Future Directions for Retail Design Management

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ed to provide an adequate and reliable taxonomy of stimuli which can be used in the context of any service setting. The application of knowledge in this field is clearly necessary and will lead to a greater understanding of the various determinants and antecedents of behaviour (which are frequently based on expectations). Environmental psychology approaches have been used with some success (see Mehrabian and Russell, 1974; Donovan and Rossiter, 1982; Sherman and Smith, 1987, and more recently Donovan, Rossiter, Marcoolyn, and Nesdale, 1994), but invariably apply a nonspecific and narrow band of environmental factors. This paper attempts to rectify this by extending a predictive framework (see Figure 1 below) which incorporates a breadth of essential constructs. These are then used to guide a subsequent piece of empirical work, rather than establish a definitive list of components. In reality, the multifarious range of features in settings obstructs the task of distinguishing many important elements.


Hypothetically, a rich and multidimensional setting was needed in order to investigate some of the influences presented in the framework. Surroundings that intensify and heighten moods are preferable in order to increase the likelihood of gathering significant data. Hence, the nature of the setting was crucial to the study as it was likely to mediate the relative importance of the variables. It could also hinder the task of explaining their impact on consumption. A modern International airport terminal was subsequently chosen. This presented an exceptional opportunity to study a consumer setting which has the potential to imbue increased levels of affect (Newman, et al., 1994a). Collaboration with the airport operators established an "open" access (both landside and airside) agreement, covering the entire retail operation.


Airport terminal design in the United Kingdom (UK) has altered dramatically in recent years, and largely in ...