The Concept Of Atmosphere In Retail Store Marketing Essay

Published Date: 23 Mar 2015

The importance of atmosphere in retail context has for long been recognized both among practitioners and researchers. This paper provides a systematic overview of the concept of atmosphere, dimensions of atmospheric and relavant studies on atmospheric in retail context. The aim of this paper is to review the pertinent literature stream on the effects of atmosphere on buyer behavior. We review the empirical studies in this area that focuses on the various studies about atmospheric stimuli and consumer responses. This article concludes by identifying gaps in the literature and suggesting future topics for atmospheric related research.

Key words: atmospherics, dimensions of atmospherics, shopping behavior, S-O-R model

Introduction

The concept of atmosphere is ambiguous and in the same time is a commonly used term both in everyday life and in the business context. In spite of several efforts to define this concept, the meaning of the term still remains vague, nonetheless, atmosphere remains important and it really counts.

In the context of retail store, "atmospherics" refers to aesthetics and ambiance of the store. The atmospheric cues such as color, music, lighting, smell, crowding, windows display and storefont reflect the store atmosphere and play an important role in shoppers' perception and evaluation of the store at large. Ideally, retail stores should be perceived to be pleasant and moderately arousing. Stores with pleasant and moderately arousing atmospheres are likely to contribute to the overall favorableness of the store and effect buyer behavior in a positive way. (Chebat and Sirgy, 2010)

In the marketing literature stream many articles examine atmospheric effect on shopping behavior (Kotler, 1973; Areni & Kim, 1994; Herrington & Capella 1996; Turley & Milliman, 2000). Today many retail marketers view the store environments as increasingly important to satisfying their customers by providing a positive total shopping experience and use as a communication tool to position the store in the consumers' mind (Levy & Weitz, 2001). On a competitive market, marketing researchers realise that if consumers are influenced by physical stimuli experienced at the point of purchase, then the practice of creating influental atmospheres should be an important marketing strategy for most exchange environments (Turley & Milliman, 2000). Atmospheric planning can make the difference between a business success or failure (Bitner 1990). Physical shopping environments designed by retail stores influence all aspects of the retailing business, includes aspects such as the customer's decisions on where to go for shopping, consumer's perceptions of store image, quality of merchandise and service, buyers behaviors of the amount of time and money spent at the store, nontheless, consumer's satisfaction with the retail store (Kotler, 1973; Bellizzi, Crowley, & Hasty, 1983; Eroglu & Machleit, 1990).

The terms atmospherics, shelf space studies, retail environments, servicescapes and environmental psychology all have been use in the literautre stream, over the last 40 years of exploration and conceptual development in the literature marketing. (Turley and Milliman, 2000)

The concept of atmosphere in retail store

In order to apprecitate the importance of atmosphere in the context of retail store, an adequate definition of the term is required. Over the years, numerous articles have been written on atmosphere, Kotler (1973-1974) is often credited as identifying it as an important area for marketers to study. Various research streams have explored and evaluated the aspects of atmosphere including terminology. Kotler (1973-1974) coined the term atmospherics, but before settling on 'atmospherics' for example, uses terms such as 'spatial aesthetics'; Bitner (1992) uses 'the built environment' and 'servicescapes'; whilst Hutton & Richardson (1995) combine atmospherics and servicescapes to form healthscapes. Similarly, Booms and Bitner (1981) developed the concept of servicescape for the services sector, correspondingly, Dailey (1999) introduced a conceptual model of web atmospherics. Vrechopoulos et al. (2000) and Vrechopoulos and Siomkos (2002) introduced the concept of virtual store atmosphere as a factor influencing consumer behaviour, identifying also its major determinants. Along these lines, Eroglu et al. (2001) emphasize that, as in conventional retailing, virtual store atmosphere within the electronic store should be carefully designed to affect and support consumers' buying process, all of which come under a branch of psychology known as 'environmental psychology' (Countryman & Jang 2006).

Since Kotler (1973-1974) was the first to use and define the term "atmospherics" as "the conscious designing of space to create certain effects in buyers. More specifically, atmospherics is the effort to design buying environments to produce specific emotional effects in the buyer that enhance his purchase probability" (p.50). Other scholars developed and deepened the concept of atmosphere even if the first author to describe the relevance of atmosphere inside a department store was a novelist (Zola, 1883). Kotler (1973-1974) also highlighted the importance of combinations of retail environmental characteristics (store atmospherics) in stimulating a consumer's desire to purchase.

A number of researchers have addressed the issue of atmospheric effects upon attitudes and behaviour. For example Markin et al. (1976) were through the earliest researchers to focus upon the social psychology of store environment. They observed that: "the proximate environment that surrounds the retail shopper is never neutral. The retail store is a bundle of cues, messages and suggestions which communicate to shoppers. Retail store designers, planners and merchandisers shape space but that space in turn affects and shapes customer behaviour. The retail store is not an exact parallel to a Skinner box but it does crete mood, activate intentions and generally affect customer reactions" (p. 460, cited in McGoldrick 2002). Greenland and McGoldrick (1994) defined store atmosphere as: " the tailoring of the designed environment to enhance the likelihood of desired effects or outcomes". Foxall (1997), defined store atmospherics as: ". . . the means by which a consumption environment engenders emotional reactions in customers, encouraging them to stay in the setting, browse evaluate and purchase; or, discouraging any of these activities. Atmospherics are facets of environmental design which influence consumer behavior by creating attention, by communicating a store image and level of service to potential buyers, and by stimulating affective responses (p. 506).

Berman and Evens (2004) noted that: "a retailer's image depends heavily on its „atmosphere" the psychological feeling a customer gets when visiting that retailer. It is personality of a store, catalog, vending machine, or Web site" (p. 508). Also, the authors made a differention between what means atmospherics for a store - based retailer, refers to the store's physical characteristics that plan an image and attrect customers and for a nonstore based retailer atmosphere refers to the physical characteristics of catalogue, vending machine, Web sites and so forth. Acording to Cox and Brittain (2000) store atmosphere is the major component of store image and can be defined as: "the dominant sensory effect created by the store's design, physical characteristics, and merchandise activities" (p. 203).

