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Consumer's emotional influence & visual merchandising effects: Shopping

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Article in Journal of Process Management New Technologies · January 2013

DOI: 10.5937/JPMNT1301034U

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 (JPMNT) Journal of Process Management – New Technologies,
Vol. 1, No.1, 2013.

CONSUMER’S EMOTIONAL INFLUENCE & VISUAL

MERCHANDISING EFFECTS: SHOPPING MALLS
*PhD Ranjan Upadhyaya &** MSc Govind Nath Srivastava, India

Abstract – The research empirically examines guide to specific judgment (Barrett and
the impact of emotional influence in evaluation and Campos- 1987). Emotions can guide and
purchase decision with special reference to goods sold
in shopping malls. Various factors which influence the
persuade consumers (Andrade and Cohen-
consumer decision, such as ease offered by retailer to 2007).The emotions are all those feelings that
customers in defining, selecting and purchasing the so change men as to affect their judgments,
product, brand value, utility of the product, reference and that are also attended by pain or pleasure
group, value for money, advertising and its appeal etc (Aristotle-2004). Due to qualitative aspects of
are being critically analyzed and its impact is being
empirically assessed. Apart from all the factors,
emotions most of the retailers are not able to
emotion play a critical role in consumer decision- incorporate emotional strategy in their
making and it strongly influence the consumer’s marketing strategy. Emotions matters and
choices. Very little efforts have been done in the past emotional connect with the customers delivers
in order to understand the source of emotional arousal very strong edge to the firm over traditional,
in purchase decision. Emotions are subject to change
and it is subjective in nature. Emotions silently and
rational appeal. Most of the customers hide
unconsciously drive the consumer’s decision at the their true desire and emotion and that’s why
destiny, where customers intend to go. Emotions are their decisions are unconsciously driven by
not necessarily permanent and it varies from customer unspoken desire and emotions. The
to customer and even for the same customer, it is customers, who are relatively more driven by
different, in different situation, so in order to be
successful in this hyper competitive business era,
emotion, skip some of the important steps of
organizations need to leverage emotions for business consumer decision making process and takes
success, for better brand value, customer satisfaction decision in shortest span of the time. This
and employee management increases inventory turnover, return on asset,
Key words- Emotional dynamics, and quick return on investment and reduces
Neuromarketing, visual merchandising, Mannequins, inventory-carrying cost. It is no longer
Emotion Driver. enough to explain to customers what a
product can do for him, infact firm need to
Introduction win the emotion of the customer in order to
go deep inside in the heart and mind of the
What & why customer buy is most new generation customers (emotion mics,
important aspect of consumer behavior? What Dann Hills). Consumer decision-making also
customers buy is well known facts and data depends on mood of consumers. Several
are available regarding consumption pattern studies have shown that in a happy mood
and frequency of the purchase. Why customer customers are more driven by their first
buys is most difficult question of marketing, feeling and emotion and they take quick
this must be answered for diagnosis of intuitive judgment. Intuitive decision-making
influences, and for incorporating these is characterized by sense by which customers
influences in marketing mix strategy. The perceive an option better than another. The
rational decision making, which is being customers are not necessarily able to find out
based on price benefit relationship and the source of this intuition. Sad individuals
involves intensive information search have are strongly persuaded by strong arguments,
very strong logical and sound justification but not by weak arguments, whereas happy
behind the purchase decision, but individuals are moderately persuaded by
unfortunately the consumer’s decision which strong as well as week arguments (Marieke D
is driven by emotions, do not have such sort Vries, Rob W. Holand and Cilia L.M. Witte
of explanation, because emotional attributes man, Psychology press). Bolte, Goschke and
are highly qualitative in nature. Emotions
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Kuhl, 2003 suggested that happy mood believed that 80% of influence/impression is
individuals respond more intuitively than created by sight that’s why mannequin and
those in bad mood. While choosing an option window display is weightier than thousands
from various alternatives customers may rely of the words. The impression of different
on their intuition or customer may decide elements of visual merchandising such as
deliberately by analyzing pros and cons of colour, light, merchandise, odour, sound is
different option before making final decision. different for different customers as impact of
In the world of retailing today almost all the this encounter is unique for each customer in
firms are offering the same benefit and more terms of emotional influence.
than hundred brands are available in one
product category so rational approach of Elements of Visual Merchandising-
selling the product and product customization Window Display
will no longer deliver benefit to the firm.
Retail firms need to leverage the emotions for Window display is like a visiting card
grabbing business opportunity. As most of the of the store and it is most controllable element
customer are not able to define the product of the store in relation to image building.
while purchasing the product and they do not Well-designed window display works like a
know exactly what they are looking for in talking point and communicate with the
terms of colour, feature and benefit so firm customers silently regarding merchandise
should integrate emotions with their story. Attractive window displays not only
merchandising and visual display for draw the attention of the customers and
acquiring competitive edge over competitors. creates first impression but it also entertain
It is also observed that women are relatively pedestrians.
more driven by emotional influence. Colour, Real setting, Atmospheric setting, Semi
status of the person who wear a particular real setting, Abstract setting and whimsical
dress in a party or social event, window setting of window display creates different
display, dress style of mannequin with related impact over customer’s mind.
items, fresh arrivals and new fashion
merchandise which is displayed through Colour
fixture and attractive visual aids are account
for emotional arousal which ultimately drive Medical science has proven that colours
the purchase decision of customers. It is being have definite and various impact over the
observed in the past that Actress of some nervous system. Colour can immediately
famous serials created a huge demand for create the mood and it is biggest motivation
particular dress style and customers blindly for shopping. Colours cheer us up whenever
purchased the product without any assessment we feel bad. Colours are associated with
regarding usage, quality and price of the human emotions and it is highly
merchandise. In order to succeed in market individualistic. The problem for the visual
place retailer should align his merchandising merchandiser is that each person may have
strategy with emotional strategy for catering distinct reaction to the same colour. In the
unspoken desire/ emotion of the customers. vast and global market place there are cultural
and regional differences in colour preference.
Visual Merchandising as an Emotion Driver Following are the general feeling of particular
colour.
Visual merchandising is the display a) Yellow- caution, cowardice,
tools that transform shoppers into stoppers treachery
and passers into buyers. It should be noted b) Red- passion, love
that visual merchandising does not impose c) Orange- knowledge, warmth, energy,
any idea over customers and works as an force
idea person and lead the emotion in the d) Violet- royalty, depression
direction where customers wish to go. As it is e) Blue- fidelity, sobriety, fear
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f) Green- Wealth, outdoors, luck, nature reasoning strategies are defective

