Experiential retail environments : modelling the influence of internal antecedents on consumers’ impulse behaviour

Abstract

Experiential retail has increasingly drawn attention in recent years as an innovative format whereby retailers could regain a competitive advantage in the saturated and consumer-dominated retail environment. Experiential retail environments are interactive and often elicit spontaneous reactions while consumers are in-store. This study explores the influence of internal antecedents, namely consumers’ mood and emotions, hedonism and recreation as instigators of their impulse behaviour in experiential retail contexts. Consumers’ responses were based on a retrospective assessment of their impulse behaviour in a selected experiential retail environment which they regarded as their most memorable experience. Purposive sampling was used to distribute structured electronic questionnaires across South Africa to potential respondents. Findings reveal that these internal antecedents are central to specific impulse behavioural outcomes in an experiential retail setting. Findings also confirm the importance of retail environments that offer memorable experiences where people can escape from their daily routines, further indicating that impulsive purchases are often made to cherish the visit and therefore retailers have to be exceptionally innovative in terms of the type of products and memorabilia that are sold due to its potential to attract more patrons that is highly beneficial to outdo competitors in a cut-throat market place.