Convenience and Atmospherics as Predictors of Retail Customer Experience
Subscribe/Renew Journal
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to find the impact of Convenience and Atmospherics on Retail Customer Experience (RCE) in new format stores in India.
Design/Methodology/Approach: Customers' responses were obtained using three scales to measure - Store Convenience, Store Atmospherics and Retail Customer Experience (RCE). The scales were tested for reliability and validity using EFA and CFA. A total of 676 valid responses were obtained through mall intercept survey. Data were analyzed using EFA and CFA, correlation, and SEM. T-test and ANOVA have been used to assess the influence of moderating variables - gender, age and income.
Findings: Retail Customer Experience is influenced significantly and positively by Store Convenienceand Store Atmospherics. It also reveals that convenience has a greater influence as compared to atmospherics.
Research Limitations/Implications: The constructs can be revalidated in cross sectional and cross cultural studies. Present study was confined to only "brick and mortar" retail stores. Relationships can also be examined in online shopping in future researches.
Practical Implications: The study provides important insights into determinants of convenience and atmospherics which can be used while designing effective retail strategies for enhancing retail performance.
Originality/Value: The present study contributes by establishing relationships and validating measures for store convenience, store atmospherics and retail customer experience.
Keywords
- Aagja, J., Mammen, T., & Saraswat, A. (2011). Validating service convenience scale and profiling customers: A study in the Indian retail context, Vikalpa, 36(4), 25-49.
- Anderson, W. T. (1972). Convenience orientation and consumption behaviour. Journal of Retailing, 48(3), 49-77.
- Andreu, L., Bigne, E., Chumpitaz, R., & Swaen, V. R. (2006). How does the perceived retail environment influence consumers' emotional experience? Evidence from two retail settings. International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 16(5), 559-578.
- Arnold, M. J., Reynolds, K. E., Ponder, N., & Lueg, J. E. (2005). Customer delight in a retail context: Investigating delightful and terrible shopping experiences. Journal of Business Research, 58, 1132-1145.
- Bagdare, S., & Jain, R.(2013). Measuring retail customer experience. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management. 41(10), 790-804.
- Baker, J., Parasuraman, A., Grewal, D., & Voss, G.B. (2002). The influence of multiple store environment cue on perceived merchandise value and patronage intentions. Journal of Marketing, 66(2), 120-141.
- Berry, L. L., Carbon, L. P., & Heackel, S. H. (2002). Managing the total customer experience. MIT Sloan Management Review, 43(3), 85-89.
- Berry, L. L., Seiders, K., & Grewal, D. (2002). Understanding service convenience. Journal of Marketing, 66(3), 1-17.
- Bitner, M. J. (1992). Servicescapes: The impact of physical surroundings on customers and employees. Journal of Marketing, 56(April), 57-71.
- Crosby, L. A., & Johnson, S. L. (2007). Experience requirence. Marketing Management, July/August, 21-28.
- Donovan, R. J., & Rossiter, R. (1982). Store atmosphere: An environmental psychology approach. Journal of Retailing, 58(1), 34-57.
- Hart, C., Farrell, A. M., Stachow, G., Reed, G., & Cadogan, J. W. (2007). Enjoyment of the Shopping Experience-Impact on customers' repatronage intentions and gender influence. The Service Industries Journal, 27(5), 583-604.
- Healy, M. J., Beverland, M. B., Oppewal, H., & Sands, S. (2007). Understanding retail experiences: The case for ethnography. International Journal of Market Research, 49(6), 751-778.
- Holbrook, M. B., & Hirschman, E. C. (1982). The experiential aspects of consumption: Consumer fantasies, feelings and fun. Journal of Consumer Research, 9(2), 132-140.
- Jain, R., & Bagdare, S. (2009). Determinants of customer experience in new format retail stores. Journal of Marketing and Communication, 5(2), 34-44.
- Jones, M. A., Arnold, K. E., & Reynolds, M. J. (2006). Hedonic and utilitarian shopping value: Investigating differential effects on retail outcomes. Journal of Business Research, 59, 974-981.
- Kelley, E. J. (1958). The importance of convenience in consumer purchasing. Journal of Marketing, 23(July), 32-38.
- Knee, C. (2002). Learning from experiences: Five challenges for retailers. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 30(11), 518-529.
- Kotler, P. (1973). Atmosphere as a marketing tool. Journal of Retailing, 49, 48-64.
- Lucas, J. L. (1999). The critical shopping experience, Marketing Management, Spring, 60-62.
- Mattila, A. S., & Wirtz, J. (2008). The role of store environmental stimulation and social factors on impulse purchasing. Journal of Services Marketing, 22(7), 562-567.
- Mehrabian, A., & Russell, J. A. (1974). An Approach to Environmental Psycholology. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
- Schmitt, B. (1999). Experiential marketing. Journal of Marketing Management, 15(January-April), 53-67.
- Schmitt, B. (2007). Customer experience management. John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey.
- Seiders, K., Berry, L. L., & Gresham, L. G. (2000), Attention, Retailers! How convenient is your Convenience Strategy? Sloan Management Review, 41(3), 79-89.
- Seiders, K., Voss, G. B., Godfrey, A. L., & Grewal, D. (2007), SERVCON: Developing and Validation of a Multidimensional Service Convenience Scale. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 35(1), 144-156.
- Soars, B. (2009). Driving sales through shoppers' sense of sound, sight, smell and touch. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 37(3), 286-298.
- Terblanche, N. S., & Boshoff, C. (2001). Measuring customer satisfaction with some of the controllable elements of the total retail experience: An exploratory study, South African. Journal of Business Management, 32(2), 35-41.
- Thuy, P. N. (2011), Using service convenience to reduce perceived cost. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 29(5), 473-487.
- Turley, L. W., & Chebat, J. C. (2002). Linking retail strategy atmospheric design and shopping behaviour. Journal of Marketing Management, 18, 125-144.
- Turley, L. W., & Milliman R. E. (2000). Atmospheric effects on shopping behaviour: A review of the experimental evidence. Journal of Business Research, 49, 193-211.
- Verhoef, P. C., Lemon, K. N., Parasuraman, A., Roggeveen, A., Tsiros, M., & Schlesinger, L. A. (2009). Customer experience creation: Determinants, dynamics and management strategies. Journal of Retailing, 85(1), 31-41.
- Wong, A., & Sohal, A. S. (2006). Understanding the quality of relationships in consumer services: A study in retail environment. International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, 23(3), 244-264.
- Yale, L., & Venkatesh, A. (1986). Toward the construct of convenience in consumer research. Advances in Consumer Research, 13(1), 403-407.
Abstract Views: 471
PDF Views: 2