The Analysis of how retail store's layouts and environment influence shopping habits.

Cole Gillooly

College: College of Business and Public Management

Major: BS.MANAGEMNT-GENBUS

Faculty Research Mentor: Salehi, Reza Fazli

Abstract:

When it comes to shopping, the store’s design plays an important role in influencing the shopper's behavior and whether they make the purchase or not. With retail already being extremely competitive, the stores rely on strategic layouts and environments like product placement, in-store music, and even lighting play important roles in improving the experience which usually leads to more purchases while shopping. To implement these design factors, someone must understand how they shape the consumer's behavior. This study analyzes how a retail store’s layout and its environment can directly affect a shopper's buying habits.A quantitative survey of 50 participants will be conducted to see how different environments and layouts can influence purchasing behavior. Participants will be asked about their time spent in stores, shopping preferences, and their likeliness to make a purchase off impulse in relation to the store's environment or layout.The data collected will be compiled and used to give insight on how the layout and overall design of retail stores can be improved to increase sales performance and overall engagement for the consumer. Learning and understanding the influencing factors can help create more efficient layouts, better customer satisfaction, as well as help increase profitability. Further research in the future may explore these even deeper or how demographics have different responses to influencing factors when it comes to retail strategies.