Bitner (1992) suggested the servicescape's concept is the "built environment" or, more specifically, the "man-made, physical surroundings as opposed to the natural or social environment" (p. 65). So even if our purpose is not a comparios between the concept of servicescape and atmosphere it si verty interesting how can be view atmospheric through the concept of servicescapes. While servicescape is the physical environment in which services are delivered, atmosphere can be viewed as the result of interaction between people (i.e. service providers and customers) and the physical environment (i.e. the servicescape). (Heide & GrØnhaug, (2006).

We believe even if in the literature stream are numerous studies on "atmospheric", about the concept of atmospheric the papars are in some way limited. We believe the atmospheric is the main component of store image, is the personality of a store, is what a retailer choose to made for attract and maintain costumers when they visiting that retailer. Definitely, nowadays, retail store atmospherics is a competitive advantaje in the market share and deserved more attention for research and practitione

Dimensions of store atmospheric or atmospheric variables

The store atmosphere, becoming a largely adopted retailing strategy and is also a subject matter that gained a growing interest among researchers and practitioners. Several researchers focused on identifying the environment's components and particularly their influence on customer behaviour (Kotler, 1973-1974; Baker, 1986; Berman and Evans, 1995; Bitner, 1992; Turpley and Milliman, 2000).

Studies addressing the impact of store atmospherics give support to their significant effect on the customers' emotional, cognitive and behavioural responses. Turley & Milliman (2000), noted that even if Kotler (1973-1974) coined the term ‚atmospheric " other researchers used and manipulated elements of atmosphere 10 years earlier, although there are even earlier references (Cox, 1964, 1970; Smith and Curnow, 1966; Kotzan and Evanson, 1969; Frank and Massey, 1970, Curhan 1972). Campbell-Smith (1967), for example, in their seminal work, identified several factors, which could be influential in "the room" refered to the elements of the surrounding environment in which the consumption of food and beverages takes place.

Atmospheric variables influence consumer behaviour by creating attention, by communicating an image and level of service to actual or potential visitors, and by stimulating affective responses (Kotler, 1973; Kotler and Scheff, 1997). Sarel (1986) suggested that consumers interact with atmospheric cues during all phases of their visit and that these cues can determine substantially the impression consumers form about an environment (Mazursky and Jacoby, 1986).

A store's environment is comprised of a vast array of separate elements (e.g. music, color, illumination, aroma windows display,) which are highly interrelated and work together synergistically to affect consumers (Babin et al., 2003; Mattila and Wirtz, 2001; Mehrabian and Russell 1974). In other words, the elements of a store's environment are viewed holistically by consumers, not as individual elements (Babin et al., 2004; Bitner, 1992; Warren and Burns, 2002).

Thus, atmospherics can be considered as an emotionally oriented design of space which can affect the customers as well as the employees. Therefore, the critical dimensions of the store atmospherics range from tactile, sensory, gustatory, olfactory, and visual to social factors. Kotler (1973-1974), in identifying what is understood by atmosphere of a particular environment, could be describe in terms of the sensory channels through which the atmosphere is apprehended. The sensory reaction that atmosphere produce and this is perceived by an individual in the retail context can be considered in terms of sight, touch, smell and sound. Kotler (1973-1974) argues that management should bring the resources of three art forms - architecture, interior design, and window dressing - to bear on the design of built environments. Further, he argues that it is buyers' perceptions of the space that is critical, and since buyers understand environments through their senses, sensory information about the atmosphere must be considered, such as color, brightness, size, and shape of the visual stimuli, and the volume and pitch of the auditory stimuli.

Table 1 summarizes the different classifications of store's atmospherics dimensions suggested in the literature.

Acording to Kotler (1973-1974) the four dimensions of atmosphere are therefore:

Visual (sight) dimensions - colour, brightness, size and shape;

Aural (sound) dimensions - volume, pitch, tempo;

Olfactory (smell) dimensions - scent and freshness;

Tactile (touch) dimensions - softness, smoothness and temperature.

Baker (1994) introduce an extensive framework about atmospheric dimensions refering to the influence of store environment on quality inferences and store image.Atmospheric dimensions puropose by Baker (1994) are:

Ambient factors - music, lighting, smell;

Design factors - floor covering, wall covering, dissplay/fixtures, color, clealiness, dressing room, aisles, layout, signs;

Social factors - salespeople.

Bitner (1992) in his seminal work proposed a framework for understanding environment-user relationships in service organizations this framework is a complex one and environmental dimensions are:

Ambient conditions - tempetature, air quality, noise, music, odor;

Space/Function - layout, equipament, furnishings

Signs, Symbols & Artifracts - signage, personal artifacts, style of decor

Tabel 1. Classifications of store's atmospherics dimensions

Authors

Year

Atmospheric dimensions

Specifications

Kotler

1973-1974

Four dimensions:

visual;

aural;

tactile;

olfactory

This is the most early typology about dimensions of atmosphere and does not include the crowd and the employee dimensions

Baker

(1986;1994)

Three dimensions:

ambient;

design;

social

This typology takes into account the social dimension, but does not include the facility exterior-exterior design of the retail store

Bitner

(1992)

Three dimensions:

ambient conditions;

spatial layout and functionality;

signs, symbols, and artefact

This conceptual framework is the most complete one. Nevertheless, research on the employee side is rare

Berman and Evans

1995

Four dimensions:

exterior;

genral interior;

store layout;

interior displays

This framework does not include human component and the ambient factors dimension is considered among

D'Astous

2000

Three dimensions:

irritant ambient factors;

irritant design factors;

irritant social factors

This framework is inspired by Baker's (1986) typology

Turley and

Milliman

2000

Five dimensions:

general exterior;

general interior;

layout and design;

point of purchase and decoration;

human variables

This framework is built on Berman and Evans's (1995) typology. It includes the human variables. And we believe is the most complete one.

(Source: tabel produced by authors based on information from: Kotler (1973-1974), Baker (1986), Bitner (1992), Berman and Evans (1995), D'Astous (2000), Turley and Milliman (2000))

Berman and Evans (1995) identified four key elements which defined store atmosphere (atmospherics):

Exterior - storefont which includemarquee, entrances, windows, lighting, and construction materials;

Genral interior - flooring, bright, color, scents, sounds, store fixtures, wall textures, dressing facilities;

Store layout - allocation of floor space (selling space, merchandise space, personnel space, customer space), classification of store origins, determination of a traffic-flow pattern, mapping out in-store locations, arrangement of individual products;

Interior (Point-Of-Purchase) Displays - the princpial type of displays are: assortment display, theme-setting display, ensemble display, rack siplay, a cute case.

