The interaction of retail density and music tempo: Effects on shopper responses

Abstract

Research examining the effects of store environment on shoppers has found that a number of atmospheric cues have significant effects on shoppers' cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses. To date, retail atmospheric cues have been studied in isolation, instead of simultaneously, like they occur in the retail setting. This study examines the interactive effects of two atmospheric cues-retail density and music tempo-and their impact on shopper responses within a real shopping environment. Based on the schema incongruity model, it is found that shopper hedonic and utilitarian evaluations of the shopping experience are highest under conditions of slow music/high density and fast music/low density. Significant main effects of music tempo are found for behavioral responses such as approach/avoidance tendency and extent of browsing behavior. The results underscore the need to examine interactive effects of atmospheric cues to better understand the impact of the store environment on shoppers.

Emotional Responses to Multisensory Environmental Stimuli

“…In conditions of high spatial density (a condition that is known to induce tension; Eroglu & Harrell, 1986), they found a positive effect of stimulus incongruency (an ambient scent associated with spaciousness decreased anxiety levels compared with an ambient scent associated with enclosed spaces); and in conditions of low spatial density, they observed a negative effect of stimulus congruency (an ambient scent associated with spaciousness significantly increased participants' anxiety levels, compared with a scent associated with physical enclosedness). Also, Eroglu, Machleit, and Chebat (2005) found that consumer evaluations of a shopping experience were highest with a moderate degree of incongruency between social density and music tempo. Like Michon et al (2005), they argued that the novelty of a moderate incongruency probably induced arousal, which mediated favorable evaluations (external perspective).…”

Investigation of Mall Atmosphere in Experiential Shopping During Holiday Season: A case of Malaysian Shopping Malls

“…Besides, the introduction of Christmas music was found to be an effective practice that captures consumers' attention to visit their stores as music is believed to evoke the feeling of Christmas spirit and season (Spangenberg, et al, 2005). Likewise, Eroglu, Machleit and Chebat (2005) discovered that the effects of music tempo had an effect on the approach-avoidance tendency towards the store as well as the extent to which customers explore the store environment. Moreover, Yalch and Spangenberg (1988) stated that younger shoppers who were exposed to the background music tend to spend more time to shop while older shoppers showed similar tendency in the presence of foreground music.…”

The Effect of Music on Shoppers’ Shopping Behaviour in Virtual Reality Retail Stores: Mediation Analysis

“…This paper aims to investigate the effect of one of the environmental cue of 3D VRR store 'Music' on virtual shoppers' behaviour. Music has been focused a lot more than any other environmental cue, in physical [2], [16], [28], [29], [45], [46], [62], [72]- [75], and web retail atmospheric [47], [53] studies. Furthermore, in this research Mehrabian and Russell's affect model [42] will be adapted to investigate the effect of background music in 3D VRR stores' on shoppers' behaviour through the mediating variables of pleasure and arousal (see Fig.…”