Customer experiences : the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting

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Customer Experiences

The influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting

Charelle Bruijn

Keywords: Customer Experiences, retail atmospherics, perception

of waiting, queues

Full name Charelle Bruijn Student number 10399232

Date of submission 31th_{of March, 2015; final}

Master program Executive Programme in Management Studies – Marketing Strategy University of Amsterdam

1st_reader _{E. Peelen}

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 2

Statement of Originality

This document is written by Charelle Bruijn who declares to take full responsibility for the contents of this document. I declare that the text and the work presented in this document is original and that no sources other than those mentioned in the text and its references have been used in creating it. The Faculty of Economics and Business is responsible solely for the supervision of completion of the work, not for the contents.

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Preface

September 2014 is the start of my thesis process. Already working for three months on this subject, I go to the ballet experience of the 'Zwanenmeer' in Amsterdam. A 3.5 hour show takes me to the story which P.I. Tsjaikofsky wrote in 1875-1876 and which was first shown in the Bolsjojtheater in Moscow, in 1877.

During the show I realize that this is a metaphor for the subject I am working on. The ballet dancers show an incredible high level of performance: their bodies are in beautiful movement, from the graceful use of their arms and their backs which they manage to keep perfectly straight to the footwork they show on point shoes. However, this is just one part of the experience. The experience is coalescence with the decors, the use of the lighting, the costumes and the music played by the orchestra.

The coalescence makes that when removing one of these parts a bit of mystery is missing. Removing the lightings will make the ballet dancers disappear to the background; omitting the decors will ensure that the environment catches less of the imagination and the removal of music will provide that the sphere in the play at that moment disappears. All these parts are together stronger than the separate parts. Will these atmospheric stimuli have the same influence in other situations? And does this also apply for the coalescence of these stimuli?

At the end of the show, minutes of applause for the dancers and the orchestra follow. However, after we have been applauding for two minutes already (showing a few dancers every time) the curtains fall. Before the curtains open again, I assume that all dancers are on the stage (one group has not been on the podium yet). When the curtains open, it is still the same group. It feels like we are clapping our hands too long. Other visitors already leave while the doors are officially still closed. Can this last part of the show ruin my memory of the entire 3.5 hour show? Because the value of the show for me is higher than these few last minutes, I don’t want this to happen. However I write this preface the next day, which proves that it is still in my memory.

How can this final part of the experience have an impact in other situations? How can this final moment have an impact on the customers' experience in a retail store? To what extent could the perception of waiting at the checkout influence the customers' satisfaction? And more important, how could the perception of waiting be positively influenced by the waiting environment? This study aims at answering these questions and gives new insights to the existing literature.

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Abstract

In creating customer experiences the peak moments and final moment are most important. The final moment retail stores struggle with, is waiting in the queue at the checkout. The perception of waiting is an important influencer of the satisfaction with the service. Since operational costs can be very high to influence the objective waiting time (Tom, G., & Lucey, S., 1995), companies search for other ways to influence the satisfaction with service. The goal of this study is to examine the impact of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting. The retail atmospherics can influence the waiting environment by increasing the perceived attractiveness of the waiting environment or by creating distraction from the waiting environment. In a field experiment four atmospheric stimuli has been tested: background music and dimmed light increase the perceived attractiveness of the waiting environment; short movies on TV screens and the use of recipe(books)stands create distraction from the waiting environment. Next to these four stimuli a combination of these stimuli has been tested to examine the impact of the holistic experience. First, results indicate that the use of background music and short movies on TV screens have a positive effect on the perception of waiting. Second, the combination test, showing the holistic perspective, has a positive effect on the perception of waiting, caused by the reinforced effect of music in dimmed light conditions. Finally, the relative importance of the three characterizations of the wait is sequentially from low to high: (1) perceived attractiveness of the waiting environment, (2) explicit distraction from the waiting environment and (3) the holistic experience of the waiting environment.

