Store Environment, Servicescape and Experience Design

Introduction

A retail store is not merely a physical container for merchandise. It is a behavioral setting in which shoppers interpret information, regulate effort, experience emotion, interact with employees and other customers, and make decisions under conditions of limited time and attention. The design of the store environment therefore influences not only what shoppers buy, but also whether they enter, how long they stay, how they evaluate value, whether they seek assistance, and whether they return.

Environmental psychology provides a useful foundation for understanding these effects. It examines how physical settings influence perception, cognition, emotion and behavior. In retailing, this perspective is combined with services marketing, consumer psychology, design management and operations management. The resulting field is concerned with the deliberate design of the servicescape: the physical and sensory environment in which a service encounter occurs.

Store environment design must be treated as a strategic system rather than a collection of decorative choices. A luxurious interior may conflict with a value-oriented brand. A highly stimulating store may increase browsing but also produce fatigue. A fast-moving queue may improve efficiency but reduce opportunities for personal selling. Effective design aligns environmental cues with the target shopper, retail proposition, category logic and desired customer journey.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, the reader should be able to:

1. Explain how environmental psychology informs retail design.
2. Distinguish store layout, atmospherics, servicescape and experience design.
3. Apply the stimulus–organism–response model to shopper behavior.
4. Evaluate sensory cues, visual merchandising, navigation and queue design.
5. Assess employee interaction and social conditions in the retail environment.
6. Design and measure an integrated retail experience.
7. Critically evaluate ethical, accessibility, technological and operational issues.

1. The Store as a Behavioral Environment

Shoppers respond to the total environment rather than to isolated fixtures. Their experience is shaped by the interaction of physical, social and symbolic elements. A narrow aisle may increase perceived crowding; unclear signs may increase cognitive effort; warm lighting may make a food department appear inviting; an employee’s greeting may reduce uncertainty. These effects are situational and depend on shopper goals, culture, familiarity and time pressure.

Three distinctions are important:

• Store environment refers broadly to the physical and social setting in which shopping occurs.
• Servicescape refers to the designed environment in which a service is delivered and consumed. It includes ambient conditions, spatial layout, functionality and signs or symbols.
• Experience design refers to the intentional orchestration of interactions and meanings across the customer journey, before, during and after the store visit.

The same environmental feature can produce different responses. A crowded store may communicate popularity and social proof to one shopper, but inconvenience and risk to another. A large product assortment may signal choice and expertise, yet create choice overload. Environmental effects must therefore be evaluated in relation to the intended positioning and shopper segment.

2. Theoretical Foundations

2.1 The stimulus–organism–response model

The stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) framework explains behavior as a process. Environmental stimuli affect the shopper’s internal organism—cognition, emotion and physiological state—which then produces approach or avoidance responses.

Stimuli include layout, music, scent, temperature, lighting, color, signage, merchandise presentation, employee behavior and crowd density. The organism includes perceived pleasure, arousal, dominance, involvement, trust, perceived risk and mental workload. Responses include entering, browsing, touching products, seeking advice, purchasing, leaving, complaining and returning.

The model is not deterministic. It indicates a probable pathway, not a guaranteed outcome. A scent may increase approach behavior when it is congruent with the merchandise, but become irritating when too intense. Environmental effects are moderated by shopper characteristics and the shopping task.

2.2 Mehrabian and Russell’s pleasure–arousal perspective

The pleasure–arousal framework proposes that environments can be described by at least two affective dimensions:

• Pleasure: pleasant versus unpleasant feelings.
• Arousal: calm or sleepy versus excited or stimulated states.

Some retail environments seek high pleasure and moderate arousal, supporting comfortable exploration. Others, such as entertainment or fashion stores, may deliberately create high pleasure and high arousal. An environment that is highly arousing but low in pleasure can produce stress and avoidance.

A related concept is dominance, or the extent to which individuals feel in control of the environment. Clear navigation, accessible information and predictable processes increase perceived control. Unclear pricing, obstructed movement and confusing queues reduce it.

2.3 Bitner’s servicescape framework

The servicescape framework identifies three broad components:

1. Ambient conditions: temperature, air quality, noise, music, scent, lighting and color.
2. Spatial layout and functionality: arrangement of equipment, aisles, counters, fixtures and pathways, and the ease with which they support customer and employee activities.
3. Signs, symbols and artifacts: labels, directional signs, décor, uniforms, materials, logos and other communicative objects.

