Individual Paper The use of atmospherics in fashion retailing

Introduction
Investigation on the use of atmospherics to induce customer incentive of buying has become
a new strategy for retailers. As such, the aim of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of
the use of atmospherics: music, scent, and lighting to stimulate patronage. First, definition of
atmospherics will be given. Second, a theory in relation to the study of store atmospherics
will be presented. Third, the effectiveness of the three atmospherics will be discussed
followed by practical examples. Lastly, conclusion will be drawn with retailing implications.
Definition of atmospherics
Atmospherics can be defined as the set of environmental and sensorial stimuli that induces
impact on internal states of customers and thus affect shopping outcomes (Kotler, 1973,
Turley & Milliman, 2000) while some defined it as an attempt to create a purchasing
environment to trigger emotional effects of customers and thus enhance the purchase
probability (Johnson, Mayer & Champaner, 2004). One also divided atmospherics into
tangible and intangible property (Hoffman & Turley, 2002). Tangible elements include
buildings, decoration and fixtures while intangible elements include music, scent and lighting.
In this essay, it will focus on intangible property of store atmospherics as mentioned above.
Mehrabian-Russell (M-R) Model with study of store atmosphere
The M-R model is a theory of environmental psychology that explains ambient environment

exerting impacts on human feelings and thus physical well-beings (Mehrabian & Russell,
1974). Donovan and Rossiter (1982) applied and modified this model to retail environment.
In the modified model, it is constructed under Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) basis
(Donovan, Rossiter, Marcoolyn & Nesdale, 1994), stating the relationship between store
environment (S) and human behaviors (R). This relationship is mediated by the individual
emotional states (O) pleasure and arousal. Research from Donovan and Rossiter (1982)
found that these two dimensions of emotional states: pleasure-displeasure dimension and
arousal-nonarousal dimension could predict customer behavior: approach-avoidance behavior.
Applying this model to a store, if customers experienced pleasure in retail store environment,
it can exert positive influence on customer approach behaviors such as extra time spent and
unplanned shopping and thus increase of possibility of patronage (Donovan, Rossiter,
Marcoolyn & Nesdale, 1994). A research also found that arousal has the same positive effect
if customers perceive environment as pleasant (Donovan & Rossiter, 1982). Therefore, the
model is meaningful if atmospherics can raise customers pleasure to the store environment.
The effectiveness of music stimulates patronage
It is widely believed that music is capable in triggering different emotions to an individual. A
research developed its findings by setting up three music conditions: no music, low arousal
music and high arousal music to measure pleasure. It found that with low arousal music being
present, the pleasure level increases and the level further intensifies by high arousal music.

Besides, research also revealed that with the presence of music, the store environment,
customers satisfaction and impulse buying are enhanced (Mattila & Wirtz, 2001). Other
research has also found that music has significant positive impact on arousal when louder
music being present. (Morrison, Gan, Dubelaar, & Oppewal, 2011). Combing the research
findings and earlier discussion, music has high degree of effectiveness to enhance pleasure
and arousal level and thus increases extra time spent and unplanned shopping in a store. The
finding is believed to be logical and applicable to real world as music creates a pleasant
environment which induces customers retention in browsing around stores. The longer the
time they stay, the higher the possibility of them to find the right and suitable clothing for
their own.
It is observed that many retailing stores have adopted the use of music to attract customers.
The volume and types of music retailers used are usually loud and simulative. H&M, one of
the top retailing brands, plays music frequently in the stores and the songs they selected are in
the hottest playlist of their target segment: young adults whose age ranged from 22-28, with
heavy beat, rap and rich emotion. For examples, Summer in Your Eyes by Deepside Deejays
and Cold by One Bit which are all listed in H&M music Facebook Forum. The loud and
familiar music played in a store could pose an opportunity of increasing patronage probably
due to the intention to listen the whole music before customers leave.

