Congruency of scent and lighting as a driver of in-store evaluations and behavior.

• Main Authors: Koh, Su Huay., Lin, Jiayi., Tan, Debbie An Hui.
• Other Authors: Wayne Kwan
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: DRNTU::Business::Marketing::Consumer behavior
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/15098
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

While previous studies have extensively examined the individual effects of environmental stimuli on the store environment and store evaluation, few researches have studied the interaction effects between environmental stimuli. In this report, we extend the notion of Gestalt psychology to consumers’ perceptions of retail environment and demonstrate that consumers evaluate store environment holistically. Specifically, in accordance to the Optimal Arousal Theory, the arousing dimension of environmental stimuli is one dimension along which holistic evaluations occur. With that, this report aims to examine the interaction effects between two environmental stimuli, namely ambient scent and lighting, along the arousal dimension on evaluations of the store environment, store merchandise, store experience and approach/ avoidance behaviors. Using a simulated fashion apparel store with a sample size of 90 NTU undergraduates, a 3 (no scent/low arousal scent/high arousal scent) x 2 (dim lighting/bright lighting) factorial design was employed to test the interaction effects. Our findings show that when ambient scent and lighting are congruent with each other in terms of its arousal qualities, consumers perceive the store environment and its merchandise more positively and portray more approach behaviors than in mismatch conditions. It is therefore concluded that matching environmental stimuli produces a more favorable outcome than mismatching environmental stimuli in the arousal dimension. Results and implications of the findings are discussed with regard to environmental psychology and retail practice, in creating a more desirable store environment and enhancing consumers’ shopping experience.