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List of Tables

Table 1. Elements of Customer Experiences (CE) ... 11

Table 2. Summary of the utilitarian and hedonic shopper values... 17

Table 3. Overview of research about the stimulus music ... 21

Table 4. Overview of research about the stimulus lighting ... 22

Table 5. Overview of the demographic characteristics of the sample size ... 30

Table 6. Independent Samples T-tests for Music and Light ... 34

Table 7. Independent Samples T-tests for recipe furniture and TV ... 34

Table 8. Independent Samples T-tests for combination test and control store ... 35

Table 9. The CFA model fit statistics for organizational ambidexterity. ... 41

Table 10. Overview of hypotheses outcomes ... 44

Table 11. Pearson correlations for Music, based on conceptual model ... 55

Table 12. Pearson correlations for TV, based on conceptual model ... 55

Table 13. Pearson correlations for the Combination test, based on conceptual model ... 55

List of figures

Figure 1. Overview of interaction moments of Customer Experience. ... 12

Figure 2. The influence of retail atmospherics. ... 14

Figure 3. Conceptual model. ... 19

Figure 4. Photos regarding bright and dimmed light ... 28

Figure 5. Photos regarding the absence/presence of recipe(books)stands ... 29

Figure 6. Photos regarding the absence/presence of short movies on TV screens ... 29

Figure 7. Photos regarding the combination test... 29

Figure 8. Graphical representation for the Perceived Waiting Time and Acceptable Waiting per stimuli ... 36

Figure 9. Graphical representation for the feelings to the Waiting Environment per stimuli ... 37

Figure 10. Graphical representation for the Cognitive and Affective Appraisal of the Wait per stimuli ... 38

Figure 11. Graphical representation for the Satisfaction with the Service per stimuli ... 39

Figure 12. Opinion of customer to the atmospheric stimuli (n=370)... 40

Figure 13. Estimated path model for Music ... 41

Figure 14. Estimated path model for TV ... 42

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1. Introduction

Creating superior customer experience seems to be one of the central objectives in today’s retailing environments (Verhoef et al, 2009). In this study Customer Experiences is defined as '(1) every point of contact where the customer interacts directly or indirectly with a product, company or service, (2) influenced by factors a retailer can and cannot control creating a holistic experience and (3) followed by an internal (cognitive and affective) evaluation and external evaluation (satisfaction with the service).

Why is customer experience one of the central objectives? Markets are dominated by ever-increasing commoditization (Veldhoen, B. & Van Slooten, van S., 2014), which means retailers in these markets are not differentiating anymore. To distinguish oneself as a retailer from other retailers is therefore an important theme. Customers have become more demanding, whereby solely competing on price and quality is not enough in customer expectations. Therefore, retail stores now have to get the attention from customers in a new way: by creating a superior customer experience where stores satisfy and even surprise their customers.

The customer experience is created by peak moments and the final moment (Kahneman, Fredrickson et al., 1993), which indicates these moments make a difference. The final moment in a retail store is mainly waiting in the queue at the checkout area to pay for the products or services. The perception of waiting influences the overall satisfaction of the customer (van Riel, A. et al, 2012). If companies want to create a positive experience it is important to find ways to make time pass as quickly and pleasantly as possible (Pruyn, A., 1998) by changing the waiting environment. This waiting environment is influenced by many retail atmospherics, defined as the conscious designing of space to create specific effects in buyers (Kotler 1973). It evokes a certain feeling to the customer and this feeling is expressed in the perception of waiting.

This study examines the effect of various retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting in a retail store and the combination of these stimuli. Four stimuli influencing the waiting environment are tested to examine what influence these stimuli have on the perception of waiting, by increasing the perceived attractiveness of the waiting environment and explicit distraction from the waiting environment. The theoretical relevance is threefold. First, research is limited in the field of atmospheric stimuli influencing the perception of waiting and therefore this study deepens the scientific literature on this subject. Second, the findings in existing literature are often contradictory and therefore this study aims at giving a verdict on this. Third, the impact of multiple stimuli at the same time has been barely examined and this study deepens this knowledge.

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 8 The managerial perspective stems from the fact that operational costs of shortening the objective waiting time (the time it actually takes) is expensive (Tom, G., & Lucey, S., 1995). Changing the waiting environment can be a powerful tool to positively influence the perception of the wait and therewith the overall satisfaction. This study gives insights which atmospheric stimuli mangers should use in order to influence the perception of waiting.

The main research question addressed in this study is:

"What is the impact of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting?”? The sub questions answered are:

1. What is the impact of perceived attractiveness and explicit distraction on the perceived and acceptable waiting time?

2. What is the impact of perceived attractiveness and explicit distraction on the appraisal of the wait?

3. What is the impact of perceived attractiveness and explicit distraction on the satisfaction with the service?

4. What is the impact of these combined retail atmospherics (holistic perspective) on these variables? (mentioned in 1-3)

Chapter 2 explains the definition of customer experiences and the theoretical background. Based on this section chapter 3 defines the conceptual model including the hypotheses. The research design (chapter 4) describes the methodology of the research as well as the measures, set up in the questionnaires. Chapter 5 reports on the results of the research, followed by the discussion and conclusions in chapter 6. This study ends (chapter 7) with implications and further research.

