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Positioned in the e-retailing field, this study aims to investigate the effect of the retail store’s atmosphere on consumer behavior in 3D online shopping environments, focusing on store layout as a critical influential factor.

The research uses a mixed research method approach that includes two complementary studies. First, a three-round Delphi study with domain experts is used to develop a store layout classification scheme (Study 1), resulting in five distinct types of store layout. Subsequently, 3D online retail stores that use the five layouts are designed and developed. These serve as treatments of a laboratory experimental design, which is used to assess layout impact on a number of attitudinal and behavioral variables (Study 2).

Five distinct types of store layout have been identified in Study 1, and their distinctive features are presented. The findings of Study 2 indicate that online shopping enjoyment, entertainment and ease of navigation are influenced by the store layout types of 3D online environments. Specifically, the “avant-garde” layout type facilitates the ease of navigation of customers in the store and provides a superior online customer experience. The “warehouse”’ adopts long aisles for the display of products, which simplifies the comparison of products, whereas the “boutique” layout was found to be the best in terms of shopping enjoyment and entertainment. The “department” layout shares many common characteristics with traditional department stores, providing an entertaining and enjoyable store, whereas the “pragmatic” layout emphasizes low system requirements.

The paper presents characteristics that make store layouts effective for different aspects of online customers’ experience and identifies opportunities that 3D online store designers and retailers can explore for the provision of enhanced, customized services to online customers.

This paper examines recent technological developments in store design and visual merchandising. It identifies five layout types of 3D online stores, which are different from those of brick–and–mortar and 2D online stores, and investigates their impact on consumer behavior. Further, the paper examines how each layout type influences online shopping enjoyment, entertainment, ease of navigation, online customer experience and, in turn, purchase and word-of-mouth intentions. Finally, the paper examines the moderating role of telepresence. Individuals with high sense of telepresence conceive 3D environments as “real” and are more concerned about the attributes that trigger the sense of enjoyment they experience while browsing.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel approach based on utility mining for store layout.

A utility mining-based data mining algorithm is utilized in this paper.

A real-life case study in a supermarket is conducted to illustrate the proposed approach. The findings show that the proposed approach can be used easily and efficiently to arrange store layout.

There are two limitations to this study. First, space allocation to each product family is not considered. Second, product placement in each product family is not taken into account in the proposed approach.

In this paper, a novel approach is proposed for business intelligence in retail business. The proposed approach uses a utility-based data mining approach, namely, the high-utility itemset mining (HUIM) algorithm, to rearrange store layout and to determine the relations among product families. The quantities and prices of items purchased corresponding to product families are taken into account in the proposed approach to address the needs in practice. Business intelligence software is also developed as an integral part of the proposed approach to utilize the HUIM algorithm.

Elaborating on earlier research by Vrechopoulos et al., this paper aims to investigate web banking store layout effects on user‐consumer behaviour and to report on a laboratory experimental investigation into user acceptance of three different layout types.

A web banking store was developed in three versions equal to the number of the alternative layouts manipulated by the laboratory experimental design. Two layout types were transformed from conventional banking and one type was designed by incorporating users' preferences and suggestions. The relationships in technology acceptance model (TAM) in the three treatments are tested separately, and then the subjects' evaluations on TAM constructs are compared.

The findings imply that store layout affects online consumer behaviour, confirming the findings of Vrechopoulos et al. in a different sector. The study also confirms the TAM relationships in all treatments and indicates that layout has an effect on user acceptance of web banking in terms of TAM constructs.

This study confirms the available knowledge regarding a store layout's influencing role on consumer behaviour in the context of web commerce.

Direct managerial implications for web banking are provided through the design of the “improved future” layout, which is depicted in the form of an abstract interface design.