These components influence customers, employees and their interactions. The framework is particularly useful because retail environments are often co-produced by customers and staff. A well-designed sales floor can support employee visibility, replenishment, consultation and safe movement simultaneously.

2.4 Servicescape as a communication system

The store communicates the retail brand through both intentional and unintentional signals. Materials, lighting, sound and spatial order may communicate modernity, affordability, sustainability, exclusivity or convenience. Shoppers infer quality partly from these cues, especially when product quality cannot be evaluated before purchase.

Environmental cues should be congruent. For example, a premium organic retailer may use natural materials, restrained signage and transparent product information. If its sustainability claims coexist with excessive disposable packaging, the environment produces symbolic inconsistency and distrust.

3. Store Layout and Spatial Logic

Layout is the arrangement of space, merchandise, fixtures, service points and circulation paths. It affects exposure, accessibility, effort, dwell time, safety and operational productivity.

3.1 Common layout forms

No layout is universally superior. Grid layouts support search efficiency and inventory control, whereas free-flow layouts encourage discovery and experiential browsing. A mixed layout may use efficient grid principles for routine categories and open, theatrical presentation for inspirational categories.

3.2 Decompression and threshold zones

The entrance often functions as a transition zone. Shoppers need a short period to adjust from the external environment, orient themselves and form an initial impression. Excessive promotional clutter immediately inside the entrance can overload attention. A decompression zone should provide visual breathing space, establish brand identity and make the next action obvious.

The first visible zone is not necessarily the best location for complex information. Important navigational or promotional messages should be placed after shoppers have oriented themselves. Entrance design should also accommodate wheelchair users, prams, older adults and shoppers carrying bags.

3.3 Adjacency and category logic

Product adjacencies influence cross-selling and perceived convenience. Complementary categories can be placed together, while destination products may be located deeper in the store to expose shoppers to other departments. However, forced circulation can be perceived as manipulative. Adjacency decisions should reflect shopper missions, product usage relationships and the cost of searching.

Retailers can classify zones as:

• Destination zones: departments or products shoppers deliberately seek.
• Routine zones: products purchased frequently with limited deliberation.
• Discovery zones: areas designed to stimulate browsing and impulse purchases.
• Service zones: checkout, returns, collection, consultation and customer support.

A coherent journey connects these zones without imposing unnecessary effort.

3.4 Density, crowding and personal space

Density is the number of people or objects in a physical area. Crowding is the shopper’s subjective perception that space is insufficient or movement is constrained. The two are related but not identical. A well-organized busy store may feel less crowded than a sparsely occupied store with narrow, obstructed aisles.

Crowding can reduce perceived control, increase stress and shorten visits. It may also create social proof and excitement in categories where popularity is desirable. Managers should distinguish productive social energy from harmful congestion through observation, shopper feedback and operational data.

4. Atmospherics and Sensory Design

Atmospherics refers to the deliberate design of environmental conditions that affect sensory perception and emotional response.

4.1 Visual conditions

Lighting influences product visibility, color evaluation, mood and perceived quality. General illumination supports safe movement, while accent lighting directs attention toward displays. Excessive contrast can cause discomfort and make price or product information difficult to read. Lighting should be assessed for glare, color rendering, energy consumption and accessibility.

Color can organize departments and communicate brand meaning, but interpretations vary culturally and contextually. Warm colors may increase perceived energy, while cooler colors may support calmness or spaciousness. Color should not be treated as a universal psychological code; its effect depends on saturation, context, category and shopper expectations.

4.2 Sound and music

Music can influence perceived time, pace and mood. Faster tempos may support energetic environments, whereas slower tempos may encourage browsing. The effect depends on volume, genre congruence and shopper identity. Music that employees find fatiguing may damage service quality even if some shoppers enjoy it.

Sound design also includes announcements, equipment noise and the acoustic consequences of hard surfaces. Inadequate acoustic control can be particularly challenging for neurodivergent shoppers, older adults and people with hearing difficulties.

4.3 Scent

Scent can produce strong associations and affect judgments of cleanliness, freshness and brand distinctiveness. Ambient scent should be subtle, stable and congruent with the merchandise. Strong or undisclosed fragrances can cause discomfort, allergies or avoidance. Scent should never be used in a way that compromises informed choice or accessibility.