The limitations of this research are: first, the customer experience in an offline retail setting is examined; second, the research focuses on the customer experience in retail stores, only in supermarket stores. Third, since the research takes place in a real retail environment, it is not excluded that no other factors are changed during research, although not purposefully. Finally, the interaction moments before entering the store and after visiting the store are out of scope.

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2. Definition of Customer Experiences and theoretical background

The concept of Customer Experiences (CE) has evolved over the last decades and originates from the word "experience". Therefore we first have to understand the word experience before understanding Customer Experiences.

In the most simplest form experience means a memory of a story in mind, from people's immediate or long bygone past (Sundbo, Sørensen 2013). The remembering is a consequence of what a person felt or sensed, by certain psychological stimuli. The English dictionary describes the term 'experience' as '(the process of getting) knowledge or skills from doing, seeing or feeling things' and 'something that happens to you that affects your feelings'. Both translations, from Sundbo and the English dictionary, identify important elements of the word 'experience':

1) something happens or there is some event

2) the person or customer gets a certain feeling at that moment 3) that leaves a memory behind

Daniel Kahneman explains in the book of Huppert, Baylis et al. (2005) his definition of an experience: an experience consists of 'the experiencing self' (element 1 and 2 as mentioned above) and 'the remembering self' (element 3). The experiencing self is the state that does all the living by going through a succession of interaction moments. The remembering self is the experience that gets to keep the memories. But what is going from the 'experiencing self' to the 'remembering self'? To answer this question, the peak-end rule comes into place. The peak-end rule states that duration plays a small role in retrospective evaluations of aversive experiences; what is remembered are evaluations that are often dominated by the discomfort at the worst and at the final moments of episodes (Kahneman, Fredrickson et al., 1993). This also means for the positive: the best moments and final moment are remembered. Groundbreaking evidence for this rule came in 1993 with two experiments of putting a hand in warm water. The first experiment is to put one hand in warm water of 14 °C and after that, the second trial is to submerge the other hand in warm water of 14 °C, but this is extended with another 30 seconds in a bottle of warm water of 15 °C. People choose the second option, despite this takes more time, because people like the remembering of this trial better than the first one. Based on this paradigm, this study focuses on the experience of the final moment. Before deepening this final moment, it is important to understand the definition of Customer Experiences.

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2.1 Definition of Customer Experiences (CE)

Based on the word experience, customer experience becomes a well-known concept, suggesting that a person can have memories as a customer in a retail store. In this study Customer Experiences is defined as:

“(1) every point of contact where the customer interacts directly or indirectly with a

product, company or service, (2) influenced by factors a retailer can and cannot control

creating a holistic experience and (3) followed by an internal (cognitive and affective)

evaluation and external evaluation (satisfaction with the service)”

This new definition is created, because existing definitions do not contain all elements of customer experiences. Input is used from various authors. These earlier definitions will be explained to understand the urgency for a new definition.

LaSalle and Britton (2003) define CE as "a holistic experience which involves a person– as opposed to a customer- as a whole at different levels and in every interaction between such person and a company, or a company’s offer". Holistic or holism means literally 'the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and therefore inseparable' (www.encyclo.nl, 2014). As Mattila and Wirtz (2001) describe: "We argue that consumers perceive Servicescapes holistically and that consumer responses to a physical environment depend on ensemble effects (configurations)". This means that the total effect of all interaction moments together is larger than the effect of these interaction moments individually. LaSalle and Britton (2003) are the first authors referring to this effect. Grewal et al. (2009) describe the term customer experience as 'including every point of contact at which the customer interacts with the business, product or service'. This definition stresses the fact that the customer experience build up by multiple contact moments, however the interaction between these factors is not included. This is done by Gentile, Spiller and Noci (2007): “the customer experience originates from a set of interactions between a customer and a product, a company, or part of its organization, which provoke a reaction. This experience is strictly personal and implies the customer’s involvement at different levels (rational, emotional, sensorial, physical, and spiritual)”. The new element in this definition is the specific reaction of customers to multiple moments of contact. However, the definition does not suggest that the impact of these moments together can be stronger than these moments individually. Meyer and Schwager (2007) consider people’s response to any direct or indirect contact with a company to be both internal and subjective. The subjectivity of the response means influenced by personal opinion and feelings. Finally, Verhoef et al. (2009) submit that the customer construct is holistic in nature and "involves the customer’s cognitive, affective, emotional, social and physical responses to the retailer. This experience is created not only by