The effectiveness of scent stimulates patronage

It is believed that scent can capture potential patronage due to its power of enhancement of
the brand recognition by customers. Special scent can leave good impression and memory for
customers so that a particular brand could be embedded in customers minds and thus induces
them to revisit a store. As such, an increase in frequency of revisiting shops enhances
purchase probability of customers. A research has revealed that the presence of scent can
stimulate recall of memory as the brain is stimulated by ambient environment when
information is encoding and retrieving (Schab, 1990). Moreover, other research showed that
scent can enhance store environment as customers perceive the store environment more
pleasant and thus they are attracted to come into a store and increases purchase intention
(Spangenberg, Crowley & Henderson, 1996). However, the effectiveness of scent stimulating
patronage is questioned by a research showing that there is no impact on scent to influence
arousal (Morrin & Ratneshwar, 2003). Therefore, although opposite finding was presented
which might undermine the effectiveness of scent to influence customer behaviors, many
retailers have adopted scent strategy to differentiate their brands against competitors.
In Bloomingdale, it uses different scents for different departments such as coconut scent in
swimwear, lilac scent in lingerie and baby powder scents in infant wear. It has reported that
shoppers are more willing to buy items after introducing scent in stores. For Calvin Klein, it
uses its own branded fragrances in its own stores to deepen the brand recognition.

Furthermore, Pye, mens specialist shirt stores, adopts a crisp fragrance reflecting the brands
signature white shirt to increase the brand identity (BoF - The Business of Fashion, 2013). In
fact, most of the brands remain skeptical about the effectiveness of the use of brand leading to
patronage. However, due to the competitive and fast-changing fashion retailing market,
retailers have no choices but to comply with the trend and adopt all possible useful means to
differentiate their brands.
The effectiveness of lightening stimulates patronage
The use of lighting could be a tool to draw customers attention to the presence of stores. It is
because brighter lightening could present products and store layout clearly to customers.
Therefore, people can induce pleasure and arousal to store and thus leads to customers
approach behavior. A research supports the statement that customers handled more items
under bright lighting than under soft lighting. They touched and picked up more items with
the presence of addition display lighting (Summers & Hebert, 2001). It also confirmed
Mehrabians (1976) research finding that brighter light will generate arousal and pleasure and
thus increase customers approach behaviors. Therefore, the effectiveness of lightening is
deemed as an effective store atmospherics as long as the brightness of light is not too intense.
Bright lighting is commonly used by retailers for store design to create eye-catching effect.
Anukoo Fair Fashion Shop makes good use of lighting to design its store by projecting lights
on series listed clothing (ArchDaily, 2011). The store of United Colors of Benetton in

Chicago is designed with a theme of using white light to display products more brightly and
to create a more spacious store environment (Rankin, 2012). Patrick Coxs store in Tokyo
makes an attempt to create light contrast to raise customers attention on products instead of
surrounding store layout (ArchDaily, 2009).

Conclusion and retailing implication

Judging from above with support of a theory and researches, it could be concluded that the
three atmospherics could have average to high possibility to create pleasant environment and
thus stimulate customers patronage. For music, it can enhance customers impulse buying
and stay longer in a store; for scent, it can attract customers to come into store and enhance
brand recognition; for lighting, brighter light can induce the frequency of customers to tough
and select products and make purchase decision. Each atmospherics has its own merits.
However, although using these atmospherics is found to be beneficial from the attraction of
customers, still, the gain is hardly to be quantified and measured. Therefore, retailers should
be careful to analyze the cost-benefit before implementing the use of atmospherics.
Referring to the above conclusion, there are two retailing implications in the paper:
1) Combining use of atmospherics to further enhance patronage
It is reasonable that the use of mixed atmospherics enhances patronage as more stimuli
presented increases the possibility of triggering emotions of customers and thus induces
stronger customer motive to buy in stores. A research supports the implication as it found the

combination of using music and scent in a retail store exerts greater pleasant environment and
intensifies the incentive of approach behavior (Mattila & Wirtz, 2001). Besides, enhancing
patronage can be achieved by combining not only these three store atmospherics but others
such as color, temperature and store layout as well.
2) An increase in competitive advantage of physical retailing store over online shopping
As physical stores are more approachable to different mix of the use of atmospherics
comparing with online shopping, it then creates a competitive advantage for stores to enhance
customer experience while customers do shopping in stores. More variety of combination of
atmospherics used by physical retailing is believed to be hardly replaced by online
competitors. Therefore, it is deemed to be a growing strategy against the recent constant
growth of online shopping.

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