocery store. The model's estimation is based on personal interviews conducted during the shopping process in urban supermarkets and hypermarkets belonging to the same retail chain. The findings show that although the atmospheric variables are significantly important for both store formats, the customers perceive differently the importance of each retail atmospheric cue and other marketing variables, when buying in a hypermarket or in a supermarket: the choice of buying in hypermarket is explained by the significant importance given to the latent variables named pleasant atmosphere and accessibility and responsiveness; in contrast, the choice of buying in supermarkets is explained by the significant importance given to the latent variable nice decoration and empathy with the staff. The other latent variable designated by other marketing variables is only significantly important in the decision of choosing supermarkets.
Cheap prices are the central positioning criterion of discount stores and the key variable explaining the intention to shop in discounters. Accordingly, discounters design their stores to maximize their efficiency. However, price may explain only a part of customer satisfaction. The purpose of this study is to delve into the environmental factors affecting discount retail store satisfaction. A conceptual model is empirically tested on the influence of discount store environmental attributes of customer satisfaction. Data are analyzed through partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) on a sample of 381 customers. Findings show that factors, different from low prices, influence satisfaction with discount stores. Despite customers seek for low prices, the store personnel positively influences customer satisfaction, followed by a convenient product assortment and an attractive product layout and a convenient store location. Discount store managers may use the store personnel as a way to differentiate from other retail competitors in a cost-service tradeoff.
This paper brings out the connection between the in-store experience factors (merchandise variety & value, internal shop environment & in-store emotions, interaction with staff and presence of & interaction with other customers) and customer’s demographic specifics which are gender, age, family income, frequency of visit and discovery of store. The questionnaires containing four sections of independent variables with 23 questions in it and a section of demographic details carrying five question were distributed among customers visiting superstores and 220 customer’ s responses were finally used for analysis. The collected data was analyzed using one way ANOVA and finally the result was presented to speculate the research hypothesis. Lastly the analysis confirmed 10 out of 20 posited hypothesis to be valid.
Lighting design has direct relations on space perception, visual stimulus, spatial cognition and user behaviour in retail environments. Quantitative and qualitative perspectives in retail lighting design help to attract the customers, play a role on the time spent in the retail environments, experience the built environment and displayed merchandise and create a suitable corporate identity. This study seeks to broaden the body of research on relationships between human preferences and retail lighting design and aims to investigate the impact of human factors in retail lighting design by means of an experimental subjective approach for sales areas, establishing a connection between luminous environment perception, price perception and quality perception of displayed products. This research emphasizes the necessity of an appropriate lighting design strategy for retail environments and its impact on customer’s space perception.
Color is one of the essential aesthetic design elements in restaurant setting due to its high impact on customer’s emotional and behavioral responses. The purpose of this study is to explore the linkage between emotional response to interior color and restaurant entry decision. A total of 496 research participants evaluated eleven computer-generated restaurant scenes with different interior colors. Each participant was asked to evaluate his/her emotional responses on nine adjective pairs of the PAD emotion scale as well as his/her entry decision. Logistic regression models were derived to indicate the probability of entering the restaurant. Pleasure was found to be the best behavioral response predictor. Data analysis also showed that restaurant scenes with high value color and warm-tone color received higher scores for pleasure. This study concludes that to fully understand the effects of color on emotional and behavioral responses in restaurants, additional color attributes should be further examined.
Customer loyalty as an outcome holds various advantages for a retailer. It is therefore important that a retailer provides the type and level of retail mix elements for interaction that customers' desire and which results in customer loyalty. In this study four elements of the retail mix offered by three diverse retailers and their relationships with customer loyalty were investigated.The findings clearly indicate that retail mix elements desired by customers vary by type of retailer. Supermarket customers' interactions with merchandise value leads to loyalty whilst loyalty of customers of a health, beauty and lifestyle retailer (HBL), is the outcomes of positive relationships between their interaction with merchandise value and frontline staff.
