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Consumers between supermarket shelves: The influence of inter-personal distance on consumer behavior

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  • Luck, Michael
  • Benkenstein, Martin

Abstract

Recent research underlines the important influence on consumer behavior of the mere presence of consumers on other consumers in retail businesses. While these results mainly relate to overall behavior, it is largely unknown how consumers behave in stores and how they react to customers present around them. This study examines the impact of an encounter between two consumers, directly in front of the same shelf row, on diverse consumer behavior. By means of two pilot studies we gained initial insights into the mutual influence. An image-based scenario study shows that the proximal distance is important for consumers' emotional state. In addition, the results indicate that these triggered negative and positive emotions mediate the effects of the distance on shopping satisfaction, aversive behavioral tendencies, willingness to buy, and number of alternatives considered.

Suggested Citation

  • Luck, Michael & Benkenstein, Martin, 2015. "Consumers between supermarket shelves: The influence of inter-personal distance on consumer behavior," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 104-114.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:26:y:2015:i:c:p:104-114
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2015.06.002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Otterbring, Tobias, 2021. "Peer presence promotes popular choices: A “Spicy†field study on social influence and brand choice," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    4. Tobias Otterbring, 2023. "Physical proximity as pleasure or pain? A critical review of employee–customer proximity in sales and services settings," Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 28(2), pages 209-221, June.
    5. Argo, Jennifer J. & Dahl, Darren W., 2020. "Social Influence in the Retail Context: A Contemporary Review of the Literature," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 96(1), pages 25-39.
    6. Tobias Scholz & Jörn Redler & Sven Pagel, 2021. "Re-designing adaptive selling strategies: the role of different types of shopping companions," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(5), pages 1243-1280, July.
    7. Tobias Benjamin Scholz & Sven Pagel & Jörg Henseler, 2023. "Shopping Companions and Their Diverse Impacts: A Systematic Annotated Bibliography," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, December.
    8. Wenzel, Stefanie & Benkenstein, Martin, 2018. "Together always better? The impact of shopping companions and shopping motivation on adolescents' shopping experience," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 118-126.

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