The Role of the Perceived Servicescape in a Supermarket the Case of ICA MAXI, Jönköping, Sweden
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The role of the perceived servicescape in a supermarket The case of ICA MAXI, Jönköping, Sweden Master’s thesis within International Marketing Author: Egle Cicenaite, Maria Maciejewska Tutor: Prof. Adele Berndt Jönköping 2012 Master’s Thesis in Business Administration Title: The role of the perceived servicescape in a supermarket. The case of ICA MAXI, Jönköping, Sweden Author: Egle Cicenaite, Maria Maciejewska Tutor: Prof. Adele Berndt Date: 2012-05-14 Subject terms: Mehrabian & Russell Stimulus-Organism-Response model, Bitner’s framework of servicescapes, environmental factors in a supermarket, customers in Sweden, ICA MAXI Abstract Introduction: As many buying decision are made in retail stores, it is interesting to investigate which factors, such as noise, lighting, music, colour, layout or visual communication have a significant influence on customers’ behaviour in a supermarket. Since only a few studies have been conducted among customers in Sweden, this paper examined their behaviour in the supermarket. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the role of the various environmental factors in the supermarket as well as how the perceived servicescape influences customers’ behaviour in the store. Method: The research approach used was that of a single case study, based on survey instrument (personal interviews and electronic collection) in order to collect data on facets in regards to the perceived servicescape and customers’ behaviour in the supermarket. A supermarket chain – the ICA group, precisely ICA MAXI in Jönköping was used for this purpose. The collected data was analysed with the means of factor analysis and multiple regression methods in order to obtain factors that can influence customers’ behaviour in the supermarket. Findings and Conclusion: The conducted study showed that lighting, noise, colours, signs and symbols as well as space/function conditions such as layout and equipment are the factors that create emotionally pleasant environment in the supermarket. Thus, these factors influence customers’ moods, attitudes or certain beliefs about the supermarket. Moreover, customers may feel happier, more satisfied or relaxed in the supermarket, which lead to arousal – stimulation or excitement. Furthermore, the environmental factors explain the approach behaviour such as exploring the supermarket, spending more time on browsing the products which, consequently, refer to an increased number of items bought. i Acknowledgments This research would not be completed without the great help and support from the people who contributed their time in different ways to our research. We specially would like to thank our supervisor as well as our fellow-students for their suggestions and benevolent attitude. Furthermore, we are kindly grateful for the respondents in Jönköping, Sweden who spent their time to take part in our survey. We want to say thank you as well to managers of ICA MAXI, Jönköping, Sweden for allowing us to collect the data in the supermarket. Last but not least, we highly appreciate our families for their warm and effortless support and encouragement to our study. Jönköping May, 2012 Egle Cicenaite and Maria Maciejewska ii Table of Contents 1 Introduction .................................................................................... 7 1.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 7 1.2 Problem .................................................................................................................... 9 1.3 Purpose ...................................................................................................................10 1.4 Research questions ................................................................................................10 1.5 Delimitations ..........................................................................................................11 1.6 Definitions ..............................................................................................................11 2 Literature Review ........................................................................... 12 2.1 Servicescapes ..........................................................................................................12 2.2 Dimensions of the perceived servicescape ........................................................14 2.2.1 Ambient conditions .................................................................................14 a) Music .........................................................................................................14 b) Noise ..........................................................................................................15 c) Lightning ...................................................................................................15 d) Colour ........................................................................................................16 2.2.2 Signs, symbols and artifacts ....................................................................17 a) Visual communication (Signage, personal artifacts) ...........................17 2.2.3 Space/function conditions .....................................................................17 a) Layout, equipment and furnishing ........................................................17 2.2.4 Connected stimuli ....................................................................................18 2.3 Internal responses: cognitive, emotional and physiological ............................18 2.3.1 Cognition and environment ...................................................................18 2.3.2 Emotion and environment .....................................................................18 2.3.3 Physiology and environment ..................................................................19 2.3.4 Variations in internal responses .............................................................19 2.4 Individual behaviours ...........................................................................................19 2.4.1 The M-R Stimulus-Organism-Response model ..................................19 2.4.2 Environmental stimulus (S) ....................................................................20 2.4.3 Emotional states (O) ...............................................................................20 2.4.4 Behaviour responses (R) .........................................................................22 2.4.5 Studies based on the M-R model ..........................................................22 3 Methodology .................................................................................. 23 3.1 The research design ..............................................................................................23 3.2 Quantitative research method .............................................................................23 3.3 Descriptive research ..............................................................................................24 3.4 The target population ...........................................................................................24 3.5 Sampling technique ...............................................................................................24 3.6 Data collection .......................................................................................................25 3.7 Questionnaire .........................................................................................................26 3.7.1 Pre-Test .....................................................................................................26 3.8 Data analysis...........................................................................................................27 3.9 Trustworthiness and relevance of information .................................................27 4 Findings ......................................................................................... 28 4.1 Reversing negatively worded questions .............................................................29 4.2 Reliability ................................................................................................................29 iii 4.3 Descriptive statistics .............................................................................................31 4.4 Analysing the significant differences ..................................................................32 4.4.1 T-test ..........................................................................................................32 4.4.2 One-way ANOVA ...................................................................................33 4.5 Factor analysis ........................................................................................................38 4.6 Multiple regression ................................................................................................42 4.6.1 Correlations and multicollinearity .........................................................43 4.6.2 Evaluating the regression model of customers’ behaviour in ICA MAXI .........................................................................................................44 4.6.3 Evaluating contribution of the dependent variable in customers’ behaviour in ICA MAXI ..................................................................45 5 Analysis .......................................................................................... 45 6 Conclusion ....................................................................................