Retailscape: An exploration of the relevant dimensions and their impact on consumers’ behavioral intentions

Abstract

Intangibility is a defining characteristic of services.The customer of a service offering is involved in an inexorable search for pre-purchase cues that can reduce his degree of perceived risk for the service that he or she intends to purchase.Servicescape, the environment in which a service process takes place, has a paramount influence in re-assuring the customer and eventually enabling him or her in comprehending the experiential outcomes of purchase and consumption.The paper investigates the impact of retailscape (retail servicescape) on behavioral intentions of customers in the retail industry.The servicescape framework in this paper is based on selected aspects of Bitner's (1992) servicescape framework and Wakefield and Blodgett's (1994) model.Five servicescape dimensions have been identified, viz.ambient conditions, spatial layout, functionality, spatial signs, symbols and artifacts and cleanliness.The paper studies the impact of these dimensions on the perceived quality of the servicescape and on the shoppers' desire to stay in the retail store.The research methodology comprises three stages:• a literature review;• a qualitative exploration consisting of in-depth interviews and focus groups; and• A quantitative descriptive survey of consumers.Factor Analysis is performed using SPSS 16.Multiple regression is employed to study the relationship between service dimensions and perceived service quality and perceived service quality and satisfaction and satisfaction and desire to stay.The study strongly supports that spatial layout and ambient conditions bear the strongest relationship with the perceived quality of the servicescape.These two dimensions make statistically unique contribution to the prediction of perceived servicescape quality.Results of regression reveal that satisfaction with the servicescape is positively influenced by perceived quality of the servicescape.Satisfaction and shoppers' desire to stay are positively related and the relationship is strong.

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