The atmospherics of a store can affect the emotions and perceptions of
consumers, and even their shopping behaviors. Despite a large body
of literature on store atmospherics, only a few studies have specifically
examined natural elements in this context. Following evolutionary logic,
we hypothesized that introducing a potted plant to a service delivery
environment would boost consumer perceptions and advance marketing
objectives. Participants rated photographs of service delivery settings
through an experiment on Amazon Mechanical Turk. The results showed
that the stimulus (no stimulus, a plant, or a vase) affected participant ratings
of the service setting. The plant was superior to both no stimulus and the
vase in increasing perceived service quality and customer satisfaction. The
phytophilic effect on perceptions was mediated by pleasure and moderated
by exposure to greenery in daily life. The study implements evolutionary
theory in store atmospherics, contributing to the theoretical foundation of
the field.
In retail design, the use of color and light are important design techniques which aim to attract customers and increase market opportunities. The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of color and lighting on impression and identity of a bank sub-branch in Thailand. In this study, 144 research participants evaluated six computer-generated scenes with different color hues, lighting arrangements and correlated color temperatures using a semantic differential scaling method. The results show that different color and lighting conditions significantly affect both the impression of space and perception of retail identity. The results indicate that bank sub-branch space with chromatic conditions, especially space with warm color tone and colored-light, received a higher positive score of impression and identity. To fully understand the effect of color and lighting on space perception and retail identity, this study suggests that other color properties should be examined.
The rapid diffusion of more channels for shopping posits new challenges for retailers, who need to compete in a complex environment for avoiding the problem of consumer cross-channel free riding. To discourage this behaviour, we propose a new environment where one retailer simultaneously handles more channels. The emerging integrated environment would engage more consumers if compared to the single handled channel, which in turn would avoid switching behaviours towards competitors' channels. Our empirical research, based on the stimulus–organism–response paradigm, involves a sample of 237 consumers who were asked to explore the new retail settings simulated in a university lab. The results lead us to suggest the effective combination of multiple channels managed by one retailer as the new challenge for scholars and practitioners. We note that our participants showed positive emotional reactions towards the environment, which lead them to choose this environment for purchases.
The purpose of this study was to research retail layout of a local super market. The five concepts of retail layout were used to determine if the super market was achieving an effective layout. To accomplish this study, we applied previous studies, conducted interviews, and made use of the store for our own research. After discovering that the local supermarket needed some improvements, recommendations were made to improve the supermarket from the customers’ point of view. The other objective of our study was to determine if the supermarket utilised floor space to maximise profitability per square foot. Our findings helped to verify whether the supermarket implemented an appropriate layout.
This paper presents a study investigating the consumers’ satisfaction level as experienced by the shopping centre offer, the relationship between shopping centre image attributes and the consumers’ satisfaction and loyalty. Results indicate that specific shopping centre image attributes are positively related to consumer satisfaction and loyalty. Further, consumers’ intentions are examined regarding potential shifts in their behaviour due to the economic crisis.
The popular press has recently reported that managers of retail and service outlets are diffusing scents into their stores to create more positive environments and develop a competitive advantage. These efforts are occurring despite there being no scholarly research supporting the use of scent in store environments. The authors present a review of theoretically relevant work from environmental psychology and olfaction research and a study examining the effects of ambient scent in a simulated retail environment. In the reported study, the authors find a difference between evaluations of and behaviors in a scented store environment and those in an unscented store environment. Their findings provide guidelines for managers of retail and service outlets concerning the benefits of scenting store environments.
This paper explores the influence of store environment on variety seeking behavior with a model incorporating various components of store environment (music, light, assortment, employee, and layout) and personality variables, optimum stimulation level (OSL) and deal proneness. Using a mall survey with shoppers in Dubai, the study establishes that store environment, OSL and deal proneness affect variety seeking positively. This paper extends extant literature by studying comprehensively the impact of store environment on variety seeking. This research suggests that retailers need to invest in the components of store environment to enhance variety seeking. Methodologically, the model incorporates the Schmid–Leiman factor structure to address the limitations posed by reflective models.
Several studies examining the impact of illumination on behavior are reviewed in this article. Hypotheses are derived regarding the impact of in-store lighting on various aspects of shopping behavior. As part of a field experiment in a large US city, the lighting (soft versus bright) in a centrally located retail establishment was varied over a two month period. The results of an anova indicated that brighter lighting influenced shoppers to examine and handle more merchandise, though sales were not influenced. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for creating a functional store environment as well as an appropriate store image.