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 11 those factors that the retailer can control (e.g., service interface, retail atmosphere, assortment, price), but also by factors outside of the retailer’s control (e.g., influence of others, purpose of shopping)”. Apart from the fact that multiple interaction moments are not mentioned, this definition is the most complete of all mentioned definitions. In table 1 the different components mentioned in these definitions are summarized.

Table 1.

Elements of Customer Experiences (CE)

Components Authors

(1) every point of contact; (2) a set of interactions Grewal et al. (2009); Gentile, Spiller, and Noci (2007);

(1) customer interacts with the business, product or service;

(2) between a customer and a product, a company, or part of its organization………; (3) direct or indirect contact with a company ; (4) the customer’s involvement at different levels (rational, emotional, sensorial, physical, and spiritual); (5) involves a person– as opposed to a customer;

Grewal et al. (2009); Gentile, Spiller, and Noci (2007); Meyer and Schwager (2007); LaSalle and Britton, (2003);

(1) provoke a reaction; (2) strictly personal; (3) internal and subjective response; involve[ing] the customer’s cognitive, affective, emotional, social and physical responses

Gentile, Spiller, and Noci (2007); Meyer and Schwager (2007); Verhoef et al.(2009)

(1) holistic in nature; (2) a holistic experience Verhoef et al.(2009); LaSalle and Britton, (2003); (1) those factors that the retailer can control (e.g.,

service interface, retail atmosphere, assortment, price), but also by factors outside of the retailer’s control (e.g., influence of others, purpose of shopping

Verhoef et al.(2009)

The new definition includes three crucial components: (1) the interaction moments influenced by factors a retailer can and cannot control, (2) creating a holistic experience and (3) the customer response, expressed in an internal and external evaluation. These three components will be elaborated in the next paragraphs.

2.2 Interaction moments

Interaction moments where the customer and company of a retail store have contact, are needed to create experiences. From the moment a customer walks into a retail store multiple interaction moments take place. Verhoef et al. (2009) created a complete overview of all the interaction moments (figure 1), which a customer can probably have with a company.

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 12 Figure 1. Overview of interaction moments of Customer Experience. Reprinted from “Customer

experience creation: Determinants, dynamics and management strategies” by Verhoef, P. C., Lemon, K. N., Parasuraman, A., Roggeveen, A., Tsiros, M., & Schlesinger, L. A. (2009). Journal of

Retailing, 85(1), 31-41.

Social environment is explained as the environment where the customer is located in, together with other people influencing the experience. For example, if one customer asks advice from a salesperson, the next customer has to wait (Verhoef, Lemon et al. 2009). The service interfaces are technologies, persons and co creations whereby customers produce services for themselves without assistance from firm employees (Meuter, Bitner et al. 2005). The third interaction moment, retail atmospherics, is defined by (Kotler 1973) as the conscious designing of space to create specific effects in buyers. These retail atmospherics, or atmospheric stimuli, can be divided in multiple elements. Because this will be the main area of this study, this construct will be explained in the next paragraph. Next, assortment consists of the products that are sold in the retail store. Price refers to promotions, such as weekly offers, and loyalty programs. With customer experiences in alternative channels is meant that earlier experiences, in for example the internet branch, can influence the experience in another branch. In line with the previous mentioned interaction moments customer experience (t-1) refers to the experience in the same retail store at an earlier point in time. Finally, the retail brand itself refers to the perception of the brand and the manufacturer or service brand that is sold in the retail stores (Verhoef, Lemon et al. 2009). Besides these independent variables two moderators are included. The situation moderators refer to factors such as location, channel or culture which influence the customer in its experience. Consumer moderators refer to the characteristics of a customer, which can differ in the goals of the shopping trip, the socio demographics such as income.

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 13 All these interaction moments reinforce each other, which is called the holistic experience. The interaction moments can be influenced by the use of retail atmospherics.

