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Comfort in brick and mortar shopping experiences: Examining antecedents and consequences of comfortable retail experiences

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  • Ainsworth, Jeremy
  • Foster, Jamye

Abstract

This paper explores the comfort construct in brick and mortar retail settings. As a psychological construct, consumer comfort reflects a sense of ease and peace of mind during a shopping experience. Previous research suggests comfort carries a number of positive consequences for managers, such as strengthening customer relationships and increasing customer satisfaction (Gaur and Xu, 2009). However, these studies take a more interpersonal relationship theory approach and have not considered the impact of non-social aspects of retail environments on consumers' comfort. Moreover, these extant studies have not considered how comfortable environments create value for consumers. Consequently, this study examines how atmospheric elements contribute to creating consumer comfort, and how comfort impacts consumers' perceptions of shopping value. Findings from survey data demonstrate that not all atmospheric elements influence consumers' comfort levels. Moreover, comfortable environments were found to increase both utilitarian value and hedonic value. The implications of the findings for academics and managers are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Ainsworth, Jeremy & Foster, Jamye, 2017. "Comfort in brick and mortar shopping experiences: Examining antecedents and consequences of comfortable retail experiences," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 27-35.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:35:y:2017:i:c:p:27-35
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2016.11.005
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    5. Radia, Karan Nilesh & Purohit, Sonal & Desai, Shachi & Nenavani, Jitendra, 2022. "Psychological comfort in service relationships: A mixed-method approach," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    6. Jing Zhu & Muhammad Awais Shakir Goraya & Yu Cai, 2018. "Retailer–Consumer Sustainable Business Environment: How Consumers’ Perceived Benefits Are Translated by the Addition of New Retail Channels," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-22, August.
    7. Maier, Erik & Dost, Florian, 2018. "The positive effect of contextual image backgrounds on fluency and liking," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 109-116.
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    10. Rayburn, Steven W. & Anderson, Sidney T. & Zank, Gail M. & McDonald, Imani, 2022. "M-atmospherics: From the physical to the digital," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    11. Elmashhara, Maher Georges & Soares, Ana Maria, 2022. "Linking atmospherics to shopping outcomes: The role of the desire to stay," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    12. Waites, Stacie F. & Stevens, Jennifer L. & Hancock, Tyler, 2023. "Trauma's effects on shopper choice confusion: The role of psychological hardiness and retailer strategies as mitigating factors," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).

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