This study tests the Mehrabian-Russell environmental psychology model in retail settings. The results suggest that store atmosphere engendered by the usual myriad of in-store variables, is represented psychologically by consumers in terms of two major emotional states - pleasure and arousal - and that these two emotional states are significant mediators of intended shopping behaviors within the store. The practical value of this approach is that retailers may be better able to explain and predict the effects of in-store changes on shopping behavior.
The authors explore product category and customer characteristics that affect consumers' likelihood of engaging in unplanned purchases. In addition, they examine consumer activities that can exacerbate or limit these effects. The authors employ a hierarchical modeling approach to test their hypotheses using a data set of in-store intercept interviews conducted with 2300 consumers across 28 stores. The results show that category characteristics, such as purchase frequency and displays, and customer characteristics, such as household size and gender, affect in-store decision making. Moreover, although the analysis reveals that the baseline probability of an unplanned purchase is 46%, the contextual factors can drive this probability as high as 93%. The results support the predictions that list use, more frequent trips, limiting the aisles visited, limiting time spent in the store, and paying by cash are effective strategies for decreasing the likelihood of making unplanned purchases.
Research on how store environment cues influence consumers' store choice decision criteria, such as perceived merchandise value and shopping experience costs, is sparse. Especially absent is research on the simultaneous impact of multiple store environment cues. The authors propose a comprehensive store choice model that includes (1) three types of store environment cues (social, design, and ambient) as exogenous constructs, (2) various store choice criteria (including shopping experience costs that heretofore have not been included in store choice models) as mediating constructs, and (3) store patronage intentions as the endogenous construct. They then empirically examine the extent to which environmental cues influence consumers' assessments of a store on various store choice criteria and how those assessments, in turn, influence patronage intentions. The results of two different studies provide support for the model. The authors conclude by discussing the results to develop an agenda for additional research and explore managerial implications.
Purpose
This paper seeks better to conceptualise, operationalise and subsequently to test a multi‐dimensional and more social view of servicescape and the direct and moderated linkages with loyalty intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey research method was used to study servicescapes in the context of UK restaurants.
Findings
In furtherance of conceptualisation efforts, a model is developed to evaluate the linear influences of nine servicescape variables on customers' loyalty intentions. Additionally, the model appraises the impact of personal and environmental factors which moderate the servicescape‐loyalty intentions relationship. Analysis of survey responses finds a number of significant associations with loyalty intentions.
Practical implications
The results of the study indicate that practitioners should reflect carefully on a range of servicescape variables and judiciously manage such factors to improve the extent to which consumers are likely to foster positive intentions to be loyal.
Originality/value
The paper contributes a multi‐dimensional and more social framework of servicescape that is subsequently operationalised and tested. It also supplies a measure of servicescape that future researchers may find useful.
When retailers conduct product assortment planning (PAP), they determine (1) The variety of merchandise, (2) The depth of merchandise, and (3) Service level or the amount of inventory to allocate to each stock-keeping unit (SKU). Despite longstanding recognition of its importance, no dominant PAP solution exists, and theoretical and decision support models address only some of the factors that complicate assortment planning. This article simultaneously addresses the variety, depth, and service level aspects of PAP to provide a more thorough understanding. A review of current academic literature and best trade practices identifies open questions and directions for further research and applications.
Specialty stores typically sell only one or a few closely related product lines but offer a wide choice within that line. This article establishes specialty store expertise as an important factor influencing customer satisfaction and examines the role of various factors in determining the share of wallet obtained by the store. A mail survey with 210 participants finds that customer perceptions of store expertise increase satisfaction and share of wallet, while distance to the store has a non-linear relationship with share of wallet. Managerial implications include the need for specialty store owners to develop expertise by careful hiring, training and retaining of employees. In addition, they are encouraged to promote store expertise to potential customers thus positioning themselves on this attribute and helping avoid price competition with mass market retailers.
