How Can The Physical Characteristics Of Retail And Leisure Environments Influence Consumers?

Over the past decades, multiple authors have studied the impact of the retail and leisure environment on consumer behaviour and purchases (e.g., Gifford, 2014; Russell et al., 1981). Consumer purchase decisions are made not only based on the product characteristics or its price but also on the product as a whole, including the environment and the atmosphere (Kotler, 1974). For instance, for some products, the atmosphere of the place in which the product is located significantly influences consumers’ purchasing decisions (Kotler, 1974). Kotler was the first to introduce the term “atmospheric,” defining it as “the effort to design buying environments to produce specific emotional effects in the buyer that enhance his purchase probability” (Kotler, 1974, p. 50). The influence and impact of the retail environment is a vast topic, as numerous parameters can influence behaviour. This article will first focus on the store atmosphere and then on the impact of music on the consumer.

“atmospheric,” is “the effort to design buying environments to produce specific emotional effects in the buyer that enhance his purchase probability” (Kotler, 1974, p. 50).

Firstly, we will talk about the importance of the shop’s atmosphere on the consumers’ arousal and, therefore, on purchasing behaviour. Donovan et al. (1994) conducted a study in which they analysed the impact of the emotions of 60 females while they were shopping as well as the estimated time and amount they expected to spend in the store compared to the real measurement of those factors. The strength of this study is that it was carried out in the real world, allowing a better understanding of the phenomena involved. The authors found that shoppers’ emotional state influences their purchase behaviours. In-store environmental pleasure is the most significant predictor of consumers spending more time and money than initially intended. Donovan et al. identified a correlation between arousal, a pleasant environment and unplanned spending. A pleasant environment is connected to arousal, which is related to extra time spent in the store, thus extra spending. While those results are interesting, the study was conducted on women only. Knowing whether men are as sensitive as women to arousal while shopping would be critical.

Linked with the above, it is now interesting to explore if music can influence consumer behaviours and environmental perception. North and Hargreaves (1996) measured whether music is positively linked to liking the environment. In their experiment, they set up a stand in a campus cafeteria that played music with different levels of complexity (low and high complexity are more unpopular). Then they measured the impact of the music by collecting responses from 285 students who evaluated the atmosphere of the cafeteria, their willingness to come back and their likelihood of visiting an advice booth. The result indicates a correlation between liking the music and liking the atmosphere of the cafeteria, as well as their desire to return and visit the booth. In addition, music influenced the number of people visiting the stand compared to no music or complex music. Care must be taken, as the wrong music can have counterproductive effects and thus distract and/or annoy consumers, leading them to leave the store (North, 2008).

Given all the elements presented, it is not surprising that some companies like Abercrombie & Fitch use the environment as a brand strategy. For instance, their interior is designed much like night clubs and play with a very specific and distinctive decor, including palm tree etc.. and (very) loud music (Graakj?r, 2012), attracting young consumers and repelling other consumers (themusicarchitect.com, 2021).

As demonstrated, retail environments can significantly influence consumers, their behaviours, purchase decisions and motivation to return. As shown, arousal is one of the key factors. These factors can be influenced by music as it plays an important role in creating emotions and influencing the perception of the environment. Today, companies understand the importance of these users and have created specific environments to attract their audience. However, retailers need to be careful because if they are not aligned with their target audience, it can have the opposite effect than intended. Further research could benefit from investigating the impact of retail and leisure environments on more diverse targets and products.

References:

Kotler, Philip. (1974). Atmospherics as a Marketing Tool. Journal of Retailing. 49

Donovan, R. J., Rossiter, J. R., Marcoolyn, G., & Nesdale, A. (1994). Store atmosphere and purchasing behavior.?Journal of Retailing, 70(3), 283–294.?https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-4359(94)90037-X

North AC and Hargreaves DJ (1996). The effects of music on responses to a dining area.?Journal of Environmental Psychology

North, Adrian C., and David J. Hargreaves, ‘ Music and consumer behaviour’, in Susan Hallam, Ian Cross, and Michael H. Thaut (eds),?Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology, Oxford Library of Psychology (2008; online edn, Oxford Academic, 18 Sept. 2012),?https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199298457.013.0045

Nicolai J?rgensgaard Graakj?r (2012) Dance in the store: on the use and production of music in Abercrombie & Fitch, Critical Discourse Studies, 9:4, 393–406, DOI: 10.1080/17405904.2012.713208