A Model Of Consumer S Retail Atmosphere

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 20 (2013) 400–407

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Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jretconser

A model of consumer’s retail atmosphere perceptions
Steven W. Rayburn 1, Kevin E. Voss n
Spears School of Business, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, United States

a r t i c l e i n f o

a b s t r a c t

Available online 12 February 2013

The authors propose a new model of the effects of four perceived atmosphere constructs on hedonic and utilitarian shopping evaluations. Survey data demonstrate that the perceived atmosphere constructs are positively associated with both hedonic and utilitarian evaluations of retail shopping value. Importantly, the relationship between the customer’s perception of the store’s level of sophistication (perceived style) and the customer’s overall assessment that the store is a pleasant place (perceived overall atmosphere) is different for different retail brands. The results suggest that the relationship between constructs can be used to detect differentiation between retail brands.
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Keywords:
Atmospherics
Perceptions
Hedonic
Utilitarian

1. Introduction
Atmospherics is a practice that ‘‘recognizes that a marketing environment should be carefully sculpted to both induce particular behaviors and evaluations from consumers and to appeal to a specific target market (Turley and Bolton, 1999).’’ One survey found that for
63% of consumers atmosphere caused them to spend more time in the store, and among these 45% said they spent more money as a result (Anonymous, 2004). Thus, it is important for retailers to create atmospherics that impact the thoughts and feelings of consumers
(Chebat and Dube´, 2000; Kotler, 1973). Wilson (2007: 48) details how the Dutch retailer G-Star has used atmospherics to ‘‘reflect the values and taste level’’ of their target clientele. Retailers like

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