2.3 Retail atmospherics

Retail atmospherics refer to both tangible and intangible aspects of a retail store design and can alter the customer experience (Puccinelli, Goodstein et al. 2009). Turley and Milliman (2000) review the existing literature and construct a comprehensive table with all the possible atmospheric stimuli (figure 2). The exterior refers to variables that influence the retail store at the outside, such as display windows and parking. Limited research has been done on these stimuli. General interior is studied many times in laboratorial setting, referring to all the variables influencing retail stores from the inside. The store layout refers to dividing a store based on principles influencing the way a customer feels how easy it is to shop, such as product groupings and traffic flow. Very limited research has been conducted on these stimuli. Interior displays refer to decoration and the influence of point of purchase of a store, such as wall decorations and posters. Berman and Evans (1995) develop the first four atmospheric stimuli and Turley and Milliman (2000) add the fifth variable: human variables, divided in influence of other shoppers and influence of retail employees.

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 14 Figure 2. The influence of retail atmospherics. Reprinted from “Atmospheric effects on shopping behaviour: A review of the experimental evidence” by Turley, L. W., & Milliman, R. E. (2000). Journal of Business

Research, 49(2), 193-211.

This overview gives insights in which topics have already been examined and with which type of research. Studies on the influence of retail atmospherics on different stimuli such as sales volume, traffic flow and mood is present to a large extent, however literature examining the effect of various retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting is limited.

Further research on all aspects is too broad. The peak-end rule states that the peak moments and final moment will be remembered. The final moment is the last interaction moment a customer has with the retail store and is primarily the time at the checkout. Since little research has been done on this final moment, this study focuses on waiting in the queue for the checkout area of retail stores, in specific the perception of waiting.

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2.4 Perception of waiting

In most cases the final interaction moment for a customer is the checkout. As stated earlier the peak-end rule states that this moment at the checkout will be remembered. And the more the customers dislike their time in line, the lower their level of satisfaction with the overall shopping experience (Allard et al, 2012). Since time is the primary determinant of the consumer shopping experience and as the consumer lifestyle becomes increasingly hurried, the focus on time will only become more important (Tom, G., & Lucey, S., 1995). Therefore urgency arises to find ways to make time pass as quickly and pleasantly as possible (Pruyn and Smiths, 1998).

When visiting a retail store, the customer follows a set of steps from (1) entering the store in a certain emotional state, to (2) collecting his products whereby he is influenced by multiple interaction moments, (3) arriving at the checkout and waiting in the queue before the products can be paid and (4) leaving the retail store. The scope of this study is limited to phases three and four, since this is the final moment of waiting in the queue at the checkout. The process of phase three and four, the process of waiting, will be further explained in the next paragraph.

2.5 Process of waiting in the waiting environment

The process of waiting can be divided in two parts (Maister, 1985): pre-process waiting and in-process waiting. Pre-process waiting means waiting without doing anything. In a supermarket this means the customer is standing in the line of the checkout without being able to put the groceries already on the conveyer belt. In-process waiting means the customer can already put the groceries at the conveyer belt, while one or more customers are standing in front of him.

Several studies examine the influence of various stimuli on the perception of waiting.Maister (1985) indicates eight conditions influencing the perception of the wait.

P1: Unoccupied time feels longer than occupied time. P2: Pre-process waits feel longer than in-process waits. P3: Anxiety makes waits feel longer.

P4: Uncertain waits seem longer than certain waits. P5: Unexplained waits seem longer than explained waits. P6: Unfair waits seem longer than equitable waits.

P7: More valuable the service, the longer people will wait. P8: Solo waiting feels longer than group waiting

His conditions are not underpinned with research, but other authors examine his ideas. In line with these conditions are the findings from research that customers are less satisfied with the service and with the store when the causal factors for the longer than expected wait are under

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 16 the store’s or checker’s control (Tom, G., & Lucey, S., 1995). Next, in-process waiting times elicits less negative emotions than pre-process waiting times (Friman, M., 2010). The perception of waiting is expressed in (1) the perceived and acceptable the waiting time and (2) the appraisal of the wait. The perceived waiting time is the subjective judgement of customers’ feelings of how long it takes to wait. Next, the acceptable waiting time is the level of the customers' tolerance level for waiting without negatively influencing the satisfaction with the service. The appraisal of the wait is then an affective (emotional response) and cognitive judgement to the waiting.

Pruyn and Smiths (1993) indicate that the waiting environment and the objective waiting time are the most influential factors to the perception of waiting. The waiting environment can be characterized in three ways.

