The effects of store atmosphere on shopping behaviour - A literature review.

This paper provides an insight into how the atmospherics of a retail environment influence shopping behaviour. Its objective is to support researchers and practitioners by summarizing the current state of knowledge and identifying gaps and avenues for future research. The scope covers studies in retail marketing and environmental psychology published during the last 35 years. It has been shown that environmental cues (music, scent etc.) have an effect on the emotional state of the consumer, which in turn causes behavioural changes, both positive (approach, buy more, stay longer etc.) and negative (not approach, buy less, leave earlier etc.). Most studies make reference to the PAD model, which proposes that the relevant emotions in this process can be measured along three dimensions Pleasure, Arousal and Dominance (Mehrabian, A. & Russell, J.A.,1974, An approach to environmental psychology, Cambridge, MA.: MIT Press). Since then, significant advances have been made to understand the effect of individual cues, their interaction, as well as the role of moderators, such as gender, age, or shopping motivation. However, there are a number of opportunities for further research. Too little is known about the moderating effects of Arousal and Dominance and how they interact with each other and with Pleasure dimension. Also a number of other moderators, such as gender and culture, should be integrated into the model

EMOTIONS THAT INFLUENCE PURCHASE DECISIONS AND THEIR ELECTRONIC PROCESSING

Recent studies have shown that most of our purchasing choices and decisions are theresult of a careful analysis of the advantages and disadvantages and of affective and emotionalaspects. Psychological literature recognizes that the emotional conditions are always present andinfluence every stage of decision-making in purchasing process. Consumers establish with companybrands an overall emotional relationship and express, also with web technologies, reviews andsuggestions on product/service. In our department we have developed an original algorithm ofsentiment analysis to extract emotions from online customer opinions. With this algorithm we haveobtained good results to polarize this opinions in order to reach strategic marketing goals.emotions, emotional marketing, emotional brand, emotions measurement, sentiment analysis.

A New Concept of Marketing: The Emotional Marketing

Nowadays, in the marketing area, a new concept of marketing is emerging: the emotional marketing. The emotional marketing studies how to arouse emotions in people to induce them to buy that particular produc/service. Recent studies shown how purchasing choices and decisions are the result of a careful analysis of rational and emotional aspects. Psychological literature recognizes that the emotional conditions influence every stage of decision-making in purchasing process. Emotions play a key role in any kind of social or business decision. The emotions are manifested in verbal, facial and textual expressions. People when speak, interact and write, convey emotions.emotions, emotional marketing, emotional brand, emotional intelligence,emotions measurement.

The effects of shelf display on online grocery choices.

Research on shelf effects in traditional grocery stores has shown that a product's absolute and relative shelf position may strongly affect consumer choices. In this paper, we examine whether and how such shelf effects translate into an online grocery context. We find that a product's choice probability increases when presented on the first screen or located near focal items - especially when the latter are out-of-stock. These primacy and proximity effects have a stronger impact on choice decisions when assortments are more difficult to evaluate and when a clear shelf organization facilitates the use of shelf-based choice heuristics.Effects; Shelf; Choice;

The Path to Purchase during Shopping

Increasingly shopping behaviour is being seen from the holistic perspective of the entire shopping experience. The experiential view of shopping takes a far more holistic approach to the consumption process, right from involvement to post purchase usage. The decision making process and value perceptions could vary depending on individual shopping orientations, the cultural orientations as well as the economic and competitive environment in which the consumer shops (Woodruffe, Eccles and Elliott, 2002). This study will attempt to understand the impact of the major factors on the purchase behaviour of shoppers by examining purchase paths across different product categories signifying different shopping orientations; across culturally distinct regions; and across different stages of retail evolution.

