Designing a memorable in-store customer shopping experience: practical evidence from sports equipment retailers

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to detect the dimensions of the in-store customer shopping experience from the sports retailer perspective and to investigate how the role of sports equipment stores is changing.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory study performs semi-structured interviews with retail managers of sports equipment stores.FindingsThis research reveals the importance of the dimensions of immersive design, sensorial ambient elements, social relationships, trialability and real experience sharing in designing a memorable in-store shopping experience in sports stores, and it highlights that the store's role in the sports context is transitioning from sales space to an interactive, immersive, engaging and convivial place. It proposes a model to design the in-store customer shopping experience effectively.Practical implicationsSports equipment managers can make their physical stores as experiential as possible by investing in expert, passionate personnel and technology in order to create a real in-store experience of the product and the sports practice.Originality/valueWhile sports equipment retailers acknowledge the importance of providing customers with a memorable shopping experience by creating an evocative environment and placing multiple touchpoints in stores, management scholars have paid limited attention to sports stores. This study explores the ways in which sports retail managers can design their stores effectively in experiential terms.

The effects of physical environment design on the dimensions of emotional well-being: a qualitative study from the perspective of design and retail managers

“…It uses PED as a cognitive behavioural therapy that potentially create specific feelings and examines its effects on all three dimensions. Previous studies on PED have suggested that design characteristics, such as PED, are used to positively evaluate design components, such as merchandise and ambience and digitalisation (Bonfanti and Yfantidou, 2021). Investments made through PED express that the retail, marketing strategies of a store are beneficial for developing consumer relationships (Arrigo, 2018).…”

“…This research has taken PED as a single construct; however, the future studies can take PED as a multi-dimensional construct (Bonfanti and Yfantidou, 2021) and then can examine the effect on EWB and its dimensions. This study has collected the data based on qualitative research.…”

“…Following that, researchers (Ballantine et al , 2010; Tuzunkan and Albayrak, 2017; Alexander and Cano, 2020; Bonfanti and Yfantidou, 2021) have extensively explored the topic. In recent years, a considerable number of papers on the impact of PED has been published including the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services , European Journal of Marketing , Global Marketing , Journal of Applied Social Psychology , Journal of Business Research , Journal of Consumer Psychology , Journal of Consumer Research , Journal of Interactive Marketing , Journal of Marketing , Journal of Services Marketing , Marketing Sciences and Psychology and Marketing .…”

Tackling the ‘death’ of brick-and-mortar clothing retailers through store atmospherics and customer experience

“…In recent times, consumers find anything they are looking for online, and it is important to investigate why would the same consumers visit a brick-and-mortar shop (Smit, 2021). The effect of store atmosphere on consumer behavior has recently received much attention (Barros et al, 2019;Berčík et al, 2016;Bonfanti & Yfantidou, 2021;Helmefalk & Hultén, 2017). Berčík (2016) argued that consumers are first attracted to certain features within the store environment during the product selection stage, including lighting, music, scent, and color.…”

“…Touchpoints, especially those controlled by the organization, include but are not limited to the store environment and service personnel (employees) (De Keyser et al, 2020). These touchpoints are essential as they help create memorable customer experiences that become a competitive advantage and form of differentiation(Rather, 2020) in response to the threat of e-commerce(Bonfanti & Yfantidou, 2021).Numerous marketing literature has explored customer experience in the retail environment, starting with Holbrook and Hirschman (1982iors(Kazancoglu & Demir, 2021). As justified byZhu et al (2020), repeat purchase is based on the consumer's level of satisfaction with prior experiences.…”