The purpose of this study was to determine how store atmospherics affect purchase behavior in experiential stores. It extended the Donovan et al. study, “Store Atmosphere and Purchasing Behavior” (1994), by determining the levels of pleasure and arousal in an experiential store and the affects on unplanned spending and unplanned time spent in the store. This was done by measuring customers’ emotions five minutes into the shopping experience and comparing planned amount of time and money spent to the actual amounts. The findings of this study showed that higher levels of pleasure and arousal did not affect unplanned time and money spent in the store. However, further analysis showed that higher levels of arousal occurred when the perceptions of store décor and layout were extremely positive, and higher levels of spending were made by consumers who perceived the store environment factors of décor, layout, and displays as extremely positive
