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Exterior Color and Perceived Retail Crowding: Effects on Tourists' Shopping Quality Inferences and Approach Behaviors

2009; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 10; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/15280080903183383

1528-0098

Atìla Yüksel,

Multisensory perception and integration

The exterior of a store usually generates the first impression, and this impression could affect shoppers' inferences about a store's service/merchandise quality and could alter their shopping behaviors. Several physical and social elements in the exterior environment may take part in the forming of the first impression, including the crowd. Crowd perceptions do not develop in isolation of other environmental elements of the store exterior. Predominant colors of the store exterior could be a variable that determines tourists' responses to crowd levels. Departing from the limited research on effects of store exteriors, this study contrasted an orange exterior to a blue exterior to explore whether color alters how crowding is perceived. Using a scenario‐based approach, the study further examines the likely effects of perceived crowd on consumer inferences about a store's merchandise and service quality in two differently colored storefronts. A series of t‐tests used in the study indicated that while the crowd level was held constant, the blue‐colored exterior led to significantly lower crowding perception than the orange‐colored exterior. Crowd perceptions in differently colored exteriors produced dissimilar inferences about a store's merchandise and service quality. Finally, participants exposed to a crowd in the blue‐colored exterior condition reported more favorable shopping intentions. Implications of the study are discussed.