Prior research indicates the strategic importance of the store environment in enhancing customers’ shopping experience and their purchase decisions. This article examines the effects of imaginative displays on customers’ purchase behavior. An imaginative display is constructed using multiple units of the same product in a novel or innovative yet aesthetically appealing form, which could be themed (i.e., having a particular shape mimicking an object) or unthemed. Six studies in both lab and field settings show that, relative to standard displays (i.e., non-novel and neutral aesthetics), imaginative displays can increase customers’ purchase behavior and intentions. Importantly, for themed imaginative displays, these effects work through the dual mechanisms of affect-based arousal and cognition-based inferred benefits, which are contingent on congruence between display form and perceived product benefit. Findings from this research not only contribute to the literature on in-store display and store atmospherics but also have significant practical implications for retailers. Specifically, while imaginative displays may appear gimmicky, they can favorably influence customers’ purchase behavior and increase product sales at relatively low costs.
BakerJulieLevyMichaelGrewalDhruv (1992), “An Experimental Approach to Making Retail Store Environmental Decisions,” Journal of Retailing, 68 (4), 445–60.
2.
BarsalouLawrence W. (1985), “Ideals, Central Tendency, and Frequency of Instantiation as Determinants of Graded Structure in Categories,” Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 11 (4), 629–54.
3.
BatraRajeevRamaswamyVenkatramAldenDana L.SteenkampJan-Benedict E. M.RamachanderS. (2000), “Effects of Brand Local and Nonlocal Origin on Consumer Attitudes in Developing Countries,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 9 (2), 83–95.
4.
BergerJonahFitzsimonsGráinne (2008), “Dogs on the Street, Pumas on Your Feet: How Cues in the Environment Influence Product Evaluation and Choice,” Journal of Marketing Research, 45 (1), 1–14.
5.
BerlyneDaniel E. (1950), “Novelty and Curiosity as Determinants of Exploratory Behavior,” British Journal of Psychology, 41 (1–2), 68–80.
6.
BerlyneDaniel E. (1974), Studies in the New Experimental Aesthetics. Washington, DC: Hemisphere Publishing.
7.
BlochPeter H. (1995), “Seeking the Ideal Form: Product Design and Consumer Response,” Journal of Marketing, 59 (3), 16–29.
8.
BlochPeter H. (2011), “Product Design and Marketing: Reflections after Fifteen Years,” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 28 (3), 378–80.
9.
BlochPeter H.BrunelFrederic F.ArnoldTodd J. (2003), “Individual Differences in the Centrality of Visual Product Aesthetics: Concept and Measurement,” Journal of Consumer Research, 29 (4), 551–65.
10.
BreugelmansElsCampoKatia (2011), “Effectiveness of In-Store Displays in a Virtual Store Environment,” Journal of Retailing, 87 (1), 75–89.
11.
BuechelEva C.TownsendClaudia (2018), “Buying Beauty for the Long Run: (Mis)predicting Liking of Product Aesthetics,” Journal of Consumer Research, 45 (2), 275–97.
12.
CastroIana A.MoralesAndrea C.NowlisStephen M. (2013), “The Influence of Disorganized Shelf Displays and Limited Product Quantity on Consumer Purchase,” Journal of Marketing, 77 (4), 118–33.
13.
CavazzaNicolettaGabrielliVeronica (2015), “Affordant Shapes of Product Holder Influence Product Evaluation and Purchase Intention,” Current Psychology, 34 (2), 447–65.
14.
ChandonPierreWesley HutchinsonJ.BradlowEric T.YoungScott H. (2009), “Does In-Store Marketing Work? Effects of the Number and Position of Shelf Facings on Brand Attention and Evaluation at the Point of Purchase,” Journal of Marketing, 73 (6), 1–17.
15.
CreusenMariëlle E. H.SchoormansJan P. L. (2005), “The Different Roles of Product Appearance in Consumer Choice,” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 22 (1), 63–81.
16.
DahlDarren W.MoreauPage (2002), “The Influence and Value of Analogical Thinking During New Product Ideation,” Journal of Marketing Research, 39 (1), 47–60.
17.
DengXiaoyanKahnBarbara E.Rao UnnavaH.LeeHyojin (2016), “A ‘Wide’ Variety: Effects of Horizontal Versus Vertical Display on Assortment Processing, Perceived Variety, and Choice,” Journal of Marketing Research, 53 (5), 682–98.
18.
Di MuroFabrizioMurrayKyle B. (2012), “An Arousal Regulation Explanation of Mood Effects on Consumer Choice,” Journal of Consumer Research, 39 (3), 574–84.
19.
DiehlKristinHerpenErica vanLambertonCait (2015), “Organizing Products with Complements versus Substitutes: Effects on Store Preferences as a Function of Effort and Assortment Perceptions,” Journal of Retailing, 91 (1), 1–18.
20.
DonovanRobert J.RossiterJohn R. (1982), “Store Atmosphere: An Environmental Psychology Approach,” Journal of Retailing, 58 (1), 34–57.