g) Brown- Maturity, humility (Damasio, 1999)
h) White- Purity, truth 3-“The wiring of the brain favors
i) Black- Death, sorrow, depression emotions” (Ledoux, 1996)
(Sources- Advertising journal of Research,
Sources- (Swati Bhalla, Anurag S, Visual March, 2009, John Pawle and Peter Cooper)
merchandising)
Objectives Of the study
Neuromarketing
1- To analyze the impact of emotional
Neuromarketing is emerging field that influence in consumer decision-making.
utilizes medical technologies such as FMRI 2- To identify the most important
(functional magnetic Resonance Imaging) and influence in consumer decision making
EEG (Electroencephalography) to study the 3- To judge the rationality of consumer
brain’s response to marketing stimuli (P Raj decision-making and to find out variation for
Devasagayam, Tara Maloney, DIAS the same product category.
Technology review, vol-6, No-2, Oct-Nov-
2010). FMRI is used by researcher for Literature Review
measuring the change in the activity of the
brain and to learn what part of the brain is John Pawle and Peter Cooper used the
affecting decision and why consumers take Lovemak grid and incorporated quantative as
decision. As it is believed that brand choice of well as qualitative insight for measuring
the customers is based on sub conscious emotions. In their study they found that
thought process so Neuromarketing uses actual contribution of emotional factors to the
traditional Neuroscientific method to map the brand decision-making is significantly greater
brain pattern against encounter between than functional factors and ranges from 63-85
stimuli and brain. It also analyzes impact of % depending on product category. According
these stimuli on consumer decision-making. to John Pawle and Peter Cooper Human
The Retailer need to do the research at sub behavior is is heavily influenced by emotions
conscious level to know what customers are not solely by reason. Consumers are highly
thinking and why and neuromarketing is emotional and intuitive in their behavior,
believed to give answer of these questions. As operating through emotional center of the
the participants is shown a particular brain directed by their heart and often
stimulus, his or her brain is monitored with independent of conscious control (John Pawle
neuroimaging monitor such as FMRI, EEG, and Peter Cooper). Robert (2004) developed a
PET, TMS, SCR Etc, . Any one of these love mark grid in order to understand the
monitors can be used for brain mapping. relationship between brand and consumer. In
Eventually the brain pattern is interpreted by his study he emphasized that brand not only
determining whether or not person liked what need to create respect but it should also earn
he was experiencing and up to what degree. respect from customers. Heath-2001 argues
that brand decision is not wholly rational.
Consumers take the decision via senses,
Views from the field of Neuroscience emotions, instinct and intuition. He pointed
out that customers are physically incapable of
1-“The essential difference between making decision based on purely rational
emotion and reason is that emotion leads to an thinking. Kelvin Roberts in his study argued
action while reason leads to conclusion” that human beings are powered by emotion
(Calne, 2000) and whenever there is conflict between
2-“Over 85% of the thought, emotion and reason emotion always wins.
emotions and learning occur in Myeong –GU-SEO and Feldman Barrett
unconscious mind and it can be said that analysed the impact of feeling (good or bad)
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Vol. 1, No.1, 2013.

