A retail store space in luxury fashion functions as a critical marketing point communicating the brand’s intended image. This study explores the symbolic effect of aesthetic factors of retail atmosphere in luxury, focusing on the impact of perceived luxury of interior colors in retail atmosphere on perceived store luxury, consumer emotion, and preference. A total of 218 U.S. consumers participated in an online survey, employing a hypothetical store image reflecting a high- or low-luxury retail atmosphere (manipulated through the interior colors). The results statistically support that (a) participants exposed to the high-luxury retail atmosphere condition (of high-luxury colors) report a higher level of perceived store luxury than do the participants exposed to the low-luxury retail atmosphere condition (of low-luxury colors), (b) perceived store luxury increases felt pleasure and arousal but not felt dominance, and (c) felt pleasure and arousal improve store preference.
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