The paper adopts an innovative conclusive causal research design towards testing the research hypotheses. To that end, an experimental application was developed in the laboratory and the research hypotheses were “packed‐up” with references from different disciplines (i.e. marketing and information systems) providing through that an interdisciplinary nature on the present study.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the virtual store layout's perceived ease of use effects on consumer behaviour and the perceived differences of two layout patterns most commonly used in air travel web sites (i.e. grid and freeform layout).

Data were collected through a laboratory experiment from a total of 241 students at a business school. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to evaluate the research model and test the research

Results confirm and extend available knowledge regarding virtual store layout effects on shopper responses. However, findings imply that layout pattern affects perceived pleasure and not ease of use in the investigated sector. Additionally, the study confirms the moderating role of atmospheric responsiveness.

Managers should consider and apply the optimal level of ease of use at their web stores' virtual layout to facilitate and yet engage consumers during their online trip.

In the context of e‐tailing, past research examined store layout effects on consumer behaviour mostly through a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) approach. Elaborating on these research insights, the present research attempt employs an environmental psychology approach measuring the effects of perceived layout on consumer behaviour in the online travel industry through the S‐O‐R paradigm perspective.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of atmospherics and affective state on shoppers’ in-store behaviour using the two approaches in structural equation modelling (SEM), i.e. Frequentist and Bayesian approaches. Shoppers’ affective state was tested for its mediating effect on in-store shopping behaviour.

The final sample consists of 382 respondents who were drawn from shoppers at selected apparel stores in six of the most popular shopping malls around Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). A frequentist approach to SEM is common among researchers and offers generally an analysis of the relationships between multiple latent variables and constructs. Alternatively, the Bayesian SEM (BSEM) approach stems from the diffusion of the model’s posterior distributions using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo technique. More specifically, this technique is inherently more flexible and substantive in determining parameter estimates as compared to the more conventional, the frequentist approach to SEM.

The results show the mixed effects of atmospheric cues in retail setting on shoppers’ affective state. More specifically, the positive direct effect of atmospheric cues (music) on in-store behaviour was confirmed while other atmospheric cues (colour and store layout) were found to be fully mediated by affective state. The Bayesian approach was able to offer more distinctive results complementing the frequentist approach.

Although the current sample size is adequate, it will be interesting to examine how a bigger sample size and different antecedents of in-store behaviour in retailing can affect the comparison between the frequentist approach in SEM and BSEM.

The authors found that a combination of well-designed store atmospherics and layout store can produce pleasurable effects on shoppers resulting in positive affective state. This study found that results from both frequentist and Bayesian approaches complement each other and it may be beneficial for future studies to utilise both approaches in SEM.

This paper met the aim to compare the approaches in SEM and the need to consider both approaches on in-store shopping environment. Overall, the authors contend that the Bayesian approach to SEM is a potentially viable alternative to frequentist SEM, especially when studies are conducted under dynamic conditions such as apparel retailing.

Determining the right number of customers inside a store (i.e. human or customer density) plays a crucial role in retail management strategies. On the one hand, retailers want to maximize the number of visitors they attract in order to optimize returns and profits. On the other hand, ensuring a pleasurable, efficient and COVID-19-proof shopping experience, would go against an excessive concentration of shoppers. Fulfilling both retailer and consumer perspectives requires a delicate balance to be struck. This chapter aims at supporting retailers in making informed decisions, by clarifying the extent to which store layouts influence (perceived) consumer density. Specifically, the chapter illustrates how new technologies and methodologies (i.e. agent-based simulation) can help in predicting a store layout's ability to reduce consumers' perceived in-store spatial density and related perceptions of human crowding, while also ensuring a certain retailers' profitability.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of store characteristics (i.e. product availability, product quality, store layout, employee politeness, décor, music, lighting, and aroma) on the various dimensions of in-store leisure shopping experience (i.e. hedonic, flow, escapism, challenge, learning, socialising, and communitas).

In order to achieve the study’s objectives, a quantitative on-site survey was conducted. Respondents were interviewed upon exiting fashion retail stores.