over the decision-making performance. They among consumers. Wakefield and Baker
argued that decision making performance (1998) found that physical environment play a
depends on how people experience, treat and very crucial role in determining consumer’s
use their feeling during decision making and desire to remain at shopping area. The way
both functional and dysfunctional effects can consumer experience emotion determines his
be simultaneously managed to maximize their behavioral intention (Yach and Spangenberg-
positive effects and minimize negative 2000). It is pointed out that Positive emotion
effects. They suggested that affective feeling creates approach behavior while negative
can improve decision-making performance by emotion produces avoidance behavior. Mooy
facilitating and even enabling decision and Roben-2002 in their study found that
making process. Damasio (1994) pointed out customer wish to touch the product for better
that feeling boost the conscious attention and evaluation and purchase decision. On the
continued working memory required for any other hand Argo, Dahl and Morales-2006
reasoning or deciding pleasant and unpleasant demonstrated that customers do not want the
feelings can help decision makers to resolve product to be touched by the others that they
this dilemma by invoking distinguishable would like to purchase and view touched
frame of the mind. Blair Kidwell, David M. product as a negatively contaminated. Jenifer
Hardesty & Terry L. Childers argue that EI J Argo, Darren W. Dahl and Andrea C.
and emotional processing play a crucial role Morales examined that when physical contact
in highest quality of decision and emotional between the product and another person
processing have very strong influence on creates positive outcome for consumers and
consumer outcome. Jennifer S. Lerner how consumers respond when other people of
(Howard University), Seunghee Han and varying level of attractiveness touch the
Dacher Keltner Described the significance of product that they wish to purchase.. They
incidental emotion as well as integral brought new insight regarding impact of
emotion. They defined the integral emotion as attractive social influence in consumer
a feeling that is related to judgment or decision-making and mentioned that a highly
decision at hand. Marieke D. Vries, Rob W. attractive contact source and received
Holand, and Cilia L.M. Witte man in their consumer must be of opposite sex for positive
study argue that compatibility between mood contagion to occur. Male consumers are more
and decision strategy has very strong influenced by attractiveness level of another
influence over subjective value of decision woman and that female consumers are more
outcome. They Examined mood and intuitive influenced by attractiveness level of another
Vs deliberative decision-making. In their man (Abbey1982, Buss 1989). Learner and
study they mentioned that Deliberative Keltner (2000, 2001) used appraisal tendency
decision-making is cognition based, precise Framework (ATF) as a basis for describing
and slow. Deliberative decision makers take the effect of specific emotions on judgment
their time to thoroughly analyze the positive and decision making. Ingrid Smithey, Fulmer
and negative aspects of different options. and Bruce Barry identified neural system for
Luisa Andreu, Enriquebigne, Ruben incorporating integral emotions and
Chumpitaz and Valerie Swaen investigated controlling incidental emotions.
the impact of retail environment in two
different retail setting (shopping center and Hypothesis
traditional retail area. They established the
linkage between retail environment, emotion, a) H1- Consumers primarily take
satisfaction level and behavioral intention of emotional decision driven by emotion
consumers. They formed three-dimensional b) H2- Consumers spend less time in
construct for analyzing behavioral intention. Intuitive decision driven by emotions.
Baron et al described the concept of Retail c) H3- Consumers feels joy and
Theater for creating pleasant experience for satisfaction in post transaction driven by
increasing satisfaction level and loyalty emotion.
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are strongly driven by their senses in purchase