Impulse buying and variety seeking are both low-effort feelings-based behaviours with similar psychological origins. However, there is little research exploring the common sociopsychological processes regulating these behaviours. This gap is addressed with a conceptual framework incorporating the discrepancy between actual and optimum stimulation levels as the driver of both the behaviours, and self-monitoring as the moderator of interpersonal influences on these. Findings from a field-survey-based study with retail shoppers show that both the behaviours are responses to exploratory urges triggered by lower stimulation levels. Moreover, high self-monitors exhibit greater impulsiveness in private and seek greater variety in public compared to low self-monitors. The paper concludes with a discussion on its conceptual and managerial contribution along with some of its limitations and directions for future research.
The authors thank the collabo-rative research partner for sharing insights and providing the opportunity to conduct this study. The authors acknowledge Bas Donkers, Marnik Dekimpe, Peter Leeflang, and Koen Pauwels for their helpful comments on previous versions of this article. Furthermore, they are indebted to the three anonymous JMR reviewers for their constructive comments. In a collaborative study with a major Dutch retailer, the authors assess the short-and long-term effects of a 25% item reduction on category sales. On an aggregate level, a major assortment reduction can lead to substantive short-term category sales losses but only a weak negative long-term category sales effect. Short-term category sales losses are caused mainly by fewer category purchases by former buyers of delisted detergent items. However, the results also show that the assortment reduction attracts new category buyers. These new buyers partially offset the sales losses among former buyers of the delisted items. The collection of supplemental process data on assortment perceptions and actual search time in the test stores before and after the assortment reduction provides evidence that delisting results in an increase in perceived search efficiency and a decrease in actual search time.
The study reported here examines how combinations of specific elements in the retail store environment influence consumers’
inferences about merchandise and service quality and discusses the extent to which these inferences mediate the influence
of the store environment on store image. Results show that ambient and social elements in the store environment provide cues
that consumers use for their quality inferences. In addition, store environment, merchandise quality, and service quality
were posited to be antecedents of store image—with the latter two serving as mediators—rather than components of store image
(as they are typically treated in the store image literature). Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are
discussed, and future research directions are proposed.
Retailers recognize that greater understanding of customers can enhance customer satisfaction and retail performance. This article seeks to enrich this understanding by providing an overview of existing consumer behavior literature and suggesting that specific elements of consumer behavior—goals, schema, information processing, memory, involvement, attitudes, affective processing, atmospherics, and consumer attributions and choices—play important roles during various stages of the consumer decision process. The authors suggest ways in which retailers can leverage this understanding of consumer behavior. Each of these conceptual areas also offers avenues for further research.
Retailers have long understood the importance of store environment in enhancing the shopping experience, and past research has examined the main effects of many pleasant ambient stimuli such as music and scent. To further our theoretical understanding, we extend the notion of Gestalt to consumers’ perceptions of retail environments and demonstrated that consumers perceive Servicescapes holistically. Specifically, we suggest that the arousing quality of ambient stimuli is one dimension along which holistic evaluations occur, and that pleasant ambient stimuli are perceived more positively when their arousing qualities match rather than mismatch.We manipulated scent and music in a 3 (no music, pleasant low arousal and high arousal music) by 3 (no scent, pleasant low and high arousal scents) factorial design in a field setting. Our findings show that when ambient scent and music are congruent with each other in terms of their arousing qualities, consumers rate the environment significantly more positive, exhibit higher levels of approach and impulse buying behaviors, and experience enhanced satisfaction than when these environmental cues were at odds with each other.
Increasing the actual variety of an assortment has been shown previously to increase the quantity consumed. We show, however, that consumption quantities are also influenced by the perceived variety of an assortment. In combination, six lab and field studies show that the structure of an assortment (e.g., organization and symmetry or entropy) moderates the effect of actual variety on perceived variety. We further show that it is perceived variety that in turn influences consumption quantities through anticipated consumption utility. Making salient other consumption rules, such as size of the assortment, moderates this effect. These findings are of immediate relevance to interdisciplinary researchers and to consumers and health practitioners who wish to better control food consumption. Copyright 2004 by the University of Chicago.