D'Astous (2000) study the impact of the environment on shopper behavior generally, focuses on the design of retail environments, the framework proposed was inspired from Baker's (1986) tipology. The three components of physical environment are:

Ambient factors which means background conditions that exist below the level of our immediate awareness - air quality, temperature, humidity, circulation/ventilation, noise (level, pitch), scent, cleanliness

Design factors, stimuli that exist at the forefront of our awareness: aesthetic, architecture, color, scale, materials, texture, pattern, accessories

Social factors people in the environment - other customers, number, appearance, behavior, service personnel, number, appearance, behavior

Turley & Milliman (2000), in a review of the experimental evidence on shopping behaviour, developed and added to work by Berman & Evans (1995), established five broad categories of atmosphere variables, including: External variables, General interior variables, Layout and design variables, Point of purchase and decoration variables, Human variables.

Tabel 2 provides a listing of the variables that comprise each of these five categories. Within this broad categories, 57 specific atmospheric cues were identified. There has also been a trend in the literature to attempt to precisely categorise individual cues in order to manipulate them and understand their effects (Chebat and Dube, 2000), and this end much of this extand literature has been conducted using experimental design.

The above classification of atmospheric cues presented by Berman and Evans (1995) and revides by Turley and Milliman (2000), try to offer and create some logical and organised structure to the study of atmospherics variables through to influence consumer behavior.

Turley and Milliman (2000) note that in their seminal work it is also an attempt to impose some mangerial organisation on atmospheric stimuli. This atmospheric elements allows managers to communicate a desired image or physical environment to a particular shopper segment or target market and induce a desired result from shoppers. This atmospheric variables can be conceptualized as stimuli leading to some cognitive affect within the individual which, in turn, leads to some behavioral respone.

We beileve the most representative framework in retail context proposed in the literature review is Turley and Milliman (2000) framework, becuase is the most complex classification of atmospheric variables and in the same time is the only framework which include human variables, refering to the exployees, crowding, customer characteristics and pryvacy compared with the social dimensions proposed by Bitner (1986) and D'Astous (2000) refering especially only at the salespeople.

Tabel 2. Atmospheric variables

External

variables

General interior variables

Layout and design variables

Point-of-purchase and decoration variablrs

Human variables

Exterior signs

Flooring and carpeting

Space design and allocation

Point-of-purchase displays

Employee characteristics

Entrances

Color schemes

Placement of merchandise

Signs and cards

Employee uniforms

Exterior display windows

Lighting

Grouping of merchandise

Wall decorations

Crowding

Height of building

Music

Work station placement

Degrees and certificates

Customer characteristics

Size of building

P.A. usage

Placement of equipment

Pictures

Privacy

Color of building

Scents

Placement of cash registers

Artwork

Surrounding stores

Tobacco smoke

Waiting areas

Product displays

Lawns and gardens

Width of aisles

Waiting rooms

Usage instructions

Addressal and location

Wall composition

Department locations

Price displays

Architectural style

Paint and wall paper

Traffic flow

Teletext

Surrounding area

Ceiling composition

Racks and cases

Parking availability

Merchandise

Waiting ques

Congestion and traffic

Temperature

Furniture

Exterior walls

Cleanliness

Dead areas

(Source: tabel produced by authors based on information from Turley and Milliman (2000))

ATMOSPHERIC STIMULI ORGANISM RESPONSE

Independent Variables Intermediating Variables Dependent Variables

Exterior

Store front

Marquee

Entrances

Display Windows

Building Architecture

Parking

Surrounding Area

Employees

Mood

Effort

Commitment

Attitude

Knowledge

Skill

Employees

Career Objectives

Training

Personal Situation

Social Class

Stage of HLC

General interior

Flooring/Carpeting

Lighting

Scent

Sounds temperature

Cleanness

Fixtures

Wall Coverings

Cash Register Placement

Store Layout

Flore Space Allocation

Product Groupings

Traffic Flow

Department Locations

Allocations within Departments

Interior Displays

Product Displays

Racks and Cases

Posters

Signs

Cards

Wall Decorations

Customers

Enjoyment

Time in store

Items Examined

Information Acquired

Purchases

Satisfaction

Customers

Lifestyle

Shopping Orientation

Stage of HLC

Situation

Human Variables

Crowding

Customer Characteristics

Employee Characteristics

Employee Uniforms

Figure 1. The influence of retail atmospherics: S-O-R Model

(Source: adopted from Turley and Milliman (2000))

We have placed these stimuli into five basic categories as shown in Figure 1. This image is adopted to Turley and Milliman (2000) work which was a little modified version of the original ilustration used by Bitner (1992) and is use here to show the way store atmosphere affect consumer behavior.

Several factors from this figure are condiserably, as we can see, the physical environment interect with the caracteristics of individuals to determinate their response. Therefore, an atmosphere that produces a certain response in one individuals or group of people at a given point of time may produce an absolutely different response in another individual or group. An example in this way can be considered this, for young shoppers an atmosphere that produces a positive response, may produce a negativ respone for older shoppers. In the same time, the store's atmosphere influences both the customers and the store's employees, who, in turn, through their interactions, influence each other. As we can see in follow figure there are several possible responses exhibited by the customers that can work collectively or severally.

Theoretical framework (S-O-R paradigm)

The effect of atmospherics, or physical design and decoration elements, on consumers and employees is recognized by managers and mentioned in retailing, and organizational behavior texts. A wide-renge literature on effects of store atmospherics on buyer behavior exists, dating back to the late 1960s (Smith and Curnow, 1966; Kotler, 1973-1974, Mehrabian and Russell 1974, Donovan and Rossiter, 1982). The dominant framework in numerous studies on the effects of store atmospherics on shopping behavior have employed the stimulus- organism-response (S-O-R) model developed in the field of environmental psychology (Mehrabian and Russell, 1974) and introduced to marketing by Donovan and Rossiter (1982) for store atmospheric studies, to explain and predict the effects of atmospheric variables on consumer's emotional states and their behavior. Spangenberg Crowley, and Henderson (1996) noted that draws from the stimulus-organism- response (S-O-R) paradigm, which, or in our context the atmosphere (environment) is a stimulus (S) containing cues that causes a consumer's evaluations (O), which in tum create some behaviour (approach/avoidance) responses (R) (Mehrabian and Russell 1974; Russell and Pratt 1980; Donovan and Rossiter, 1982). Atmospheric stimuli cause specific cognitive and affective reactions, and these reactions modify shopping behavior (Bitner, 1992; Wakefield and Baker, 1998). Many studies (e.g. Sherman and Smith, 1986; Dawson et al., 1990; Baker et al., 1992; Tai and Fung, 1997; Sherman et al., 1997) use the Mehrabian and Russell (1974) famework, they demonstrated that the information rate of stimuli influences emotional responses of organism (PAD - pleasantness, arousal, dominance), which determines the response as approach-avoidance behaviors to avert the stimuli. Further research has found that pleasure and arousal sufficiently explain most of the affect and behavior responses and research attention has been attractes on these variables (Russell, 1978; Russell and Pratt, 1980). Considerable evidence has been accumulated with increasing interests in the effects of store atmospherics on shopping behaviors, in support of a pleasure and arousal hypothesis as the major mediating mechanism (Kalcheva and Weitz, 2006; Eroglu and Machliet 1990, 2008; Turley and Milliman, 2000).