Research Design decision and sight is most important influence
which energies customers to purchase the
A structured undisguised questionnaire goods. Most of the respondent said that they
is used and sample sizes of 200 were taken for give priority to first impression in purchase
study. Both male and female respondents decision. We also felt in the research that
were taken in order to minimize the impact of fragrance, music, light is very important
gender bias. Data are analyzed through SPSS. source of emotional arousal and it influence
In the study dependent and independent consumer decision making up to great extent.
variables were identified. Consumer’s It was also found that most of the customers
judgment and purchase evaluation is take intuitive judgment.
dependent variable while social influence
(Attractiveness of contact person), Limitation of the Study
compassion, atmospheric, retail setting,
temperature, music, colors, odor, décor, This study is heavily depends on
window dishplay, anger, fear, pride, affection analysis of feelings of just 175 respondents in
etc is independent variable. Respondents were retail setting. As emotion is very subjective in
asked to assess their feelings on five point nature and most of the customers may not be
likert scale in order to find out that when able to express their feelings exactly so the
customers felt joy, anger, fear, contentment result may not be absolutely accurate. Lastly
and disgust. this study can not be generalized as study is
conducted in NCR region only and emotion
Scope of Research driver, drive the emotions of consumers based
on geographical location.
This research empirically analyzes the
impact of emotional influence in consumer
decision making for goods in different retail
setting. This study can be further extended for
variety of the goods and most importantly the
sources of emotional arousal for each product
category can be identified. As in a retail
setting different factors such as decor, light,
color, odour, music, contact person, window
display are accountable for emotion formation
among the consumers so an effective emotion
matrix can be developed in order to
incorporate this matrix in sensory marketing.

Analysis and Discussion

Total 200 questionnaires were

distributed among the customers in a different
retail setting as each shopping mall have
different architectural design, lay out and
window display. Finally 175 questionnaires
were found usable. Apart from SPSS analysis
tool, pie chart is also used to analyze the data.
Total 16 questions were asked to respondent
to analyze the impact of senses, emotional
influence over customer decision making.
Majority of the customers admitted that they
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Interpretation of the data

Table-1
How strong you are driven by your senses in purchase decision?
Particulars Frequ
ency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Strongly driven 94 47.0 47.0 47.0
Rarely 52 26.0 26.0 73.0
Moderately 52 26.0 26.0 99.0
Not at all 2 1.0 1.0 100.0
Total 200 100.0 100.0
Table-2
Which of five senses hold you most during purchase?
Partic
ulars Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid See 118 59.0 59.0 59.0
Smell 10 5.0 5.0 64.0
Touch 28 14.0 14.0 78.0
Hear 14 7.0 7.0 85.0
Taste 30 15.0 15.0 100.0
Total 200 100.0 100.0

Table-3
Do you follow what your senses say during purchasing & up to what extent?

Particul
ars Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Always 68 34.0 34.0 34.0
Rarely 62 31.0 31.0 65.0
Sometim 68 34.0 34.0 99.0
es
Never 2 1.0 1.0 100.0
Total 200 100.0 100.0

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Table-4
How much passionate you are about your favorite colour in purchase decision?
Particul
ars Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Very 72 36.0 36.0 36.0
Deeply
Moderat 102 51.0 51.0 87.0
ely
Rarely 24 12.0 12.0 99.0
Not at all 2 1.0 1.0 100.0
Total 200 100.0 100.0

Table-5
Are you ready to spend more money to get your favorite colour?
Partic
ulars Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Yes 130 65.0 65.0 65.0
No 70 35.0 35.0 100.0
Total 200 100.0 100.0

Table-6
How much passionate you are about your favorite music?
Particulars Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Very Deeply 96 48.0 48.0 48.0
Rarely Matters 62 31.0 31.0 79.0
Moderately 42 21.0 21.0 100.0
Total 200 100.0 100.0

Table-7
How much you are driven by your favorite fragrance in purchasing cosmetics?
Particulars Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Strongly 80 40.0 40.0 40.0
Moderately 74 37.0 37.0 77.0
Sometimes 42 21.0 21.0 98.0
Not so 4 2.0 2.0 100.0
effective
Total 200 100.0 100.0

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Table-8
Do you feel that music, and fragrance in the shopping mall energies you for purchasing more?
Particulars Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Strongly 56 28.0 28.0 28.0
agree
Agree 106 53.0 53.0 81.0
Disagree 32 16.0 16.0 97.0
Indifferent 6 3.0 3.0 100.0
Total 200 100.0 100.0

Table-9
Do you get more satisfaction when you purchase the goods based on first impression rather than
deliberately analyzing the pros and cons of product?
Particulars Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Strongly agree 26 13.0 13.0 13.0
Agree 110 55.0 55.0 68.0
Disagree 54 27.0 27.0 95.0
Indifferent 10 5.0 5.0 100.0
Total 200 100.0 100.0

Table-10
How strong are you in distinguishing or identifying stimulus, when you are given blindfold?