2.6 Characteristics of the waiting environment

The waiting environment can be influenced in three different ways: by (1) increasing the perceived attractiveness of the waiting environment, (2) by increasing the explicit distraction from the waiting environment and (3) via the holistic experience where multiple retail atmospherics influence the waiting environment by reinforcing each other simultaneously, showing a stronger effect compared to 1 or 2.

The perceived attractiveness of the waiting environment aims at making the waiting environment more pleasurable. This pleasurable environment may induce a positive mood which influences the appraisal of the wait without necessarily influencing the perceived duration of the wait (Pruyn and Smiths, 1993). The appraisal of the wait is then influenced via the affective component, referring to emotional responses of the wait.

Explicit distraction from the waiting environment is supposed to affect the cognitive timer (internal clock) by means of distracting the attention from the passage of time itself (Zakay, 1989). This would result in shorter perceived durations and a longer acceptable waiting time and thus, a more positive appraisal of the wait, divided in a cognitive and affective component.

The third characterization is the holistic experience by making use of multiple retail atmospherics reinforcing each other. Both the perceived attractiveness of the waiting environment and explicit distraction from the waiting environment can be influenced. Atmospheric stimuli which have a positive effect on each other can provide a stronger influence than atmospherics stimuli individually. The appraisal of the wait is stronger influenced than only increasing the perceived attractiveness or explicit distraction.

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 17 The effects of retail atmospherics in the waiting environment can be moderated by the

motivational orientation of the customer, indicating the customers shops in a very short time or has much time to shop.

2.7 Motivational Orientation

Sociologists identify several typologies of shoppers, later divided into task-oriented shoppers and leisure-oriented (or recreational) shoppers. Other words that are frequently used are utilitarian (task-oriented) and hedonic (recreational) shoppers. Earlier research shows that the customer response is different for these shoppers.

The utilitarian perspective is based on the assumption that consumers are rational problem-solvers (Bettman, 1979). The utilitarian perspective stresses functional, product-centric thinking and aims at consumption as some predefined end. Shoppers experience utilitarian value when their task-related needs are fulfilled (Rintamäki et al., 2006).

Hedonic shoppers visit shopping malls more frequently, stay longer and visit more stores. These shoppers also seem more influenced by atmospheric and price stimuli (Teller, C., Reutterer, T., & Schnedlitz, P., 2008). For these shoppers three F’s – fantasies, feelings and fun – can be highlighted that represent the hedonic aspects of consumption (Holbrook and Hirschman, 1982). Hedonic consumption designates those facets of consumer behaviour that relate to the multisensory, fantasy and emotive aspects of one’s experience with products (Hirschman and Holbrook, 1982, p. 92). Shoppers realize hedonic value when the act of shopping is appreciated in its own right, irrespective of getting planned purchases done. Hedonic value is characterized as self-purposeful and self-oriented (Babin et al., 1994; Holbrook, 1999). Compared with utilitarian value, hedonic value is abstract and subjective. Entertainment and exploration are considered to contribute to hedonic value. The descriptions are summarized by Rintamäki et al. (2006) and can be found in the table 4.

Table 2.

Summary of the utilitarian and hedonic shopper values. Reprinted from ” Decomposing the value of department store shopping into utilitarian, hedonic and social dimensions: Evidence from Finland” by Rintamäki, T., Kanto, A., Kuusela, H., & Spence, M. T. (2006). International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 34(1), 6-24.

Dimension Utilitarian Hedonic

Perspective/view Cognitive information processing Experiential Purpose of consumption Means to some predefined end An end itself

Criterion Economical Emotional

Benefits Monetary savings, convenience Entertainment, exploration

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 18 As both the design element and explicit distraction may influence satisfaction, it is important to investigate differences in effect and process of these two characteristics of the waiting environment (Pruyn and Smiths, 1993). In addition the third characterization, the holistic experience, is important to investigate as well. Because there is a range of retail atmospherics, it is important to examine some of them to understand the differences between the three characterizations of the waiting environment. And to know the consequence for the satisfaction with the service. Chapter 3 explains which atmospheric stimuli will be tested in this study, to result in customers’ perception of the waiting, moderated by the motivational orientation.

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3. Conceptual model and Hypotheses

In Figure 3 the conceptual model is shown. The conceptual model is the original model of Pruyn and Smiths (1998), extended with the three specific characterizations of the wait and the motivational orientation. This study gives insights about the effect of these three characterizations on the appraisal of the wait and subsequently the satisfaction with the service. After this study statements can be made about (1) whether to prefer increasing the perceived attractiveness of the waiting environment or increasing the explicit distraction from the waiting environment or to prefer the holistic experience and (2) which stimulus in specific has the most influence on the perception of waiting.