The envrironemntal psychology literature suggest that consumers respond to an atmosphere with two general, contrasting forms of behavior: approach and avoidance (Mehrabian and Russell 1974). If approach behaviors include positive responese behaviors such as, a desire to remain in a store and explore it, then avoidance behaviors reflect contrasting responses or leave a store or not to spend time in a store and browsing it. A major criticism against Mehrabian and Russell's (1974) framework is that it mainly focuses on the emotional states that are created by the environment and may thus underestimate important cognitive reactions. Kotler (1973-1974) discusses the relationship between atmospherics and purchase probability. Bitner (1992) has formulated a general model for understanding the impact of the physical environment on individual behavior. Nevertheless, the scope of Bitner's model goes beyond the consumer in the sense that it also focuses on the impact on employees.

Marketing research grounded in environmental psychology has successfully linked environmental stimuli (S) with evaluative responses (O) and approach/avoidance behaviors (R). (Spangenberg, Crowley, Henderson, 1996) For example, since the work of Donovan and Rossiter (1982), researchers have largely explored how separate and distinct atmospheric variables effects shopping behavior, other studies have used the framework to study the effects of specific atmospheric stimuli such as music (Milliman, 1982; Morin et al., 2007; Yalch & Spangenberg, 2000), colors ( Bellizzi, Crowley, and Hasty 1983; Crowley 1993; Bellizzi and Hite, 1992; Babin et al., 2003; Brengman & Geuens, 2003), lighting (Areni and Kim, 1994; Babin et al., 2003) and odors/scent (Hirsch, 1995; Michon et al., 2005; Spangenberg et al., 1996; Chebat & Michon, 2003) and crowding (Eroglu and Machleit 1990; Harrell, Hutt, and Anderson 1980; Machleit et al., 2000) and noted their influence on satisfaction and store image, and an ample consumer behavioral respones such as time spent in a retail store environments, sales, impulsive buying and so on. A small number of studies have also started to examine the interaction between these variables, such as Baker et al. (2002) who explored the interaction between store design, employees and music on perceptions of a retail store.

A review of the studies of atmospheric effects on shopping bahavior

Over forty years of academic research clearly demonstrate the nature of the influence the retail environment can have on consumer behavior and their perception. The purpose of this article is to made a briefly review on the studies of atmospheric effects on buyer bahavior, which have been published in the marketing literature stream. Retail executives and retail organizations foud the ability to change in-store behavior through the creation of an atmosphere (Turley and Chebat, 2002).

In their semilal work Turley and Milliman (2000) found a consistent literature, in a review of some 60 experiments that manipulated portions of a store's complex atmosphere, the authors found that each of these studies uncovered some statistically significant relationship between atmospherics and shopping behavior. In the same time this review highlights a range of shopping behaviors that retailers can influence, and the diversity of retail formats in which these studies have taken place.

In the next section we continued with significat study on retail store environment to observe the gap of some relevant study in this domanin for future research. We will review the use of research designs, independent variables, dependent variables that have been used to study the impact of marketing environent, and in the same time our purpose is to observe the gaps literature, those variables which didn't received enought attention form researcher as suggestions for future research. In the same time another important observation refering at our first purpose is to examine studies on the impact of atmospheric variables on consumer behavior, so, some interesting research area such as atmospheric as a compoent of retail store and situational variables were not included in this papers.

Studies on atmospheric stimuli (independent variables)

In our review of studies, we used the framework proposed by Thrley and Milliman (2000) for examining the atmospheric stimuli used by authors in their experimental studies. We review studies on external varibles, general interior variables, layout and design variables point-of-purchase and decoration variablrs and human variables and some studies which examinate interaction between this atmospheric variables and their effects on shopping behavior.

External Variables

Accumulated literature has demonstrated that store atmospherics substantially change consumers'shopping behaviors through conscious and subconscious perceptions. As indicated by Turley and Milliman (2000) and Eroglu and Machliet(2008), prior research focuses more on interior store variables, such as music, scent, decor, layout, design, and signage that affect the five senses, rather than exterior variables that form quick perceptual impressions. Even though the external variables are the first set of cues in consumers view, according to existing reviews of store atmospherics, studies on the exterior of the store are the worst represented atmospheric elements in marketing literature The dimensions of store's atmospherci proposed by Turley and Milliman (2000) were identified 14 external stimuli, (such as storefont, marquee, dusplay windows, building architecture, the surrounding area and parking) if those external stimuli are poorly managed, generally speaking the rest of the atmosphere may not matter. The visual appeal of the storefront, window displays, and overall building facade enable consumers to form quick impressions about a store to determine whether they enter a store or not. After all, if consumers are not interested in a store conveyed to them through exteriors such as window displays, the consumer will be unlikely to enter in store to shop or make purchases. Despite of this significance, only a few studies have examined exterior variables (Edwards and Shackley, 1992; Pinto and Leonidas, 1994; Cornelius et al., 2010; Oh 2012). Exterior generally address the effects of window displays on shopping behavior is an important subject for researcher (Edwards and Shackley, 1992; Sen et al.,2002), windows display, generally are designed to help to create and maintain an overall store image (Park et.al.,1986).