21.
ElazaryLiorIttiLaurent (2008), “Interesting Objects Are Visually Salient,” Journal of Vision, 8 (3), 1–15.
22.
FioreAnn MarieYahXinluYohEunah (2000), “Effects of a Product Display and Environmental Fragrancing on Approach Responses and Pleasurable Experiences,” Psychology & Marketing, 17 (1), 27–54.
23.
GargNitikaJeffrey InmanJ.MittalVikas (2005), “Incidental and Task-Related Affect: A Re-Inquiry and Extension of the Influence of Affect on Choice,” Journal of Consumer Research, 32 (1), 154–59.
24.
GrewalLaurenHmurovicJillianLambertonCaitReczekRebecca Walker (2019), “The Self-Perception Connection: Why Consumers Devalue Unattractive Produce,” Journal of Marketing, 83 (1), 89–107.
HavlenaWilliam J.HolbrookMorris B. (1986), “The Varieties of Consumption Experience: Comparing Two Typologies of Emotion in Consumer Behavior,” Journal of Consumer Research, 13 (3), 394–404.
28.
HayesAndrew F. (2018), Introduction to Mediation, Moderation, and Conditional Process Analysis: A Regression-Based Approach, 2nd ed. New York: The Guilford Press.
29.
HirschmanElizabeth C. (1980), “Innovativeness, Novelty Seeking, and Consumer Creativity,” Journal of Consumer Research, 7 (3), 283–95.
30.
HoeggJoAndreaAlbaJoseph W.DahlDarren W. (2010), “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Influence of Aesthetics on Product Feature Judgments,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 20 (4), 419–30.
31.
HollinsBillPughStuart (1990), Successful Product Design: What to Do and When. London: Butterworth-Heinemann.
32.
InmanJ. JeffreyWinerRussell S.FerraroRosellina (2009), “The Interplay Among Category Characteristics, Customer Characteristics, and Customer Activities on In-Store Decision Making,” Journal of Marketing, 73 (5), 19–29.
33.
KaltchevaVelitchka D.WeitzBarton A. (2006), “When Should a Retailer Create an Exciting Store Environment?” Journal of Marketing, 70 (1), 107–18.
KrishnaAradhnaCianLucaAydınoğluNilüfer Z. (2017), “Sensory Aspects of Package Design,” Journal of Retailing, 93 (1), 43–54.
36.
LamShun YinMukherjeeAvinandan (2005), “The Effects of Merchandise Coordination and Juxtaposition on Consumers’ Product Evaluation and Purchase Intention in Store-Based Retailing,” Journal of Retailing, 81 (3), 231–50.
37.
LamShun YinHo-ying FuJeanneLiDongmei (2017), “The Influence of Thematic Product Displays on Consumers: An Elaboration-Based Account,” Psychology & Marketing, 34 (9), 868–83.
38.
LangPeter J.BradleyMargaret M.CuthbertBruce N. (2008), “International Affective Picture System (IAPS): Affective Ratings of Pictures and Instruction Manual,” Technical Report A-8, University of Florida.
39.
LeeAngela Y.KellerPunam AnandSternthalBrian (2010), “Value from Regulatory Construal Fit: The Persuasive Impact of Fit between Consumer Goals and Message Concreteness,” Journal of Consumer Research, 36 (5), 735–47.
40.
LundhLars-Gunnar (1995), “Meaning Structures and Mental Representations,” Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 36 (4), 363–85.
41.
MacKenzieScott B.LutzRichard J.BelchGeorge E. (1986), “The Role of Attitude Toward the Ad as a Mediator of Advertising Effectiveness: A Test of Competing Explanations,” Journal of Marketing Research, 23 (2), 130–43.
42.
ManavisAthanasiosSourrisTheocharisDimouEvaEfkolidisNikolaosKyratsisPanagiotis (2019), “An Inspiration from Nature Design Methodology for In-Store Displays,” Journal of Packaging Technology and Research, 3 (2), 141–48.
43.
MehrabianAlbertRussellJames A. (1974), An Approach to Environmental Psychology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
44.
Meyers-LevyJoanZhuRui (Juliet) (2010), “Gender Differences in the Meanings Consumers Infer from Music and Other Aesthetic Stimuli,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 20 (4), 495–507.
45.
MichelCharlesVelascoCarlosGattiEliaSpenceCharles (2014), “A Taste of Kandinsky: Assessing the Influence of the Artistic Visual Presentation of Food on the Dining Experience,” Flavour, 3 (1), 7–17.
46.
MoralesAndrea C.FitzsimonsGavan J. (2007), “Product Contagion: Changing Consumer Evaluations Through Physical Contact with “Disgusting” Products,” Journal of Marketing Research, 44 (2), 272–83.
47.
MorrisonMichaelGanSarahDubelaarChrisOppewalHarmen (2011), “In-Store Music and Aroma Influences on Shopper Behavior and Satisfaction,” Journal of Business Research, 64 (6), 558–64.
