In-store pickers and shoppers: the emotional and behavioural effects of co-existence in grocery retail environments

Abstract

Omnichannel strategies in grocery retail have transformed physical stores into dual-function spaces where online orders are fulfilled alongside in-person shopping. In-store pickers, who shop alongside customers, facilitate the fulfilment of online orders within the same environment as physical shoppers. This phenomenon has created a dynamic where in-store pickers and in-store shoppers coexist. This study examined how the presence of in-store pickers affects in-store customers’ emotional states and subsequent behavioural responses, using the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model to conceptualise the causal pathway and position in-store pickers as a passive operational social stimulus. Through an online survey, 223 participants were exposed to a between-subjects quasi-experimental vignette that manipulated the presence or absence of an in-store picker. The findings provide partial support for the S-O-R framework as applied in this study. Specifically: (i) pleasure was the primary emotional state influenced by in-store pickers, (ii) participants reported lower pleasure when an in-store picker was present, and (iii) pleasure emerged as the key emotional driver of approach-avoidance intentions in response to picker presence.