Abstract
The aim of this study is to find out whether the store layout has an influence on consumer behaviour and to analyse the differences in consumer behaviour in two different types of layout, which are grid layout and free-form layout. Literature was researched in areas of retailing, marketing, consumer behaviour and environmental psychology. Previous studies are found to be focused on other elements of store environment and their influence on consumer behaviour without establishing any major relationship with store layout. Furthermore the literature on store layout and its effects on consumer behaviour does not show any empirical evidence. Therefore, this study tries to link previous suggestions on store layout with environmental psychology models and to fill this gap in the literature by providing statistical evidence. One hundred and twenty customers of a grocery store were randomly interviewed using structured questionnaires, real and simulated environments. The respondents were shown plans and pictures of grid and free-form store layout to give an idea of the layout. Forty respondents answered questions related to each one of the simulated layouts and another forty respondents provided answers for the visited store to test the reliability of the data obtained from simulated environments. The effect of pleasure, arousal and dominance of the store layout on customers’ approach behaviour was analysed by regression analysis and the level of these emotional states and approach behaviour in grid layout and free-form layout was compared by using t-test. The findings of the study show that pleasure feeling caused by store layout significantly affect the approach behaviour, whereas dominance has little effect and arousal does not have any influence. Additionally, the study did not show any significant difference of the pleasure, arousal and dominance emotional states and approach behaviour in grid layout and free-form layout. The results would suggest therefore, that it would be to the advantage of retailers to organise the layout with the intention of increasing pleasure and dominance feelings of customers, so that they would experience more approach behaviours towards the store.