Consumer Culture and Purchase Intentions towards Fashion Apparel

This study examines the effectiveness of different fashion marketing strategies and analyzes of the consumer behavior in a cross-section of demographic settings in reference to fashion apparel retailing. This paper also discusses the marketing competencies of fashion apparel brands and retailers in reference to brand image, promotions, and externalmarket knowledge. The study examines the determinants of consumer behavior and their impact on purchase intentions towards fashion apparel. The results reveal that sociocultural and personality related factors induce the purchase intentions among consumers. One of the contributions that this research extends is the debate about the converging economic, cognitive and brand related factors to induce purchase intentions. Fashion loving consumers typically patronage multi-channel retail outlets, designer brands, and invest time and cost towards an advantageous product search. The results of the study show a positive effect of store and brand preferences on developing purchase intentions for fashion apparel among consumers.Consumer behavior, purchase intention, socio-cultural values, designer brands, store brands, fashion apparel, brand promotion, personalization, fashion retailing, psychographic drivers

How multisensory experiences in virtual environments affect intention to return: The role of cognitive flexibility, sense of power and personality traits

The technology advances made every day are creating opportunities for business. Virtual Reality has been the focus of several studies. However, virtual reality has been stated to fail in implementing some senses, such as tactile, smell and taste. In this study, we cross two sensory experiences, one with the senses of sight and sound and the other with the sight, sound and smell. The experience takes place in a Virtual Café and measures the impact it has on the intention to return. The choice of the different sensory experiences was based on the concepts of proximal and distal senses. For the purposes of the study, this dissertation further analyses the concepts of Sense of Power and Cognitive Flexibility and Personality traits is introduced as a moderator in this relationship. The type of sensory experience is introduced and used as a moderator on the relationship between Sense of Power and Intention to Return (behavior). This study concludes that multisensory experiences in a virtual environment, have no impact on return intentions. However, this study also concludes that cognitive flexibility has a positive impact on sense of power and that personality traits plays as a moderator in the relationship between the two variables. Furthermore, this study findings suggested the notion that senses can be psychologically more proximal or distal based on the maximum physical distance typically required for a stimulus to be sensed also applies to virtual reality environments.Os avanços tecnológicos concretizados todos os dias estão a criar oportunidades para as empresas. A Realidade Virtual tem sido o foco de diversos estudos. Contudo, a realidade virtual tem sido apontada pela inexistência de alguns sentidos, tais como o tato, cheiro e paladar. Neste estudo, cruzamos duas experiências sensoriais, uma com os sentidos da visão e audição e a outra com os sentidos da visão, audição e cheiro. As experiências tomam lugar num café virtual e mede o impacto que tem na intenção de retorno (intention to return). A escolha das diferentes experiências sensoriais teve por base os conceitos de sentidos mais próximos e sentidos mais distantes. Para o objetivo desta tese, vão ser também analisados os conceitos de sentimento de poder e flexibilidade cognitiva e as características de personalidade são introduzidas como moderador desta relação. Posto isto, este estudo conclui que as experiências multissensoriais num ambiente virtual, não têm impacto na intenção de retorno. Contudo, o estudo conclui também que a flexibilidade cognitiva tem um impacto positivo no sentimento de poder e ainda que as características de personalidade têm um papel de moderador na relação entre os dois. Além disto, este estudo sugere que a ideia de que os sentidos podem ser psicologicamente mais próximos ou distantes, com base na distância física normalmente necessária para um estímulo ser sentido, também se verifica em ambientes de realidade virtual

Several considerations regarding the online consumer in the 21st century – a theoretical approach

In nowadays' informational society, both the rapid pace development of technology and Internet's heavy influence on everyday's life brought along new characteristics to the 21st century consumer. Accordingly, in this little e-s dominated world, it comes as no surprise that the booming business on the new virtual market, the Internet, triggered the appearance of a new consumer, the online consumer, by far more informed, open to progress and selective. Along with the shifts of the traditional consumer' traits, this aim of this article is to emphasize, on a theoretical basis, the rising importance of the online consumer in the 21st century, and point out its main hallmarks and consumer behavior habits. With Generation Y, not only thriving in the digital era but also prevailing as the most active online shopper, the profile of the 21 st century consumer is defined by a clearly new and enhanced perspective.informational society, Internet, online consumer's behavior, online consumer.