Refering to the most relevant studies that have examided the impact of the exterior of the store on consumer behaviour, the first authors which study a different aspect of external variables was Grossbart, Mittelstaedt, Curtis, and Rogers (1975) they examined the relationship between predispositions and atmospherics the impact of the external attributes of the macroenvironment in this case a shopping district, on shopper behavior. In their study Ward, Bitner and Burnes (1992) introduces a method for measuring the prototypicality of store design and explores the relationship between the relative influence of the external and internal physical environment and of retail stores on the store's complete perceived prototypicality, and the prototypicality-affect market share relationship. Edwards, Shackley (1992) were the first authors which investigated the effects of exterior window display we believe for retail store this is the most important external variables because is the decision for shoppers to entry in that store. The authors found that sales incrase when window displays are used, especially for new products. Design and colors used in the display are also important element for window display. Pintel and Leonidas (1994) stuides the influence of parking and location on perceptions of quality. The fundings were that satisfaction with the facility incresed, but overall satisfaction with the service did not.

In a study conducted among clothing retailers, Sen et. al. (2002) demonstrate that the consumer's decision to enter a store is related to the acquisition of information (promotion, image, fashion, and fit) obtained from window displays. Consumers use window displays as a key source for information in making purchasing and shopping decisions. The outside of the store thus appears to affect store image and consumer decisions. Window displays serve as an advertising and sales promotion medium for retailers. So far, no systematic research has been done on the effects of store window displays on shopping behaviors. Cornelius, Natter, Faure (2010) found a connection between the image of a retail store which offers an important means for differentiation in highly competitive retail market and storefont display. The results show that more innovative displays achieve better image valuations and that store image benefits from the presence of a storefront display. Also, this study highlight the front of the store as an important antecedent of store image; other exterior elements, such as the window decoration and arrangement, entrances, or even building design and lighting, could have similar influences on store image.

The concept of how visual merchandising of products in store windows influence store traffics has received little attention in past studies. Study realised by Oh (2012) contributes to filling a gap in store atmospheric literature by examining how consumers' perceptions of storefront window displays influence their store entry behaviors in different situations. The results of the study indicate that visual perceptions of store window display influenced store entry decisions but its influence depended on the interplay among display type, motivation, and cognitive load effect. These fundings suggest that visual elements facilitating understanding increase approach tendencies toward store environments under high cognitive load, whereas visual elements facilitating exploration increase approach tendencies toward store environments under low cognitive load. Therefore, we suggest that storefront window displays should be tailored to shoppers' motives and shopping environments to attract shoppers to a store.

Empirical studies on the influence of exterior store atmospherics on shopper behaviors are rare (Edwards and Shackley, 1992; Pinto and Leonidas, 1994; Turley and Milliman, 2000, Eroglu and Machliet, 2008; Cornelius et al., 2010, Oh 2012). These elements must be pleasing and induce approach behaviors for a retail store. As Turley and Milliman (2000) note, marketing researchers have mostly concentrated on the inside of a store.We hope this review paper activate additional contributions for increase interest for research external variables.

General interior variabels

Atmospheric stimuli such as flooring/carpeting, lighting, scents, sounds, temperature, clearness, wall texture and color usage can be considered as general interior variables.

Colors. If studies on external variables were considered very limited research, we found in literature review various studies about the effects of general interior variables on customer's perceptions and behavior. General interior variables have been studied starting by Donovan and Rossiter (1982), Grossbart Hampton, Rammohan, and Lapidus (1990) and Ward, Bitner Barnes (1992), Akhter, Andrews, and Durvasula (1994), Donovan, Rossiter, Marcoolyn, and Nesdale (1994), all this studies indicate that behaviour is influenced by general perceptions of the interior. Also this studies indicate that perceptions of the interior influence approach/avoidance, time spent in the environment and sales.

Many studies have examined the effects of different general interior variables, but in retail settings, research on the influence of color on shopping behavior in has been rather infrequent (Turley and Milliman, 2000). Several author studied color as a general interior cues (Belizzi, 1983, Belizzi and Hite, 1992, Crowley, 1993, Babin, Hardesty, Sute (2003), Chebat and Morrin 2007). The implications of color for retailers are also discussed by Rossotti (1983) "different color schemes can be used to emphasise the uniqueness of deparments but that the color change between departments should not be too abrupt, otherwise customers may feel that thay are being 'pushed', through the stores"(cited in McGoldrick, 2002, pp. 461)

Belizzi et. al. (1983) undertook a laboratory-based experiment which indicates the effects of colors upon attraction to displays and upon store image. The results indicated that subjects were physically drawn to warm color (yellow and red) environments, but they paradoxically found red retail environments to be generally unpleasant, negative, tense, and less attractive than cool color retail (green and blue) environments. Also, Bellizzi et al. (1983) speculated that a red environment may overstimulate buyers both physiologically and psychologically may harm purchasing deliberations and buying decisions.

Another study on the effects of color on retail store is realized by Bellizi and Hite (1992), they found higher purchase intentions in a simulated shopping environment when the background color of a retail display was blue rather than red. Prior color research has shown that red is perceived as negative and tense as well as physically arousing. Blue, on the other hand, has been identified as calm, cool, and positive. According to Corwley (1993) the results of the study indicate that color can affect perceptions of the merchandise within the store environment. While perceptions of merchandise quality were not significantly impacted by store color, other aspects of merchandise perceptions were partially driven by the color of the store environment Consistent with previous research (e.g., Crowley, 1993; Bellizi et al., 1983), Babin et. al. (2003) resume that consumers reacted more favorably to cool store interiors, all in all a persistent interaction suggested that lighting and color combinations affect consumers' cognitive representation and affective reaction. Consumers reported the lowest evaluation, excitement, price fairness, patronage and purchase intentions in the orange and bright condition. A few studies in the marketing literature examine the differential effects of warm versus cool colors.

Lights. Several previous studies have looked at the effects of lighting on consumer behavior and sales performances (Areni & Kim, 1994; Baker, Grewal and Persuraman (1992) and Baker, Levy and Grewal (1992)Cuttle & Bradston, 1995; Boyce, Lloyd, Eklund, & Bradston, 1996; Summers & Hebert, 2001; Freyssinier, Frering, Taylor, Narendran, & Rizzo, 2006). These investigations suggest that lighting factors can influence both store iamge and the examination and handling of merchandise. The research in this area is still patchy but Rook (1987) recommanded bright lighting to facilitate impulsive purchases. In the same time, softer lighting may induce patrons to peruse the merchandise at greater lenght ( Markin et. al., 1976).