Current psychological theory and research affirm the positive affective and motivational consequences of having personal choice. These findings have led to the popular notion that the more choice, the better-that the human ability to manage, and the human desire for, choice is unlimited. Findings from 3 experimental studies starkly challenge this implicit assumption that having more choices is necessarily more intrinsically motivating than having fewer. These experiments, which were conducted in both field and laboratory settings, show that people are more likely to purchase gourmet jams or chocolates or to undertake optional class essay assignments when offered a limited array of 6 choices rather than a more extensive array of 24 or 30 choices. Moreover, participants actually reported greater subsequent satisfaction with their selections and wrote better essays when their original set of options had been limited. Implications for future research are discussed.
This paper critically reviews the literature available and presents an empirical study that examines the effects of background music on in-store shopping behavior. It finds that music tempo variations can significantly affect the pace of in-store traffic flow and dollar sales volume.
The influence of salespeople's characteristics on their performance has been an area of extensive research interest. This article examines a potentially important area — the influence of salespeople's affect toward customers on their performance. Previous research has suggested that if customers perceive salespeople to have a positive affect toward their customers, message processing and persuasion are enhanced [Sharma (1999).]. This research empirically establishes a positive relationship between retail salespeople's affect toward customers and their sales performance. Additionally, to aid in the selection of retail salespeople, this research examines the relationship between salespeople's individual characteristics and their affect toward customers. Managerial implications of the research are suggested and directions for future research proposed.
This review focuses on the research conducted over the years on the effects of facility-based environmental cues, or “atmospherics”, on buyer behavior. We review the pertinent literature by constructing a comprehensive table of the empirical studies in this area that focuses on the various findings associated with these investigations. This summary table indicates that atmospheric variables influence a wide variety of consumer evaluations and behaviors. In addition to discussing the findings and contributions of this literature stream, the article concludes by identifying gaps in the literature and suggesting potential future topics for atmospheric related research.
Lighting is a highly sophisticated and powerful industry with an increasing number of manufacturers and design consultants. Yet many retailers still do not realise the importance of treating lighting as part of an overall design approach — or the need for “separation” that is, concentrating on lighting the merchandise as opposed to the shop walls.
The purpose of this study was to research retail layout of a local super market. The five concepts of retail layout were used to determine if the super market was achieving an effective layout. To accomplish this study, we applied previous studies, conducted interviews, and made use of the store for our own research. After discovering that the local supermarket needed some improvements, recommendations were made to improve the supermarket from the customers’ point of view. The other objective of our study was to determine if the supermarket utilised floor space to maximise profitability per square foot. Our findings helped to verify whether the supermarket implemented an appropriate layout.
In spite of the growing importance of planned, centrally managed and enclosed shopping centres in the retailing sector, the understanding concerning sources and outcomes of customer satisfaction with this kind of shopping malls is limited. This paper develops and validates a conceptualisation of shopping mall satisfaction based on field studies in Sweden. The results show that eight underlying factors of varying character are important to customer satisfaction. These are selection, atmosphere, convenience, sales people, refreshments, location, promotional activities and merchandising policy. Furthermore, this study investigates whether sources of satisfaction differ in importance with respect to gender and age, generally two important variables for retail segmentation.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is a new type of market-based performance measure for firms, industries, economic sectors, and national economies. The authors discuss the nature and purpose of ACSI and explain the theory underlying the ACSI model, the nation-wide survey methodology used to collect the data, and the econometric approach employed to estimate the indices. They also illustrate the use of ACSI in conducting benchmarking studies, both cross-sectionally and over time. The authors find customer satisfaction to be greater for goods than for services and, in turn, greater for services than for government agencies, as well as find cause for concern in the observation that customer satisfaction in the United States is declining, primarily because of decreasing satisfaction with services. The authors estimate the model for the seven major economic sectors for which data are collected. Highlights of the findings include that (1) customization is more important than reliability in determining customer satisfaction, (2) customer expectations play a greater role in sectors in which variance in production and consumption is relatively low, and (3) customer satisfaction is more quality-driven than value-or price-driven. The authors conclude with a discussion of the implications of ACSI for public policymakers, managers, consumers, and marketing in general.