4.4 Temperature, air quality and tactile conditions

Thermal comfort affects mood, dwell time and willingness to engage. Air quality, ventilation and cleanliness communicate care and safety. Tactile design includes flooring, fixture surfaces, fitting-room materials and product touch opportunities. In many categories, touch reduces uncertainty and increases confidence; therefore, retailers should distinguish between protective control and unnecessarily restricting product interaction.

5. Visual Merchandising and Attention Management

Visual merchandising is the planned presentation of merchandise, graphics, fixtures and space to communicate value and support purchase decisions. It performs four functions: attracting attention, organizing information, dramatizing products and reducing decision effort.

5.1 Attention and the visual hierarchy

Shoppers have limited attention. A display should establish a visual hierarchy through scale, contrast, placement, repetition and whitespace. The primary message should be understandable quickly, while secondary information can support deeper evaluation. Too many competing signs reduce message effectiveness.

Effective displays answer three questions:

1. What is being offered?
2. Why is it relevant or valuable?
3. What should the shopper do next?

5.2 Product presentation

Product presentation may be organized by brand, category, use occasion, price, color, size or solution. The appropriate method depends on shopper objectives. A category expert may prefer technical comparison, whereas an inspiration-oriented shopper may respond to lifestyle scenes.

Mannequins, endcaps, feature tables and digital screens can create theatre, but theatre should remain connected to purchase facilitation. A visually impressive display that obscures price, size availability or product access is aesthetically successful but commercially weak.

5.3 Signage and wayfinding

Wayfinding is the process by which shoppers determine where they are, where they can go and how to reach a destination. A robust system uses:

• Identification signs: indicate the name of a department or service.
• Directional signs: point toward destinations.
• Confirmation signs: reassure shoppers that they are on the correct route.
• Instructional signs: explain procedures, restrictions or actions.

Signs should use consistent terminology, adequate contrast, readable type and appropriate height. Symbols can support multilingual communication, but ambiguous icons require explanatory text. Digital wayfinding can complement, not replace, physical signage.

6. Navigation, Technology and Omnichannel Experience

Modern shoppers move between physical and digital environments. They may research online, visit a store to inspect a product, use an app to locate stock, collect an order and later request support through a digital channel. Experience design must therefore consider the continuity of information, identity and service across touchpoints.

Useful technologies include electronic shelf labels, mobile navigation, self-checkout, augmented reality, smart fitting rooms and clienteling systems. Their value depends on usability and inclusion. Technology should reduce search and transaction effort rather than simply add novelty.

Retailers must govern data responsibly. Location tracking, facial recognition, personalized recommendations and behavioral analytics raise issues of consent, purpose limitation, security, transparency and discrimination. Personalization that feels helpful to one shopper may feel intrusive to another. Clear choices and meaningful alternatives are essential.

7. Queue and Checkout Design

The queue is a high-salience service moment because customers experience waiting while observing the process and comparing their progress with others. Perceived waiting time is influenced by uncertainty, fairness, comfort, information and activity—not only by elapsed time.

7.1 Queue configurations

Common configurations include single-line queues feeding multiple servers, multiple lines with separate servers, serpentine queues and virtual queues. A single-line system often improves perceived fairness and reduces the risk of choosing the slowest line. Multiple lines may be appropriate where transactions differ substantially, such as express, returns or specialist service.

7.2 Designing the waiting experience

Queue design should provide:

• visible estimates or progress information;
• adequate space for mobility devices and prams;
• clear distinction between waiting, service and exit zones;
• protection of personal and payment privacy;
• opportunities for useful, non-coercive information;
• sufficient staff capacity during demand peaks.

Queue merchandising can generate incremental sales, but excessive impulse pressure may create irritation, especially for vulnerable shoppers or families. The ethical objective is to make waiting tolerable and informed, not to exploit captive attention.

7.3 Operational alignment

Experience design cannot compensate indefinitely for inadequate capacity. Managers should connect observed arrival rates, service times and staffing plans. If a queue becomes unstable—because customers arrive faster than the system can serve them—waiting will grow unless demand, capacity or process variability changes. Retailers should combine service design with labor scheduling, process simplification and demand forecasting.

8. Employee Interaction and Social Servicescape

Employees are part of the servicescape. Their appearance, location, language, availability and emotional display shape trust and perceived competence. A friendly greeting can reduce uncertainty, but scripted or intrusive interaction can produce reactance.