Areni and Kim (1994) identified the impact of in-store lighting on various aspects of shopping behavior (consumer behavior, amount of time spent, and total sales) in a retail store setting. Lighting influenced number of items examined and handled. A lighting shelf level interaction was significant, but lighting by customer type was not. Cuttle and Bradston (1995) studied the effect of relighting two furniture galleries with higher illuminances and a more even light distribution.Boyce et al. (1996) studied the link via the effect of new and approved lighting on sales performance of a supermarket. Summers and Hebert (2001) investigated the approach-avoidance behaviors of shoppers at two types of retail stores, specifically the amount of time at display, the number of items touched, and the number of items picked up under two lighting treatments (ambient lighting only and ambient lighting plus supplemental display lighting). They found that the supplemental display lighting treatment produced different effects on consumer behavior depending on the type of store.

Freyssinier et al., (2006) in their seminal work found that the lighting did not affect sales. In their study founding, sales during the experimental period were similar to those in the prior year and were comparable to other stores. Reddy, Narayana Reddy, Azeem (2011) study for provides a better understanding of the impact of lighting on store satisfaction in a retail environment. The results found that store lighting which enhances the image of the store contributes more to the formation of store satisfaction than the store lighting which enhances appeal of the store. Lighting attributes were successfully related to store satisfaction. Among other elements affecting store satisfaction, lighting attributes which supplement to the enhancement of the store image found to be highly influencing. Image-oriented lighting is also found to influence shoppers' perceptions of enjoyment and their decision for choosing the store

More research on the effect os lighting on consumer behavior in actual retail environments can be benefical for researchers and for organsisantions since lighting is recognized as an important component of store atmospherics, affecting the consumers' visual appraisal of everything in a store, including the merchandise (Lopez, 1995). In fact, light and color can have such a strong influence on people's attention so as to even physically attract customers toward a retail display and set a tone for the store's atmospherics (Bellizzi, Crowley, & Hasty, 1983). Research has also shown that light and color strongly influence the perceived image of a store and its pricing strategy (Babin, Hardesty, & Suter, Color).

Music. The notion that background music can be used to influence consumer behavior is derived from the concept of atmospherics (Kotler, 1973). Music is the most studied interior atmospheric cue (Smith and Curnow, 1966; Milliman, 1982, 1986;; Yalch and Spangenberg, 1988, 1990, 1993, 2000; Baker, Levy and Grewal, 1992; Chebat, Gelinas-Chebat and Filiatrault, 1993; Gulas, and Schewe, 1994; Dube´, Chebat, and Morin, 1995; Herrington and Capella, 1996; Hui, Dube´, and Chebat, 1997, Dube, Morin 2001, Caldwell Hibbert 2002, Bailey, Areni, 2006, Morin, Dube, Chebat 2007)

Smith and Curnow (1966), believed that time in store and sales would be related with "loud music", but the results show that less time was spent in the markets during the loud session, although there was no significant difference in sales, nor in the customers' reported satisfaction. In Milliman's (1982) study, it is likely that shoppers spent more time in the store during the slow music periods than the fast music periods. Another study realised by Milliman (1986) demonstrated that background music can significantly affect the behavior of restaurant customers (time at table, bar purchases and gross margin).Yalch and Spangenberg (1988), in a study of clothing store, found younger shoppers had shopped longer when exposed to background music, older shoppers had shopped longer when exposed to foreground music. In other study Yalch and Spangenberg (1990) found that backround music (environmental) produced a more pleasant mood than did foreground (contemporary) music. Kellaris and Kent (1992) addressed the time perception- music relationship, subjects perceived the atonal mode music as more dissonant and not in any particular key compared with the minor or atonal music. Baker, Levy, Gewwal (1992) sugest that social factors influenced arousal and that social-ambiance interaction occured for pleasure and willingness to buy.

The limitation of Yalch and Spangenberg (1988) was addressed in a follow-up study (Yalch and Spangenberg, 1993). Moods did not explain the music effects but store perceptions partially did. Gelinas-Chebat and Filiatrault, (1993) fond that mood and attention mediated the relationship between musical and visual cues and time perceptions. Gulas and Schewe (1994) reported that baby boomers reported shopping longer in a grocery store when listening to familiar classic rock compared with unfamiliar big band music

Baker, Levy, and Persuraman (1994) use some ambient factors, music, lighting, temperature, color as taken together for analyse the impact of these categories of variables on merchandise quality, service quality and store image. Design factors have a less influence comapred with ambient and social factors on store image, service quality, merchadinse quality, as dependent variables. Dube, Chebat, and Morin (1995) manipulated the musical background of a video simulation of a bank, and found independent and interactive effects of musically induced pleasure and arousal on consumers' desire to affiliate with bank employees. Kellaris et al. (1996) reported that estimated time was longer when music was louder versus softer. They suggested that louder music may leave more memory traces, thus expanding retrospective estimates of duration. In their study Herrington and Capella (1996) seem to be at odds with previous research reporting volume (Smith and Curnow, 1966) and music tempo effects (Milliman, 1982, 1986) may be troubling to some readers. Similarly, North and Hargreaves (1996) found that liking for the music in a cafeteria was related positively to diners' willingness to return. Hui, Dube, and Chebat (1997) in their seminal work examines the effects of music on consumers' reactions to waiting for services. found that music likeability and estimated time A second study (North & Hargreaves, 1998) seemed to confirm this. Factor analysis of responses to the same cafeteria as in the previous study on 20 adjectival scales yielded five factors. Hargreaves, and Jennifer McKendrick (1999) research on wine selection, indicate that music influenced customers' product selections. Yalch and Spangenberg (2000) found that people shop for longer when exposed to unfamiliar music, but feel ther are shopping longer when the music is familiar. North, Hargreaveasn, McKendrick (2000) demonstrate that music can have reliable effects on atmosphere and purchase intentions in commercial environments. Caldwell Hibbert (2002) reports research into the effect of music tempo and musical preference on consumer hehavior in a restaurant. The research investigates the extent to which these two variahles influence actual and perceived time spent dining, the amount of

money spent, and outcomes in terms of enjoyment of the experience and future hehavioral intentions. Dube, Morin (2001) test of pleasure effects in real store environments. Bailey, Areni (2006) estimated duration of a given interval was shorter when familiar as opposed to unfamiliar music was played, respondents waiting idly again reported shorter estimates of duration when they heard familiar as opposed to unfamiliar music, but only when they heard a sufficient number of songs during the interval. Morin, Dube, Chebat (2007) suggest that prior reports of direct effects of music valence on service evaluation or provider attitude (Dube et al. 1995 for provider attitude; Caldwell and Hibbert 2002; Herrington and Capella 1996 for service evaluation). Tose are only a few study on the effects on music on shopping behavior, as we mention, above music is the most studied interior atmospheric cue.

