کیفیت سینتیک طراحی فروشگاه: اکتشاف نفوذ آن بر تجربه خرید

Kinetic quality of store space is the appreciation of the store with regard to the movements and gestures that can be performed during the shopping trip. Few researches have studied this concept despite its potential influence on shopping outcomes. In this paper, we show that the kinetic quality of the store has an impact on hedonic and utilitarian shopping values and on purchase. The impact on shopping value is similar in magnitude to that of atmospheric quality. Music and visual esthetics positively influence kinetic quality.

The affective quality of the store environment (Fisher, 1974 and Russell et al., 1981) has been a main academic concern since the seminal papers by Martineau (1958), Kotler (1973) and Mehrabian and Russell (1974). Research have shown that tangible stimuli of the store environment (e.g. music, odors, colors or lighting) influence emotional states experienced during the shopping trip (for a comprehensive review, see Turley and Milliman, 2000). These affective states, in turn, impact shopping value (Babin et al., 1994 and Babin and Attaway, 2000), and, even if the results are less consistent, willingness to buy and actual purchase (Turley and Milliman, 2000). In spite of its contributions, this research stream has left aside another crucial quality of the store environment: its kinetic quality. If affective quality is the result of sensorial stimulation by elements of the store environment, kinetic quality is the appreciation of the store with regard to the movements and gestures that can be performed during the shopping trip. This quality of the store environment rests on the recognition that shopping experience is not only a result of the sensory stimulation of the shopper but also of the physical activity needed for the accomplishment of the shopping task. Research has shown that movement and gestures accomplished during the visit to a store are constituents of the shopping experience (Peñaloza, 1999, Kozinets et al., 2004 and Borghini et al., 2012). More generally, research in physiology and psychology has recognized the role of movement and gestures in the constitution of human experience (Berthoz, 2000, Beilock and Holt, 2007, Siakaluk et al., 2008 and Cannon et al., 2010). The configuration of the store, its layout and more broadly its design, channel the movements and gestures of shoppers and probably influence the kinetic quality of the store. But the knowledge of its antecedents and outcomes are very limited. Research in this domain is still rare, even after Bitner's remark (1992) that “surprisingly little has been published about the effects of spatial layout and functionality on customers in commercial service settings”. The few investigations on the topic have endorsed a narrow approach of the kinetic quality of the store environment by focusing solely on its utilitarian facet and leaving aside its hedonic dimension. This is for example the case for study of “store layout and functionality” (Bitner, 1992) or “instrumentality” (Vilnai-Yavetz et al., 2005). Therefore, the aim of this research is to explore several unanswered questions: – What is the influence of the kinetic quality on shopping values and purchase? Does it influence utilitarian value only, or does it also have a positive impact on hedonic value? – How does the impact of kinetic quality compare with the impact of the affective quality? Is one more important than the other? – Do sensory stimuli (visual esthetics and music) impact the kinetic quality of the store? Answering these questions may have strong managerial implications. For example, in 2010 Carrefour invested millions of Euros in a new hypermarket concept to stop the decline in attractiveness among its customers. The aim of the new design was to improve the kinetic quality of the store (larger aisles, lower gondolas to facilitate contact with products). In spite of this choice, they continue to lose customers. Has kinetic quality really an impact on customer behavior? Should retailers invest in this dimension of store design, or focus solely on affective quality? We first specify in more detail the concept of kinetic quality and its place within the other qualities of a store environment. We then present our model that introduces kinetic quality in a broader model of the influence of store environment. Data collection and analysis are then exposed before discussing the findings.

Music, visual esthetics and the affective quality attributed to the store environment all improve the hedonic and the utilitarian values extracted from the visit to a store. More importantly, kinetic quality of the store has also an impact on both shopping values. Moreover, the influence is similar or higher in magnitude to that of the other variables studied. Music and visual esthetics, although not channeling directly movements and gestures influence the perception of the kinetic quality of the store.