A useful service design principle is graduated assistance. The store should support independent browsing while making help easy to obtain. Employees can:

1. acknowledge the shopper without interrupting;
2. identify whether assistance is wanted;
3. ask diagnostic questions;
4. provide relevant options rather than overwhelming information;
5. confirm understanding and close the interaction respectfully.

Employee empowerment is essential. If staff are expected to deliver personalized experiences but lack product knowledge, authority or adequate staffing, the environment produces a promise–delivery gap. Training should include product expertise, inclusive communication, conflict management, accessibility awareness and recovery from service failures.

Other customers also influence the social servicescape. Behavior such as noise, queue cutting, excessive filming or aggressive selling affects comfort and norms. Retailers need clear policies that protect safety and dignity without unfairly targeting particular groups.

9. Designing the Retail Experience as a Journey

Experience design begins with the shopper’s goal, not with a preferred fixture or technology. A journey may include anticipation, arrival, orientation, search, evaluation, assistance, transaction, collection and post-purchase support. At each stage, managers should identify shopper questions, emotions, effort and failure points.

A practical design sequence is:

1. Define the target mission: routine replenishment, planned purchase, discovery, service or social experience.
2. Map the journey: record actions, decisions, emotions and pain points.
3. Identify environmental interventions: layout, sensory cues, information, staff behavior and technology.
4. Check operational feasibility: replenishment, safety, staffing, accessibility and maintenance.
5. Prototype and test: use simulations, temporary displays, user observation and controlled pilots.
6. Measure outcomes: combine behavioral, perceptual, commercial and equity measures.
7. Refine continuously: treat the store as an adaptive system rather than a completed project.

The best experience is not always the most dramatic. For a time-poor shopper, a quiet, legible and efficient environment may be more valuable than entertainment. For a high-involvement category, consultation space and product demonstration may be central. Experience design should therefore be mission-sensitive.

10. Measuring Environmental and Experiential Effects

Retailers should avoid judging design only by sales uplift. A change may increase sales while reducing trust, accessibility or employee well-being. A balanced measurement system can include:

A/B tests, before-and-after comparisons, observational studies, intercept interviews, mystery shopping and digital analytics can be combined. Causal claims require care. Sales may change because of price, promotion, seasonality or competitor activity rather than environmental design alone.

For an intervention, managers should specify the target mechanism. For example, improved directional signage is expected to reduce search effort and increase destination completion. Measures should then test both the mechanism and the final outcome. If conversion rises but perceived control falls, the intervention may be commercially effective in the short term but strategically damaging.

11. Illustrative Case: Re-designing the Urban Pantry Store

Background

Urban Pantry is a fictional mid-sized grocery retailer serving office workers, families and older residents. Its store has strong product quality but receives complaints about congestion, unclear promotions and slow checkout. Sales are acceptable, but customer satisfaction and repeat visits have declined.

Problem

Observation shows that baskets and promotional stands obstruct the entrance. Fresh produce is attractive but blocks sightlines. Signs use inconsistent category names. The checkout area has several separate queues, and customers cannot see which line is moving fastest. Employees are frequently asked for directions because shoppers cannot locate staple categories.

Analysis

The problems are analyzed through the S–O–R model. Environmental stimuli—obstruction, inconsistent signs and queue uncertainty—raise cognitive effort and reduce perceived control. The organismic response includes frustration and anxiety, producing avoidance, incomplete missions and lower satisfaction. The retailer also has an operational issue: checkout capacity is insufficient during the evening peak.

Approach and solution

Urban Pantry introduces a decompression zone at the entrance, moves promotional stands beyond the threshold and restores clear sightlines. A mixed layout is adopted: efficient grid aisles for staple products and open presentation for fresh and ready-to-eat foods. Category names are standardized, and directional signs are placed at decision points rather than only above departments.

The checkout is redesigned as a single serpentine queue feeding several staffed and self-service stations, with a clearly marked returns point. A display provides approximate waiting information. Employees receive training in brief orientation assistance and are positioned at high-confusion areas during peak periods. The store also creates a lower-stimulation shopping period with reduced announcements and music.

Outcome

After a pilot period, the retailer observes shorter route-search episodes, fewer direction requests and improved perceived control. Queue complaints decline, although some shoppers initially resist the single-line format. The lower-stimulation period attracts shoppers who previously avoided the store at busy times. Management continues monitoring accessibility, employee workload and whether promotional sales are affected by moving displays away from the entrance.