Scent. Another general interior variables which attracting some research interest is odor or aroma, smell or scent. Studies of the effects of scent on the atmosphericc store have concentrated on three aspects: the first aspect is a scent's congruency with the products sold in the store - that is, the scent that emanates from the product such as one might find in a florist, a bakery, or a tobacconist (Bone and Jantrania, 1992; Mitchell et al., 1995; Ellen and Bone, 1998; Mattila and Wirtz, 2001). The second aspect is the presence of a scent - that is, simply having a scent present may result in affective or behavioural responses (Spangenberg et al., 1996; Bone and Ellen, 1999; Morrin and Ratneshwar, 2000). The third aspect is the pleasantness of a scent - that is, having a pleasant scent may result in positive affective or behavioural responses, whilst having an unpleasant scent may result in negative affective or behavioural responses (Mitchell et al., 1995; Bone and Ellen, 1999; Morrin and Ratneshwar, 2000). It is clear that the presence of a pleasant scent can have a positive impact on evaluations of, and behaviour within, a store (Gulas and Bloch, 1995; Spangenberg et al., 1996; Mattila and Wirtz, 2001), or a shopping mall (Chebat and Michon, 2003). It can also improve evaluations and recall for brands (Morrin and Ratneshwar, 2000). The other research to-date has focussed primarily on responses to non-ambient scent; that is scent which is localised, such as on a card, on a product (Bone and Jantrania, 1992) or an advertisement (Ellen and Bone, 1998). Findings suggest that evaluations for products are enhanced when they are scented and that congruent scents tend to improve evaluations more than incongruent scents (Bone and Jantrania, 1992). At the ambient scent level, studies have tended to focus on the pleasantness and presence of scents (Spangenberg et al., 1996; Chebat and Michon, 2003) or the congruity of the ambient scent - but again, this has been infused with product-orientation of other studies. Mitchell et al. (1995) demonstrated that congruency of the scent with the product category influenced various information-processing measures. Schifferstein and Blok (2002) further point out that the effect of a contextual odour cue increases if it is distinctive, their results suggest that the mere presence of an associated scent for an object does not enhance sales for the product. Davies et al. (2003) take a similar line with their ability of smell to communicate a sense of place, and its potential as a differentiator in a crowded marketplace. Wirtz et al. (2007) show, in their study of service settings, that arousal-level affective expectations are important because satisfaction in pleasant service environments was maximised when there was congruency with the environment expectations. The presence of scent in the purchase environment was found in many studies to have an effect on consumers' attitude toward the store and its products

(Morrin & Ratneshwar, 2003; Spangenberg, Crowley,& Henderson, 1996; Hirsch, 1995; Mitchell, Kahn, & Knasco, 1995; Bone & Ellen, 1999). Morrin and Ratneshwar (2003) demonstrated that pleasant scents promote a favorable perception of the store environment and indirectly promote a more favorable perception of product quality. In addition, researchers suggest that scent affects consumers' approach behavior. Studies demonstrate that consumers exposed to pleasing scents spend more time in the store (Spangenberg, Crowley, & Henderson, 1996; Spies, Hesse, & Loesch, 1997; Donovan & Rossiter, 1982; Donovan et al., 1994) and that pleasing scents have an effect on consumers' overall expenditures as well as on the number of brand names purchased at the store (Spangenberg, Crowley, & Henderson, 1996; Bone & Ellen, 1999). Hirsch (1995) examined the effect of pleasant scent on gamblers' behavior in Las Vegas casino at different times, gamblers exposed to pleasant scents spent larger sums than gamblers who were not exposed to scent. Morrison, Gan, Dubelaar, Oppewal (2011) studies on shoppers' emotions and satisfaction levels. Additional analysis reveals that the arousal induced by music and aroma results in increased pleasure levels, which in turn positively influences shopper behaviors, including time and money spend, approach behavior, and satisfaction with the shopping experience. Direct effects of arousal on behaviors as well as an interaction effect between music and aroma on pleasure and time spent in the store are also present Teller and Dennis (2012), none of the behavioural variables were affected in any case.

Layout and design

We can include here atmospheric variables such as fixtures, allocation of flore space, product groupings, traffic flow, department locations and allocations within departments. Relevant studies which pointed out the effects of these kinds of factors on shopping behavior are:

Iyer (1989) and Iyer, Park and Smith (1989), use the same sample and examined the effects of store knowledge and time pressure on unplanned purchasing. The foundings were that unplanned purchases were higher in low knowlegde, no time pressure conditions (Iyer 1989), Park, Iyer and Smith (1989) found that both store knowlegde and time avialable for shopping influenced unplanned brand switching and purchase volume. Knowledge of a store's layout, irrespective of time available for shopping, had a positive effect on absolute levels of brand/product switching. Time pressure primarily had an effect on frequency of failure to make intended purchases.

Smith and Burns (1996) studied the optimal used to display large quantities of a small number of products to create the impression that products are offered at extremley low prices. Also the founding of the study was that a configuration of smeller numbers of products at larger quantities conveyed lower prices than did having a greater variety of products with lower quantities. Store layouts, and crucially the merchandise offered, are matched to the targeted consumers to the extent that customers "buy into" branding statements when choosing to shop in the store. Hence, the importance of customers' reactions to the layout of merchandise in the store, and the influence this has on sales, is self-evident. (Newman, Foxall, 2003).

Point of purchase and decoration

This category includes product dusplays, point of purchase displays, posters, signs cards, teletext messages, wall decorations. Numerous studies analyse the efects of "shelf space" (Cox, 1964; Kotzan and Evanson, 1969; Frank and Massey, 1970; Curhan, 1972, 1974; Chevalier, 1975; Patton 1981; Wilkinson, Mason and Paksoy, 1982, Gagnon and, Osterhaus, 1985; Bawa, Landwehr, and Krishna, 1989). term used to describe studies that examine the effects of space allocated to a product, the effect of shelf location or the effectivenes of product display (Turley and Milliman, 2000)

Cox (1964) tests the hypothteses that food product sales are responsive to changes in shelf space and that "impulsive" items ara relatively more reponsive than staples. From the viewpoint of the retailer, shelf allocation decisions may be infiuenced more by minimum restraints such as (1) out of stock policies, (2) full-case stocking to minimize labor costs, and (3) assortment policies of the retailer. In an experiment conducted with four product families.