This article examines the influence of nostalgic-themed music on cognitive and attitudinal responses towards advertisements with personal, historical and non-nostalgic appeals. An experimental design using a 2 (with/without music) × 3 (type of nostalgia) factorial design is used to collect data from 244 valid respondents. Participants view one of six advertisements and complete instruments revealing their thoughts and attitudes. Changes in responses between the music and non-music conditions are hypothesised and analysed. Music with only a nostalgic theme does not enhance either nostalgic type under the nostalgic conditions. Introducing music to the intended non-nostalgic condition increases personal nostalgic reactions and brand/message-related thoughts. Attitude towards the advert improves significantly under all conditions, while attitude towards the brand does not. The non-nostalgic condition proves problematic, with participants experiencing a small and unintended level of both nostalgic types. Only one piece of music and brand/product category is used. The successful indication of each distinct nostalgic response provides considerable support forfurther studies. Marketing practitioners are better informed when including nostalgic-orientated music. A predisposition to personal nostalgia is found, suggesting this is a more salient response. The improvement in attitudes provides continued support for the importance of music in advertising. Many important future research directions are supported. This is the first study to empirically test reactions resulting from the inclusion of music while taking into account personal and historical nostalgic appeals and reactions as separate constructs.
Proposes a model of the store image formation process and presents results of a study of how environmental cues were used in forming store images by 120 undergraduates. Findings show that Ss utilized different cues in developing different image factors. Ss considered brand name information as the most important cue in forming quality of merchandise impressions; the number of salespersons in each department was the most salient cue in evaluating the quality of service. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Suggests that the behavior setting represents a useful unit, and the theory of undermanning and related research provide useful guidelines, for research on undermanning, an important aspect of excess population. 3 basic issues are identified, i.e., whether differential manning conditions: (a) are sufficient causes for certain behaviors and experiences of persons occupying behavior settings, (b) induce differential interpersonal and person-task interactions in settings, and (c) produce in setting occupants effects which carry over to influence their behaviors and experiences in other settings. A review of the ecological psychology literature on these questions suggests that future research on overmanning should employ more precise measures of degrees of manning of individual behavior settings, include more laboratory studies while continuing work in the field, involve direct observation of setting processes, and not merely measure outcomes, and examine both short-term and longer-term effects of manning conditions on subsequent experiences and behaviors of setting occupants. (29 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Research has shown that consumers like large quantities of product information and believe that it helps them to make better purchase decisions. In light of this finding, it is quite possible that consumers might make brand choice decisions based on the amount of information provided. In cases where brands differ in amount of information, consumers may choose those brands that provide the most information. This article reports the results of exploratory research designed to examine this question as well as the effects of two information display types on brand choice in situations of varying information quantity. The findings revealed evidence to support the hypothesized consumer preference for high-information brands over low-information brands. The magnitude of the effect was also found to differ by type of information display.
This research shows that consumers’ perceptions of variety and satisfaction are dependent upon how the assortment is organized, both internally by the consumer and externally by the retailer. The results of three laboratory studies indicate that for familiar categories, congruency between a consumer's internal categorization structure and the external store layout leads to higher perceptions of variety and higher satisfaction with product choices, while for unfamiliar product categories, congruency between shopping goals and external structure leads to lower perceptions of variety but increased satisfaction with the store's assortment. However, if retailers institute external category filters congruent with consumers’ internal shopping goals that allow them to bypass products, consumers have both lower variety perceptions and satisfaction with the assortment offering.
Addressing inconsistent results in the literature, the conceptual framework that the authors develop proposes that the consumer's motivational orientation moderates the effect of the arousal produced by a store environment on the pleasantness of the environment. Two experiments support the framework. When consumers have a recrea-tional motivational orientation, high arousal has a positive effect on pleasantness, but when consumers have a task-oriented motivational orientation, high arousal decreases pleasantness. In addition, high arousal increases consumer intentions to visit and make purchases in the store for recreationally oriented consumers, but it has a negative impact on shopping behavior for task-oriented consumers. Pleasantness mediates the effect of arousal on shopping behavior.