Learning points

The case illustrates five principles. First, environmental problems often combine psychological and operational causes. Second, convenience is partly a matter of information architecture. Third, the same design can affect customer groups differently. Fourth, queue fairness must be communicated, not merely engineered. Fifth, experience design should be evaluated through mechanisms and multiple outcomes rather than sales alone.

12. Critical Issues, Ethics and Inclusion

Environmental influence creates ethical responsibilities. Retailers can guide attention, but should not obscure material information, exploit vulnerable shoppers or use confusing layouts to make exit difficult. Price communication must be accurate and legible. Promotional scarcity cues should not be deceptive.

Accessibility is a design requirement, not an optional enhancement. Stores should consider step-free access, aisle width, reach ranges, seating, visual contrast, hearing support, quiet periods, accessible toilets, clear service procedures and assistance animals. Inclusive design benefits many shoppers, including people carrying children, temporary injury sufferers and customers with heavy bags.

Environmental claims also require evidence. Natural materials, green colors or digital messaging do not by themselves establish sustainability. Energy-efficient lighting, durable fixtures, reduced waste and transparent sourcing are more substantive measures. Retailers should avoid “green” atmospherics that create a misleading impression.

Cultural sensitivity matters in music, scent, imagery, language and social interaction. Design teams should test assumptions with diverse users and avoid treating one cultural preference as universal. Employee monitoring and customer analytics require proportionate governance, security and transparency.

13. Contemporary Developments and Best Practice

Several developments are reshaping store experience design:

• Phygital integration: physical stores increasingly connect with apps, digital receipts, online stock information and order collection.
• Retail media: screens and digital shelf systems enable targeted communication but can increase visual clutter and privacy concerns.
• Artificial intelligence: AI can support demand prediction, assortment recommendations, workforce scheduling and conversational assistance. Human oversight is required to detect bias, incorrect information and inappropriate personalization.
• Immersive retail: demonstrations, workshops, community events and augmented reality can deepen engagement when they support the shopper mission.
• Low-stimulation and inclusive formats: retailers increasingly recognize sensory diversity and the need for flexible environments.
• Circular and service-based models: repair, refill, resale and rental require environments designed for education, trust and reverse flows, not only product selling.

Best practice is characterized by alignment, evidence and adaptability. Retailers should align environment with brand and mission, use research rather than universal design myths, test with diverse shoppers, integrate front-stage and back-stage operations, and monitor unintended consequences. A successful store is not simply attractive; it is legible, accessible, emotionally appropriate, operationally viable and ethically defensible.

Chapter Summary

Store environments influence shopper behavior through sensory, spatial, informational and social mechanisms. Environmental psychology explains these effects through the stimulus–organism–response model, pleasure–arousal theory and servicescape analysis. Layout affects movement, search effort, exposure and perceived control. Atmospherics such as lighting, sound, scent, temperature and materials shape mood and quality judgments, but their effects depend on congruence, intensity and shopper characteristics.

Visual merchandising and wayfinding manage limited attention and reduce uncertainty. Queue design influences fairness, waiting perception and transaction satisfaction. Employees and other customers form the social servicescape, making service interaction a central part of experience design. Effective design begins with shopper missions, maps the journey, tests interventions and measures behavioral, commercial, perceptual, operational and ethical outcomes.

At postgraduate level, store design should be understood as a strategic and evidence-based activity. It requires integration of psychology, marketing, operations, technology, accessibility and governance. The strongest designs do not maximize stimulation indiscriminately; they create an environment that helps the intended shopper accomplish the intended task with appropriate effort, confidence and enjoyment.

Key Terms

Environmental psychology: Study of how physical and social settings influence human cognition, emotion and behavior.

Servicescape: Physical environment in which a service is delivered and experienced.

Atmospherics: Deliberate design of sensory and environmental conditions in a retail setting.

Stimulus–organism–response model: Framework linking environmental stimuli, internal states and behavioral outcomes.

Pleasure: Affective evaluation ranging from pleasant to unpleasant.

Arousal: Degree of psychological activation or stimulation.

Dominance: Perceived control over the environment and the shopping situation.

Ambient conditions: Background environmental features such as lighting, sound, temperature and scent.

Spatial layout: Arrangement of aisles, fixtures, departments, counters and circulation paths.

Functionality: Extent to which the environment supports intended customer and employee activities.

Visual merchandising: Planned presentation of products, fixtures and communication materials.

Wayfinding: Process of determining location, direction and route within a store.