48.
MuggeRuthSchoormansJan P. L. (2012), “Product Design and Apparent Usability: The Influence of Novelty in Product Appearance,” Applied Ergonomics, 43 (6), 1081–88.
NordfältJensGrewalDhruvRoggeveenAnne L.HillKrista M. (2014), “Insights from In-Store Marketing Experiments,” in Review of Marketing Research: Shopper Marketing and the Role of In-Store Marketing, Vol. 11, GrewalDhruvRoggeveenAnne L.NordfältJens, eds. Bingley, UK: Emerald, 127–46.
51.
NoseworthyTheodore J.MuroFabrizio DiMurrayKyle B. (2014), “The Role of Arousal in Congruity-Based Product Evaluation,” Journal of Consumer Research, 41 (4), 1108–26.
52.
ParkerJeffrey R.LehmannDonald R. (2011), “When Shelf-Based Scarcity Impacts Consumer Preferences,” Journal of Retailing, 87 (2), 142–55.
53.
PietersRikWedelMichelBatraRajeev (2010), “The Stopping Power of Advertising: Measures and Effects of Visual Complexity,” Journal of Marketing, 74 (5), 48–60.
RadfordScott K.BlochPeter H. (2011), “Linking Innovation to Design: Consumer Responses to Visual Product Newness,” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 28 (s1), 208–20.
56.
RaghubirPriyaGreenleafEric A. (2006), “Ratios in Proportion: What Should the Shape of the Package Be?” Journal of Marketing, 70 (2), 95–107.
57.
RazzoukNabil Y.SeitzVictoriaKumarVijay (2002), “The Impact of Perceived Display Completeness/Incompleteness on Shoppers’ In-Store Selection of Merchandise: An Empirical Study,” Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 9 (1), 31–35.
58.
RegoArménioJúniorDálcio ReisCunhaMiguel Pina eStallbaumGabrielNevesPedro (2014), “Store Creativity Mediating the Relationship Between Affective Tone and Performance,” Managing Service Quality, 24 (1), 63–85.
59.
RoggeveenAnne L.GrewalDhruvSchweigerElisa B. (2020), “The DAST Framework for Retail Atmospherics: The Impact of In- and Out-of-Store Retail Journey Touchpoints on the Customer Experience,” Journal of Retailing, 96 (1), 128–37.
60.
RoggeveenAnne L.NordfältJensGrewalDhruv (2016), “Do Digital Displays Enhance Sales? Role of Retail Format and Message Content,” Journal of Retailing, 92 (1), 122–31.
61.
SarantopoulosPanagiotisTheotokisAristeidisPramatariKaterinaRoggeveenAnne L. (2019), “The Impact of a Complement-Based Assortment Organization on Purchases,” Journal of Marketing Research, 56 (3), 459–78.
62.
SchachterStanleySingerJerome (1962), “Cognitive, Social, and Physiological Determinants of Emotional State,” Psychological Review, 69 (5), 379–99.
63.
SevillaJulioTownsendClaudia (2016), “The Space-to-Product Ratio Effect: How Interstitial Space Influences Product Aesthetic Appeal, Store Perceptions and Product Preference,” Journal of Marketing Research, 53 (5), 665–81.
64.
SimonsonItamarNowlisStephen M. (2000), “The Role of Explanations and Need for Uniqueness in Consumer Decision Making: Unconventional Choices Based on Reasons,” Journal of Consumer Research, 27 (1), 49–68.
65.
SimontonDean Keith (2010), “Emotion and Composition in Classical Music: Historiometric Perspectives,” in Handbook of Music and Emotion: Theory, Research, Applications, JuslinPatrik N.SlobodaJohn A., eds. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 205–22.
66.
SpencerSteven J.ZannaMark P.FongGeoffrey T. (2005), “Establishing a Causal Chain: Why Experiments Are Often More Effective than Mediational Analyses in Examining Psychological Processes,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89 (6), 845–51.
67.
SundarAparnaNoseworthyTheodore J. (2014), “Place the Logo High or Low? Using Conceptual Metaphors of Power in Packaging Design,” Journal of Marketing, 78 (5), 138–51.
68.
TownsendClaudia (2017), “The Price of Beauty: Differential Effects of Design Elements with and without Cost Implications in Nonprofit Donor Solicitations,” Journal of Consumer Research, 44 (4), 794–815.
69.
VeryzerRobert W.JrWesley HutchinsonJ. (1998), “The Influence of Unity and Prototypicality on Aesthetic Responses to New Product Designs,” Journal of Consumer Research, 24 (4), 374–85.
70.
WangYong JianMinorMichael S.WeiJie (2011), “Aesthetics and the Online Shopping Environment: Understanding Consumer Responses,” Journal of Retailing, 87 (1), 46–58.
ZhuRuiMeyers-LevyJoan (2009), “The Influence of Self-View on Context Effects: How Display Fixtures Can Affect Product Evaluations,” Journal of Marketing Research, 46 (1), 37–45.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