This study integrates extant research relating to store-related cognitions, customer emotions (arousal and pleasure), satisfaction, and loyalty into one framework. The researchers administer a survey to 274 customers in four coffee shops of a major chain. Using these data, the researchers test the hypotheses and model with structural equation modelling. The findings suggest that (a) store-related cognitions differentially affect emotions and customer outcomes (satisfaction and loyalty) and (b) the two emotions of arousal and pleasure differentially mediate the relationships between store-related cognitions and customer outcomes.
Retailers who implement a high variety strategy need to ensure that customers are not confused with the complexity inherent in a wide assortment of options. Experimental evidence shows that when asking consumers to choose among items in a wide assortment, both the way the information is presented and the type of customer input to the information gathering process influence customer satisfaction. First, asking consumers to indicate their within-attribute preferences through an attribute-based information format, as opposed to an alternative-based format, increases satisfaction and learning. Second, consumers are likely to be more satisfied and perceive less complexity in the choice set when they are asked to explicitly indicate their preferences within each attribute, as compared to more effortful tasks or less effortful tasks.
The authors report a meta-analysis of relationships linking employee job satisfaction to customer satisfaction and perceived service quality in studies that correlate employee data with customer data. Overall, both relationships are positive and statistically and substantively significant. Moderator analyses show that service industry characteristics (relationship versus encounter, personal versus non-personal) and methodological characteristics (aggregated versus individual level of analysis, concurrent versus predictive survey) moderate these relationships. Estimation of a path analytic model using the aggregated data shows that customer-perceived service quality completely mediates the relationship between employee job satisfaction and customer satisfaction. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
The retail patronage idea includes such key concepts as store choice and frequency of visit. In this study, the authors synthesize previous empirical studies through a formal, critical review of retailing literature. The meta-analysis suggests that various predictors (e.g., service, product selection, quality) are strongly related to shoppers’ retail choice, whereas others (e.g., store attitude, store image) are important antecedents of shopping frequency. However, the relationships between the predictors and retail patronage vary according to the study characteristics (e.g., experimental vs. other designs). The authors offer implications for retailing research and practice.
Research in retailing suggests that atmospherics influence store image and expectations of service and merchandise (Baker, Grewal, and Parasuraman: The Influence of Store Environment on Quality Inferences and Store Image. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 22 (Summer 1994) 328–339. Implicit to this stream of research is the realization that store atmospherics can enhance customers' quality perceptions, which lead, in turn, to higher levels of persuasion. This article examines an unexplored but potentially important area: the influence of store atmospherics on the level of persuasion induced by retail salespeople. The results of the research suggest that store ambience and design positively affect customers' persuasion as well as customers' positive perceptions of salespeople. Additionally, the research suggests that in “prestige ambience” stores, a reduction in the number of retail salespeople does not significantly affect customers' buying intentions. In contrast, in “discount ambience” stores, an increase in the number of retail salespeople dramatically enhances customers' buying intentions. Managerial implications of the research are suggested, and directions for future research are proposed. J BUSN RES 2000. 49. 183–191.
The influence of display lighting, a component of store atmospherics, on consumer approach–avoidance behavior was studied. Supplemental lighting was temporarily installed and manipulated on merchandise displays in two retail stores to test for effects on consumer behaviors of Time at Display, Number of Items Touched and Number of Items Picked Up. Video cameras recorded the consumers' actions. Subjects consisted of an accidental sample of consumers in the stores who passed within the measurement zones of the cameras. A total of 2367 subjects were recorded; behaviors and demographics were coded by two raters. Data were analyzed using correlations, Analysis of Variance, and Bonferroni paired comparisons. Supplemental lighting treatments had a positive effect on consumer behavior, as qualified by display. Interactions between lighting and display were found to be statistically significant. Findings could be useful to retailers in developing in-store lighting as part of a store's atmospherics to aid in attracting and retaining consumer patronage.