Cox (1970) tested influence of shelf space upon sales of branded products in a randomized block field experiment. There is a sigificant relationship between shelf space and impulsive products. Kotzan and Evanson (1969) indicate a significat relationship between the number of shelf facings and sales. Frank and Mssey (1970) in their study report a cross-sectional analysis of the effects of shelf position and space on sales for a frequently purchased, branded grocery product. The results indicate that adding additional shelf rows in hign volume stores is generally more effective than changinf shelf level.

Curhan (1972) in studying the impact of shelf space changes on unit sales, space elasticity was hypothesized to be a function of several product-specific variables, including physical properties, merchandising characteristics, and use characteristics. The author hypothesized that space elasticity was a function of a product's physical properties, merchandising characteristics, and use characteristics. Curhan (1973) noted that "It may be concluded that there is a small, positive relationship between shelf space and unit sales. This relationship, however, is uniform neither among products nor across stores or intra-store locations."(p.56)

Also, in the literature stream we found some studies that examined the effects of product displays can significantly influence sales (Curhan, 1974; Chevalier, 1975; Wilkinson, Mason, and Paksoy, 1982; Gagnon and Osterhaus, 1985). Curhan (1974) analyzed the effect of display for four product category. It was found that the impact of merchandising and temporary promotional activities is dependent on the product category. Chevalier (1975) measures the impact of in-store displays on sales for different product characteristics. Display is most effective for mature products and product differentiation is low. Wilkinson, Mason, and Paksoy (1982) found that display and price changes have more effect on sales for the four products studies than advertising (Turley and Milliman, 2000). Gagnon, Osterhaus (1985) presents the results of a study that evaluated the effectiveness of floor stands on unit sales.

The research on the effects of in-store signing can have an effect on retail shoppers, this is significaly true when signs are combined with sale price information (Chevalier, 1975; Woodside and Waddle, 1975) or a special display (Wilkinson, Mason, and Paksoy 1982). However, McKinnon, Kelly, and Robison (1981) found significant interaction berween price and sign type a first result is a regular price a benefit sign works best. Patton (1981) reported that the amont of information in the sign can influence sales, in the same time he found that when products were of equivalent quality, consumers choose brands with the most information. Woodside and Waddle, (1975), found that consumers responded to point-of-sale promotion by purchasing more products than they did when a price reduction was utilized. The combined effect of a special price and point-of-sale advertising resulted in more purchases than when neither point-of-sale advertising nor a price special was used. A number of study was found on product display. Simonson adn Winner (1992) in their study combined impact of purchase quantity and product-display formnat on consumer choice. Retailers can influence consumer purchases by changing the product-display format.

Fiore, Yah, Yoh (2000) investigate the effects of atmospherics (a product display, pleasant and appropriate ambient fragrances) on approach responses toward a product (global attitude, purchase intention, estimated price, and price the customer is willing to pay) and pleasurable experiences (sensory, affective, and cognitive pleasure). In addition, the mediating effects of sensory, affective, and cognitive pleasure on approach responses toward a product were examined. The results indicate that it is important to select a pleasing and appropriate fragrance for the product display.

Human variables

Turley and Milliman (2000) added human variables as a astmospheric vatiable to Berman and Evans (1995) model. The atmospheric stimuli includes in this category are: customer crowding or density, privacy, customer characteristics, personal/emploee characteristic and emploeee uniforms. Also, human variables can be subclasified in two areas the influence of other shoppers and the influence of retail employees on shopping behavior. In literature stream we found numerous studies which investigated crowding issue. Crowing in a retail store consists of two components: actual shopper density and perceived crowding (Harell and Hutt, 1976)

In general, two major groups of research can be identified in this literature stream. Studies on the antecedents of retail crowding examine factors such as perceived risk (Eroglu and Machleit, 1990), personal control (Hui and Bateson, 1991) expectations (Machleit et al., 2000). Research on the consequences of retail crowding focused on affective responses (Hui and Bateson, 1991) and satisfaction (Eroglu and Machleit, 1990; Machleit et al., 1994; Machleit et al., 2000). In their seminal work, Bateson and Hui (1987) developed a model of crowding perceptions which is perceived as un unpleasent experience in shopping and bank exchanges. Harrell, Hut and Anderson (1980) results of the study furnish evidence that crowding in retail environments may have a predictable effect on shopping behavior. Crowding can be viewed as both a physical state of high density (number of persons in a given space) and as a psychological (perceived experiential) state of the individual (Stokols 1972). Psychological crowding may occur when high density produces stimulus overload from inappropriate or unfamiliar social contacts (Esser 1972) or from excessive stimulation from all social sources (Desor 1972) (cited in Harrell et. al. 1980, p. 45)

Eroglu and Machleit (1990) found positive relationship between retail density and retail crowding perceptions. Also, specificaly, at higher mental retail density and lower pressures was found to negatively affect satisfaction with the shopping environment. Hui and Bateson (1991) suggests that perceived control can be used as crucial variable in mediating the consumer's emotional and behavioral responses to the physical environment and the contact personnel that constitute the service encounter. Hui and Bateson (1992) found that video representations can be used for valuables that lend themselves to visual representation. Machleit, Kellaris, Eroglu, (1994) tested alternatively perceived crowding sales in in laboratory and field studies in lab situation, crowding influenced negatively shopping satisfaction, in the field studies, there was no significant corelation between crowding and satisfaction. Machleit, Eroglu, Mantel (2000) found that an increase in perceived crowding in a retail store (created from either human or spatial density) can decrease the level of satisfaction that shoppers have with the store. Overall, the results from three studies indicate that the effect of retail crowding on shopping satisfaction is not a simple, direct one. Eroglu, Machleit, Barr (2005) realised two studies to examine whether shopping values are affected by perceived retail crowding, and whether shopping values mediate the relationship between perceived retail crowding and shopping satisfaction. Li, Kim and Lee (2009) investigated the effects of the perception of human crowding and spatial crowding on consumer shopping behavior through mediation of emotions of pleasure, arousal, dominance, and a feeling of satisfaction in an international market. The findings supported the view that retail crowding affected various shopping activities through influ