Effects of Illumination on Store Perception and Shopping Intention: Shedding Light on Conflicting Theories

摘要

This paper analyses how store lighting influences store atmosphere, price and quality perception, and the intention to shop in a retail store. A first experiment shows how the brightness and accentuation of lighting influence these dependent variables. The findings demonstrate that brightness especially results in higher pleasure and shopping intention, while for price and quality perception inferences via pleasure and direct categorisation effects cancel each other out. Accentuation has marginally significant positive effects on perceived pleasure and quality perception. A second experiment shows that warm orange light (compared to cool blueish light) results in greater quality perception and shopping intention via greater pleasure. However, this effect exists only when colours are saturated, but not for pastel colours. We recommend that retailers optimize their lighting concept based on our findings after filtering options, which fit with their positioning and store design concept.