This article examines the effects of music on consumers' reactions to waiting for services. An experimental study was conducted to test three different constructs—perceived wait duration, emotional evaluation of the service environment and emotional response to the wait—as mediators between music and behavioral response to the service organization. Results of the study showed that, regardless of its valence, music ameliorates emotional evaluation of the service environment which in turn positively affects approach behavior towards the service organization. Furthermore, positively valenced music triggers a more positive emotional response to the wait and a stronger approach behavior towards the service organization than negatively valenced music. Although positively valenced music also increases perceived wait duration, the latter does not have a significant effect on consumers' behavioral response to the service organization.
The influence of salespeople's characteristics on their performance has been an area of extensive research interest. This article examines a potentially important area — the influence of salespeople's affect toward customers on their performance. Previous research has suggested that if customers perceive salespeople to have a positive affect toward their customers, message processing and persuasion are enhanced [Sharma (1999).]. This research empirically establishes a positive relationship between retail salespeople's affect toward customers and their sales performance. Additionally, to aid in the selection of retail salespeople, this research examines the relationship between salespeople's individual characteristics and their affect toward customers. Managerial implications of the research are suggested and directions for future research proposed.
Many individual companies and some industries monitor customer satisfaction on a continual basis, but Sweden is the first country to do so on a national level. The annual Customer Satisfaction Barometer (CSB) measures customer satisfaction in more than 30 industries and for more than 100 corporations. The new index is intended to be complementary to productivity measures. Whereas productivity basically reflects quantity of output, CSB measures quality of output (as experienced by the buyer). The author reports the results of a large-scale Swedish effort to measure quality of the total consumption process as customer satisfaction. The significance of customer satisfaction and its place within the overall strategy of the firm are discussed. An implication from examining the relationship between market share and customer satisfaction by a location model is that satisfaction should be lower in industries where supply is homogeneous and demand heterogeneous. Satisfaction should be higher when the heterogeneity/homogeneity of demand is matched by the supply. Empirical support is found for that proposition in monopolies as well as in competitive market structures. Likewise, industries in general are found to have a high level of customer satisfaction if they are highly dependent on satisfaction for repeat business. The opposite is found for industries in which companies have more captive markets. For Sweden, the 1991 results show a slight increase in CSB, which should have a positive effect on the general economic climate.
A typology of service organizations is presented and a conceptual framework is advanced for exploring the impact of physical surroundings on the behaviors of both customers and employees. The ability of the physical surroundings to facilitate achievement of organizationa l as well as marketing goals is ex- plored. Literature from diverse disciplines provides theoretical grounding for the framework, which serves as a base for focused propositions. By examining the multiple strategic roles that physical surroundings can exert in service organizations, the author highlights key managerial and research implications.
Perceived control is proposed to be a crucial variable in mediating the consumer's emotional and behavioral responses to the physical environment and the contact personnel that constitute the service encounter. Results of an experimental test of this proposition confirm the importance of perceived control in mediating the effects of two situational features of the encounter--consumer density (the number of consumers that are present in a service setting) and consumer choice (whether it is a person's own decision to enter into, and stay in, a service situation)--on the pleasantness of the service experience and the consumer's approach-avoidance responses to the service encounter. Copyright 1991 by the University of Chicago.
This review focuses on the research conducted over the years on the effects of facility-based environmental cues, or “atmospherics”, on buyer behavior. We review the pertinent literature by constructing a comprehensive table of the empirical studies in this area that focuses on the various findings associated with these investigations. This summary table indicates that atmospheric variables influence a wide variety of consumer evaluations and behaviors. In addition to discussing the findings and contributions of this literature stream, the article concludes by identifying gaps in the literature and suggesting potential future topics for atmospheric related research.
Retail Management: A Strategic Approach. Upper Saddle River Servicescapes: The Impact of Physical Surroundings on Customers and Employees
- B Berman
- J R Evans
Berman, B., and J. R. Evans. 2004. Retail Management: A Strategic Approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Bitner, M. J. 1992. " Servicescapes: The Impact of Physical Surroundings on Customers and Employees. " Journal of Marketing 56 (Apr.): 57 –71.
Trends in Retail Lighting: An Intelligent Design Approach
- W Smith
Smith, W. 1989. " Trends in Retail Lighting: An Intelligent Design Approach. " International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management 17 (5): 30– 32.