Congruency of Scent and Music As a Driver of In-Store Evaluations and Behavior

ABSTRACT - Retailers have long understood the importance of a store’s ambient conditions in enhancing the shopping experience. However, empirical research, which addresses this aspect of the service environment, is lacking. The focus of this paper is on two ambient cues: scent and music. Specifically, through a factorial design in a field setting, this paper investigates the combined effect of ambient scent and background music on consumers’ emotions, behaviors and satisfaction evaluations in a service environment. The results of this study suggest that when these ambient factors were congruent with each other in terms of arousing quality, consumers rated the environment more positively, experienced enhanced satisfaction with the shopping experience, exhibited higher levels of approach behaviors, and spent more money than when the environmental cues were at odds with each other.

Citation:

Jochen Wirtz and Anna Mattila (2001) ,"Congruency of Scent and Music As a Driver of In-Store Evaluations and Behavior", in AP - Asia Pacific Advances in Consumer Research Volume 4, eds. Paula M. Tidwell and Thomas E. Muller, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 363.

Asia Pacific Advances in Consumer Research Volume 4, 2001      Page 363

CONGRUENCY OF SCENT AND MUSIC AS A DRIVER OF IN-STORE EVALUATIONS AND BEHAVIOR

Jochen Wirtz, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Anna Mattila, Pennsylvania State University, U.S.A.

[The authors gratefully acknowledge Sharon Tan Shin Ngee for her excellent research assistance, and the National University of Singapore for partially funding this project.]

ABSTRACT -

Retailers have long understood the importance of a store’s ambient conditions in enhancing the shopping experience. However, empirical research, which addresses this aspect of the service environment, is lacking. The focus of this paper is on two ambient cues: scent and music. Specifically, through a factorial design in a field setting, this paper investigates the combined effect of ambient scent and background music on consumers’ emotions, behaviors and satisfaction evaluations in a service environment. The results of this study suggest that when these ambient factors were congruent with each other in terms of arousing quality, consumers rated the environment more positively, experienced enhanced satisfaction with the shopping experience, exhibited higher levels of approach behaviors, and spent more money than when the environmental cues were at odds with each other.

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