Emotional Determinants of Retail Customer Experience

Abstract

Emotions play a key role in shaping the experience of a customer in a retail store in all the successive stages of shopping leading to pleasurable moments. A positive retail customer experience contributes to retail performance in terms of duration of stay, satisfaction, increased sale, store image, loyalty, and many other beneficial responses for the retailer. The present study is focused on the emotional determinants of retail customer experience. The study is grounded in the theories of emotional satisfaction and builds on the earlier work done in this area. This study is based on a survey of customers adopting mall intercept technique. It is found that the emotional determinants of retail customer experience are grouped into nine factors ranging from staff, personalization, ambience, and aesthetics to its window shopping appeal. They can be suitable managed by using carefully selected retail elements. The present study contributes significantly in providing an insight into the factors leading to emotional experience of customers in the retail store and brings out important implications for retailers in terms of creating positive retail customer experience.

Keywords: Emotions, Retail, Customer Experience, Shopping, Retail Environment

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