Decompression zone: Entrance area that allows shoppers to adjust and orient before engaging deeply.

Crowding: Subjective perception that space or movement is insufficient.

Queue design: Planning of waiting structures, information, capacity and service flow.

Social servicescape: Social conditions created by employees and other customers in the service setting.

Experience design: Intentional orchestration of customer interactions across a journey.

Perceived control: Shopper’s belief that the environment is understandable and manageable.

Omnichannel experience: Integrated experience across physical and digital retail touchpoints.

Inclusive design: Design that accommodates diverse abilities, needs and circumstances.

Review Questions

Short Answer Questions

1. Define servicescape and identify its three major components.
2. What is the difference between density and perceived crowding?
3. Explain the role of a decompression zone.
4. Identify four types of retail signage and their functions.
5. Why is employee behavior considered part of the store environment?

Long Answer Questions

1. Explain the stimulus–organism–response model and apply it to a retail store example.
2. Compare grid, racetrack, free-flow and mixed layouts, including their advantages and limitations.
3. Discuss how sensory cues influence shopper emotion, cognition and behavior.
4. Explain how queue design affects perceived fairness, waiting experience and operational performance.
5. Develop a framework for measuring the success of a store-experience redesign.

Analytical / Application Questions

1. A premium fashion retailer reports high browsing time but low conversion. Analyze how layout, visual merchandising, employee interaction and perceived control may be contributing to the problem. Recommend an evidence-based redesign.
2. Design an inclusive servicescape for a busy urban pharmacy serving older adults, parents, neurodivergent shoppers and time-pressured professionals. Justify your choices regarding navigation, sensory conditions, service and queues.
3. A retailer proposes facial recognition and personalized digital offers throughout its stores. Evaluate the proposal using shopper value, privacy, fairness, accessibility and governance criteria.

Multiple Choice Questions with Answers

Question 1

Which element is central to the stimulus–organism–response model?

A. Environmental stimulus affects an internal state that produces a response

B. Price always determines store choice

C. Employees operate independently of the environment

D. Layout has no effect on emotion

Correct Answer: A. Environmental stimulus affects an internal state that produces a response

Question 2

Which servicescape component includes temperature, music and scent?

A. Spatial functionality

B. Ambient conditions

C. Merchandise adjacency

D. Queue configuration

Correct Answer: B. Ambient conditions

Question 3

What is the primary purpose of a decompression zone?

A. To conceal all promotional information

B. To provide space for inventory storage

C. To allow shoppers to adjust and orient after entering

D. To force shoppers toward checkout

Correct Answer: C. To allow shoppers to adjust and orient after entering

Question 4

Which layout is generally most associated with parallel aisles and efficient product search?

A. Free-flow layout

B. Racetrack layout

C. Grid layout

D. Theatrical layout

Correct Answer: C. Grid layout

Question 5

What distinguishes crowding from density?

A. Crowding is always measured objectively

B. Density is a shopper’s emotional response

C. Crowding is the subjective perception that space is insufficient

D. They are identical concepts

Correct Answer: C. Crowding is the subjective perception that space is insufficient

Question 6

Which sign confirms that a shopper is still following the correct route?

A. Identification sign

B. Confirmation sign

C. Instructional sign

D. Promotional sign

Correct Answer: B. Confirmation sign

Question 7

Why can a single-line queue improve the customer experience?

A. It guarantees zero waiting time

B. It can reduce perceived unfairness between customers

C. It eliminates the need for employees

D. It always increases transaction speed

Correct Answer: B. It can reduce perceived unfairness between customers

Question 8

Which outcome is an example of perceived control?

A. Believing that the store is understandable and manageable

B. Seeing a higher product price

C. Hearing louder background music

D. Counting the number of employees

Correct Answer: A. Believing that the store is understandable and manageable

Question 9

What is a major ethical concern associated with strong ambient scent?

A. It may reduce product assortment

B. It can cause discomfort or avoidance for some shoppers

C. It always improves accessibility

D. It prevents all impulse purchases

Correct Answer: B. It can cause discomfort or avoidance for some shoppers

Question 10

Which approach best evaluates a store redesign?

A. Measure sales only

B. Rely only on the designer’s opinion

C. Combine behavioral, perceptual, commercial, operational and inclusion measures

D. Evaluate the store only before opening

Correct Answer: C. Combine behavioral, perceptual, commercial, operational and inclusion measures