Findings indicate that not all store characteristics impact the various dimensions of experience in the same way. Product quality and in-store music were found to be the most important in-store characteristics that affected the majority of experience dimensions. Other important store attributes that emerged were store layout and ambient scent. Conversely, product range actually had a negative impact on in-store experience.

By orchestrating the most influential in-store characteristics, fashion retailers could be delivering unique in-store experiences to their customers. This research shows that they would benefit from designing experiential strategies that focus on merchandise quality, price, and availability while simultaneously carefully managing ambient (music and scent) alongside design factors (store layout and décor). Careful consideration should be paid to merchandise variety in order to avoid potentially negative effects on customers’ shopping experience.

Until now most studies that document the relationship between store elements and shopping experiences have examined the effects of store characteristics on a limited number of experience dimensions. This study adds to the body of research into in-store leisure shopping experience in two ways: by shedding light on its multi-dimensional nature, and by analysing the effect of the different store elements on the various components of the in-store experience.

International retailers operating in different emerging countries should figure out how their store image is perceived across these countries and whether they should adapt or standardise the retail offer. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how store image is perceived across different emerging markets and how it relates to customer knowledge cues and personal characteristics.

A store-intercept survey undertaken in Brazil and Vietnam generated 505 usable responses from customers of two metropolitan cities (Brasilia and Hanoi), respectively, in Brazil and Vietnam. The questionnaires were collected in Extra (Brazil) and Big C (Vietnam) retail chains belonging both to the same group (Casino, France).

Overall, this paper reveals that emerging market customers assess positively modern retail stores and are concerned about services, merchandise, and store layout when shopping. More specifically, the results indicate differences and similarities between Brazilian and Vietnamese customers in terms of store image attributes, store image dimensions, and overall store image. Moreover, customer knowledge of retailers affects store image perceptions at different levels in both countries. Also, significant differences arise across age, gender, and education in both countries, but not across household income categories.

Respondents were customers of only two emerging markets (Brazil and Vietnam) and shoppers of two retail chains (Extra and Big C). Caution should therefore be exercised when generalising the results to other emerging markets.

The paper shows both differences and similarities in store image perceptions in different emerging countries. Because store layout is more positively rated in Brazil than in Vietnam, retailers should be careful to that attribute. In both countries, to improve assortment perceptions, managers might focus on first price (budget) store brands, which can help diversify the assortment and attract less wealthy customers. The service dimension also demands careful management, but personnel training should mirror the local culture.

This research highlights differences and similarities between Brazilian and Vietnamese customers in terms of store image perceptions. It shows that store image mechanisms are similar in emerging countries as in developed countries. Furthermore, the paper is the first to relate store image perceptions to customer knowledge cues in emerging countries.

Store layouts are important determinants of behaviour. A review of the academic and commercial literature suggests that the methodological and theoretical approaches have provided methods and approaches that are difficult for practitioners to adopt. This paper offers a robust theoretical approach (the behavioural perspective model) and new innovative methodology that significantly advances the way retailers can plan and measure store layouts, with a view to optimising store performance. Using computer‐aided observation, customers may be tracked and their behaviour analysed in the context of consumer situations and contingencies. Implications for retail management, theory and practice are discussed within the context of fashion shopper situations.

Refers to the tendency in UK supermarkets for diversification into non‐food areas which has emphasized the need to improve how and where the products are presented to the customers. Service diversifications, such as dry cleaners or opticians, have traditionally been situated as separate “shops” behind the checkouts. Contrastingly, product range diversifications such as stationery, entertainment and clothing have tended to be incorporated into the main shopping aisles. Attempts to identify whether consumers would prefer these non‐food ranges to be differently merchandised, and more specifically, whether consumer preferences are different between retailers? Asks what alternative display formats may be used and which specific ranges are considered appropriate for these formats. Using six different retail multiples, examines the perceptions and preferences of 500 shoppers from the results of an attitude survey carried out in two UK cities. Finally, provides recommendations for retail management.