“Consumer spending behavior can be significantly influenced by the store atmosphere and the customer mood. Customers require a store layout that maximizes the number of products seen within the context of a customers’ need for the product. Customers who experience a form of personal control, whether in orienting themselves to the store section they need to go to or in finding the products they want, generally feel good about the store. Good feelings lead to more purchases, especially if products are presented within a display that shows the potential usefulness of the product for them.”
–International Journal of Research in Marketing (1997)
As we have leanred in class, situational factors, such as shopping situation and temporal state, can influence consumer purchase-decision process. Consumers are likely to buy more if the store has a pleasant atmosphere, such as providing good music, nice lighting, and comfortable scent.
Banana Republic, which sell clothes to mainly business wemon and men, provides a comfortable atmosphere with spacious layout, clear lighting, and trendy music. These give the shoppers a easy yet professional feel.
Hollister provides a cozy atmosphere with dark lighting, cozy furnitures, and loud music; which attract the younger crowd.