Impact of Store Atmospherics on Behavioural Responses of Indian Consumers

Abstract

In the modern era of marketing, creating pleasurable experiences by enhancing newlinestore atmospherics, which we coin as ambience, has emerged as a deciding factor for newlineprofitability of firms. Hence, retailers have been investing a lot to create positive newlineexperiences and identifying the factors that stimulate the conative, affective and newlinecognitive components of behaviour. newlineSeveral researches in the past have contributed to the body of knowledge, but newlinemajority of the studies carried out have been controlled experiments with a limited newlinesample size, studied in a controlled environment. Also, in the research studies carried newlineout from Indian context, the data collection is limited to a particular city or town. newlineHence the study is undertaken to evaluate the impact of store atmospherics on newlinebehavioral responses of Indian consumers. For this purpose, factors contributing to newlinestore atmospherics (Cleanliness, Music, Scent, Temperature, Lighting, Colour, newlineDisplay/layout, Human variables) are considered as independent variables. Motives newline(Diversion, Sensory stimulation, Learning, Physical activity, Social experiences, Peer newlinegroup Attraction, Status and authority, Communication with others having similar newlineinterest) are considered as mediating variables. Age, gender and income as moderating newlinevariables and behavioral responses (Pleasure-P, Arousal-A and Dominance-D) as newlinedependent variables . newlineFor this purpose data was collected from 1028 samples PAN Indian adopting a newlinestratified random sampling method by administering a structured questionnaire. A newlinecorrelation, regression analysis using SPSS21, AMOS23 modeling, chi square test and newlineANOVA test was carried out to establish a relationship between the variables of the newlinestudy and also to find the strength of association and degree of variance. newlineThe analysis reveals that there exists a relationship between store atmospherics newlinebehavioral responses and motives. Also, behavioral responses and motives vary in newlineaccordance with store atmospherics. Interventions of motives directly or indirectly newlineh