THE INFLUENCE OF RETAIL STORE IMAGE AND INDIVIDUAL FACTORS ON CONSUMER BUYING DECISIONS

Abstract

In this article is examined the relationship between store image, individual factors and consumer purchase behavior. First link is made between consumer attitudes and his buying decisions. Second, the relationship between store image and consumer purchase behavior is mediated by attributes of retailer that include merchandising, store atmosphere, in-store service, accessibility, reputation, promotion, facilities and post-transaction service. This article is a theoretical approach on what is known about how people decide whether or not to buy something and then how they decide which item or items to buy and what retailer is the best choice. In the process of doing this, we will discover that the process of making a buying decision is not nearly as simply as it may seem. A good understanding about how consumers make buying decisions is very important in developing effective marketing plans. Marketers can change the design of the store interior, aisle layout, carpet and wall textures, scents, colors, shapes, and sounds experienced by the customers. Thus store image is a result of many variables which can be manipulated by the retailer to influence consumer mood and, subsequently, the buyer's behavior.