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

Abstract

The threat of online shopping propels brick-and-mortar retailers to innovate and design their retail atmosphere to create unforgettable shopping experiences to compete effectively and retain customers. The study firstly identifies store atmospherics factors that enhance the shopping experience and secondly explores the hypothesized relationships between store atmospherics dimensions (lighting, music, layout, and employee interaction) and customer experience. Furthermore, the effect of customer experience and repurchase intention is also explored. A self-administered survey was used, and data were collected from 390 respondents who visit physical clothing stores regularly in the City of Johannesburg in South Africa. The survey results were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for descriptive statistics. Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modelling (CB-SEM) was utilized for the path analysis. The findings reveal that only store layout, lighting, and employee interaction are essential elements in creating pleasurable customer in-store experiences (β = 0.163, p = 0.05; β = 0.207, p = 0.01; β = 0.293, p = 0.001). It is also evident that consumers perceive music to be less effective in enhancing their shopping experiences (β = 0.048, p = ns). Moreover, the results show that enriching customer experiences stimulate repeat purchases (β = 0.745, p = 0.001). The findings demonstrate that innovating the store environment should be based on shop layout, illumination, and employee contact to create appealing experiences. This study contributes to consumer and retailing services literature. Acknowledgment This study is based on the research supported partly by the University of the Witwatersrand Chancellor’s Female Academic Leaders Fellowship.

Pengaruh Store Atmosphere, Price dan Service Quality terhadap Minat Beli Konsumen Pada Cooffee Shop Kopi

“…Kualitas pelayanan adalah bentuk penilaian konsumen terhadap tingkat pelayanan yang diteriman dengan tingkat pelayanan yang diharapkan [13]. Peningkatan kualitas pelayanan merupakan salah satu strategi pemasaran yang ditekankan pada pemenuhan keinginan pelanggan [14]. Untuk menciptakan pelanggan yang tinggi, pelaku bisnis harus mampu menemukan layanan yang mampu diterima atau dirasakan oleh konsumen sesuai atau bahkan melebihi apa yang diharapkan konsumen [15].…”

Financial Challenges of Brick and Mortar Stalls with the Advent of E-commerce Businesses in and Around Bangalore

“…To create engaging shopping experiences, this research suggests that retail innovation should target store architecture, lighting and staff engagement. The University of the Witwatersrand Chancellor's Women Academic Leaders Fellowship is acknowledged for supporting this study, which provides insightful new information to the consumer and retail services literature (11). This study explores how the retail landscape has changed over time and how traditional brick and mortar stores may never fully regain their former popularity.…”

Assessing the significance of retail service quality on shopping frequency: an adaptation of retail service quality (RSQS) model

“…Online shopping is said to have several advantages over traditional brick-and-mortar stores, including reduced costs, convenience, cost savings and personalised service (Moeti et al, 2021). To remain competitive for brick-and-mortar stores, recommendations still centre on enhancing the buying experience in actual stores (Angula and Zulu, 2021;Kotler and Armstrong, 2018). The goal of retail service has not changed with time.…”

“…, 2021). To remain competitive for brick-and-mortar stores, recommendations still centre on enhancing the buying experience in actual stores (Angula and Zulu, 2021; Kotler and Armstrong, 2018). The goal of retail service has not changed with time.…”