The Effect of Retail Atmospherics on Customers’ Perceptions of Salespeople and Customer Persuasion: An Empirical Investigation

Research in retailing suggests that atmospherics influence store image and and Weitz, 1995), with recent empirical results suggesting that cues in the store environment contribute to customers’ percepexpectations of service and merchandise (Baker, Grewal, and Parasuraman: The Influence of Store Environment on Quality Inferences and Store tions of merchandise and service quality (Baker, Grewal, and Parasuraman, 1994). Image. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 22 (Summer 1994) 328–339. Implicit to this stream of research is the realization that Atmospheric cues consist of ambience, design, and social factors (Baker, 1986). Previous research has examined primarstore atmospherics can enhance customers’ quality perceptions, which lead, in turn, to higher levels of persuasion. This article examines an unexplored ily the effect of environmental factors on customer evaluations of merchandise, service, and store image. Environmental psybut potentially important area: the influence of store atmospherics on the level of persuasion induced by retail salespeople. The results of the research chologists have determined that factors of an environment can have synesthetic properties—they work together in a synsuggest that store ambience and design positively affect customers’ persuaergistic fashion to influence persons in the environment (Mehsion as well as customers’ positive perceptions of salespeople. Additionally, rabian and Russell, 1974). The assumption of this study is that the research suggests that in “prestige ambience” stores, a reduction in the ambience can contribute to the persuasive effect of salespeople number of retail salespeople does not significantly affect customers’ buying cues and that salespeople sell better in some retail settings intentions. In contrast, in “discount ambience” stores, an increase in the than in others. However, the assumed interplay between atmonumber of retail salespeople dramatically enhances customers’ buying intenspherics and salesperson influence has not been tested yet. tions. Managerial implications of the research are suggested, and directions In this article, we will examine theoretical developments for future research are proposed. J BUSN RES 2000. 49. 183–191. in the area of environmental cues that support store atmo 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. spherics. Our specific focus will be how social and environmental cues of the store’s atmosphere either enhance or detract from the customer purchasing process, which is examined in an experiment that manipulates store ambiance and salesperStore environments have become an increasingly imporson availability. Subsequently, the article is organized in three tant method of retail positioning (Levy and Weitz, major sections. First, the theoretical underpinnings of the 1995). Stores have distinct environments, and marketers research are discussed. Second, proposed relationships beunderstand that the environment of a store is an important tween store ambiance and salesperson availability are tested. part of the shopping experience. The environment offered by Finally, the implications of this research for managers and a store can influence consumers’ decision to visit the store academics are discussed. (Kotler, 1973), and the retail environment can guide consumers’ inferences about merchandise, service quality, and enjoyment at the store (Mehrabian, 1976; Zeithaml, 1988). The Theoretical Development store environment also has been considered to be a component of the store’s overall image (Zimmer and Golden, 1988; Levy The Context of Persuasion Research already has demonstrated the robust effects of context or “atmospherics” in service and retail settings (cf., Iyer, Address correspondence to Arun Sharma, Department of Marketing, University of Miami, P.O. Box 248147, Coral Gables, FL 33124. 1989; Park, Iyer, and Smith, 1989; Baker, Grewal, and Para-