Particulars Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Always 18 9.0 9.0 9.0
Most of times 82 41.0 41.0 50.0
50-50 82 41.0 41.0 91.0
Rarely 18 9.0 9.0 100.0
Total 200 100.0 100.0

Table-11
Are you so strongly driven by your senses that you overlook your budget?
Particulars Valid
Frequency Percent Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Mostly it happens 54 27.0 27.0 27.0
50-50 58 29.0 29.0 56.0
Sometimes it 64 32.0 32.0 88.0
happens
Never happens 24 12.0 12.0 100.0
Total 200 100.0 100.0
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Table-12
Do you go for analysis of price benefits when you find it as priority of your taste?
Particulars Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Always 58 29.0 29.0 29.0
50-50 98 49.0 49.0 78.0
Rarely 36 18.0 18.0 96.0
Never 8 4.0 4.0 100.0
Total 200 100.0 100.0

Table-13
How many times conflict takes between emotions & reasons in purchase decision?
Particulars Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Always 22 11.0 11.0 11.0
Sometimes 130 65.0 65.0 76.0
Rarely 40 20.0 20.0 96.0
Never 8 4.0 4.0 100.0
Total 200 100.0 100.0

Table-14
How much time you take to make purchase decision when you are emotionally driven?
Particulars Valid
Frequency Percent Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Spontaneously 46 23.0 23.0 23.0
Discuss and consult with 96 48.0 48.0 71.0
friends
Think of pros and cons 50 25.0 25.0 96.0
Try to contect user/users 8 4.0 4.0 100.0
Total 200 100.0 100.0

Table-15
How emotional influence is important for you and it affect your purchase decision?
Particulars Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Very important 36 18.0 18.0 18.0
Moderately important 110 55.0 55.0 73.0
Not important 38 19.0 19.0 92.0
Indifferent 16 8.0 8.0 100.0
Total 200 100.0 100.0

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Table-16
Do you give priority to emotion over reason during the purchase decision?
Particulars Valid
Frequency Percent Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Always 18 9.0 9.0 9.0
Sometimes 104 52.0 52.0 61.0
Rarely 24 12.0 12.0 73.0
Never 16 8.0 8.0 81.0
Both emotion and reason 38 19.0 19.0 100.0
are equally important
Total 200 100.0 100.0

Conclusion 5) Marieke Dvries, Rob W. Holand and Cilia L.

M. Witteman ‘Fitting decisions: Mood and intuitive
deliberative decision strategy’, Psychology press
Most of the customers hear to their 6) Jennifer J. Argo, Darren W. Dahl and Andrea
emotion while taking decision that’s why C.Morales ‘Positive consumer contagion: Responses to
their decision is primarily driven by the attractive others in a retail context’, Journal of
emotion and emotional influence play a very marketing research, vol-xlv, dec-2008, pp-690-701
important role in consumer decision making
7) Ingrid Smithey Fulmer and Bruce Barry
process. It is also found from the research that ‘Managed hearts and Wallets: Ethical issues in
intuitive decision driven by the emotion emotional influence by and within the organisation’,
provide more post purchase satisfaction and Business ethics quarterly 19.2, April-2009
pleasure .It is also found during the study that
emotion based decision take less time in
purchase decision as compared to reason
based decision making.

Reference

1) John Pawle and Peter Cooper ‘Measuring

Emotion-Love marks, the future beyond brands’,
Journal of advertising Research-March-2006,
2) Lisa Feldman Barrett ‘Being emotional
during decision making good or bad? An empirical
investigation’, Academy of management journal, 2007,
volume-50,
3) Blair Kidwell, David M. Hardestyand Terry
L.Childers ‘consumer emotional intelligence’,
Advances in consumer research, vol-35, 2008
4) Lennifer S. Lerner, Seunghee Han and
Dacher Keltner ‘Feelings and consumer decision
making-Extending the appraisal tendency framework’,
Journal of consumer psychology

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