The purpose of this paper is to examine how the introduction of auditory sensory cues, through a human voice, affect children’s and parent’s shopping behaviour in a retail grocery…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how the introduction of auditory sensory cues, through a human voice, affect children’s and parent’s shopping behaviour in a retail grocery setting. In the field of retailing and sensory marketing research, there is a paucity of knowledge on how auditory sensory cues impact on consumers’ shopping behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical study was a field experiment and entailed direct observation of shoppers of the Swedish grocery retailer ICA. The observations were based on a convenience sample of shopping families assigned to a control group (n=200) and an experimental group (n=131). A new innovative Swedish audio story track system was to be tested in a hypermarket containing 13 different stories for children.
Findings
Auditory sensory cues affect children’s and parent’s shopping behaviour in a significant way. Children are quieter, more relaxed and do not move around and reduce the parental stress behaviour during the shopping process.
Research limitations/implications
The findings demonstrate that auditory sensory cues through human voice have a positive effect on children’s and parent’s shopping behaviour. It is also obvious that parent’s perceived stress is significantly influenced by the children.
Practical implications
The study provides guidelines for grocery retailers who wish to offer children and their parents a more pleasant shopping trip by emphasizing the role of the children.
Originality/value
The research demonstrates that the introduction of auditory sensory cues through human voice in a significant way affect the children’s and their parent’s shopping behaviour in a retail setting.
Details
Keywords
The presented research aims to depict shoppers' touching behaviour in relation to the introduction of visual and olfactory sensory cues at point‐of‐purchase in a retail setting…
Abstract
Purpose
The presented research aims to depict shoppers' touching behaviour in relation to the introduction of visual and olfactory sensory cues at point‐of‐purchase in a retail setting. In the field of retailing research, there is a paucity of knowledge on how visual and olfactory sensory cues impact on consumers' touch behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
The author presents a review of theoretically relevant work from retailing and consumer psychology, and an original study examining the impact of visual and olfactory sensory cues on consumer touch behaviour. The study was a field experiment in the glass department of the Swedish retailer IKEA. The design was quasi‐experimental with a convenience sample of shoppers assigned to a control group (n=451) and an experimental group (n=435).
Findings
In the reported study, the author finds significant differences between shoppers' touching behaviour in a manipulated point‐of‐purchase compared to a conventional one. The findings show that visual and olfactory sensory cues have a positive impact on shoppers' touching behaviour, purchase intentions and total sale.
Research limitations/implications
The findings demonstrate that sensory cues exert a positive impact on consumers' desire to touch. Sensory cues frame consumers' affective responses and decision making through involving the sense of touch.
Practical implications
The findings provide guidelines for managers of retail and service outlets, concerning the benefits of sensory cues in enhancing shoppers' touching behaviour at point‐of‐purchase.
Originality/value
The research demonstrates that the introduction of visual and olfactory sensory cues impact consumers' touch behaviour at point‐of‐purchase in a retail setting.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to present the multi‐sensory brand‐experience concept in relation to the human mind and senses. It also seeks to propose a sensory marketing (SM…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the multi‐sensory brand‐experience concept in relation to the human mind and senses. It also seeks to propose a sensory marketing (SM) model of the multi‐sensory brand‐experience hypothesis.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper applies exploratory and explanatory approaches to investigating the multi‐sensory brand‐experience concept within the context of discovery. The qualitative study is built on primary and secondary data sources, including personal interviews with experts and managers.
Findings
The multi‐sensory brand‐experience hypothesis suggests that firms should apply sensorial strategies and three explanatory levels within an SM model. It allows firms through means as sensors, sensations, and sensory expressions to differentiate and position a brand in the human mind as image.
Research limitations/implications
A theoretical implication is that the multi‐sensory brand‐experience hypothesis emphasizes the significance of the human mind and senses in value‐generating processes. Another theoretical implication is that the hypothesis illustrates the shortcomings of the transaction and relationship marketing models in considering the multi‐sensory brand‐experience concept. It is worth conducting additional research on the multi‐sensory interplay between the human senses in value‐generating processes.
Practical implications
The findings offer additional insights to managers on the multi‐sensory brand‐experience concept. This research opens up opportunities for managers to identify emotional/psychological linkages in differentiating, distinguishing and positioning a brand as an image in the human mind.
Originality/value
The main contribution of this research lies in developing the multi‐sensory brand‐experience hypothesis within a SM model. It fills a major gap in the marketing literature and research in stressing the need to rethink conventional marketing models.
Details
Keywords
The literature reports mixed findings on the performance impact of market orientation and a lack of attention to the moderating roles of dyadic competition and firm's age. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The literature reports mixed findings on the performance impact of market orientation and a lack of attention to the moderating roles of dyadic competition and firm's age. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between customer responsiveness and performance of industrial firms and to consider the moderators.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on competitive dynamics literature, a contingency model is developed. Hypotheses were tested on 350 Swedish industrial firms that market clean technology to business customers.
Findings
First, the main competitor's cost leadership weakens the positive performance impact of the industrial firm's customer responsiveness. An interpretation would be that it is difficult for product firms to overcome competition based on low costs. Second, the industrial firm's age weakens the positive performance impact of the industrial firm's customer responsiveness. This indicates that the firm's responsiveness advantage diminishes as strategies of competing firms converge.
Research limitations/implications
By adding literature on competitive dynamics the study contributes to theory. The article shows that dyadic competition and firm's age matter for the relationship between customer responsiveness and performance.
Practical implications
The industrial firm may keep an efficient customer responsiveness strategy by reducing its vulnerability to low costs of the main competitor. Also, an ability of developing the content of the firm's responsiveness strategy would favor the strategy uniqueness and efficiency.
Originality/value
The article presents a new model that shows the performance impact of the industrial firm's customer responsiveness, including the moderating roles of the main competitor's competitive strategy and the firm's age. By including the contingencies, the model explains mixed findings in the literature regarding relationships between customer responsiveness and performance.