Figure 3. Conceptual model. Adapted from “Effects of waiting on the satisfaction with the service: Beyond objective time measures“ by Pruyn, A., & Smidts, A. (1998). International Journal of Research in Marketing, 15(4), 321-334.

3.1 Atmospheric stimuli of the Waiting Environment

The waiting environment can be improved thee characterizations of the wait: (1) increasing the perceived attractiveness of the waiting environment or (2) by increasing the explicit distraction from the waiting environment and (3) creating the holistic experience of the waiting environment. Both variables and the specific retail atmospherics that are tested will be explained below.

3.1.1 Perceived attractiveness

Atmospheric stimuli, which influence the sphere of the environment, have a role in perceived attractiveness. By the physical design of the store, the customers' comfort, mood and behaviour is influenced (Bruner, 1990). Based on the model of Turley and Milliman (2000) all general

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 20 interior elements influence the perceived attractiveness. In this study the stimuli music and light will be examined.

Music. Research about music is probably the best researched stimulus and has a long history. Research on the influence of music on several independent variables, such as satisfaction, sales volume, traffic flow and perception of waiting are examined. First, Smith and Curnow (1966) find that significantly less time is spent in stores when the music is loud compared to when it is soft, although there is no significant difference in sales or in the customer's reported level of satisfaction. Milliman (1982) examines the effects of various dimensions of music in particular settings, tested in a supermarket environment. He tests three situations (no music, slow music and fast music) and examines the effects on pace of the in-store traffic flow and sales volume. His findings show the pace of in-store traffic flow is significantly slower with the slow music tempo than for the faster music tempo. These findings are also applicable for the sales volume: higher sales volumes consistently associate with the slower tempo musical selections while in contrast, the lower sales figures consistently associate with the faster tempo music. It can be criticized that the sample selection is quite low (only the Wednesdays) and in a fixed time frame (7.00-8.00 PM). We argue whether the effect on busy days would be different. Specific research of music in relation to the perception of waiting shows contradictory findings about playing music versus not playing music and playing slow music versus playing fast music. Regarding no music versus playing music: on one hand, studies suggest that music reduces the negative effects of waiting because it distracts attention from the passage of time, and, as a result, consumers perceive the length of the wait to be shorter than when there is no music (Zakay, 1989; Zakay and Homik, 1991). On the other hand evidence shows when more consumers enjoy a piece of music played during a time period, the longer they tend to perceive the period to be (Kellaris and Kent, 1991). Studies supporting that music has a positive influence, indicate that the reason for this is that music will have a positive influence on the mood of customers. Regarding the music tempo research is very contradictive: at one hand authors (Kent and Kellaris, 1991; Block, 1990) show evidence that the more consumers enjoy background music played during a time period, the longer they perceive the time period to be and at the other hand authors (Kellaris & Altsech, 1992) show evidence that disliked music produce longer time estimates than liked music. Oakes (2003) found that the difference between perception and reality was shortest in the slow tempo treatment, longer in the fast-tempo treatment, and longest in the no-music treatment. This finding argues for slow or background (no too loud) music to effect positively the perception of waiting.

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 21 Based on these findings, it is the purpose of this study is to examine the effect of background music on the internal and external evaluation of the customer and thus provide clarity about these contradictory findings. The music format exists of recognizable hits with a shift between morning, afternoon and evening, adjusted to the type of customer primarily based on age (slow tempo music for elderly customers). In table 2 an overview of the literature on music can be found.

Table 3.

Overview of research about the stimulus music

Independent variables Dependent variables Study Authors Music (no, slow, fast) Pace of the in-store traffic flow

& sales volume Field experiment (Milliman 1982) Music (soft, loud) Time spent in store & Customer

Satisfaction Field experiment (Smith, Curnow 1966) Music (no, playing) Length of the wait Unknown (Zakay, 1989)

Music (no, playing) Length of the wait Unknown (Zakay and Homik, 1991) Music tempo (fast,………

moderate, slow) Attractiveness Laboratorial setting (Kellaris and Kent, 1991) Music tempo (fast, ………

moderate, slow) Attractiveness Unknown (Block, 1990)

Music (like/dislike) Length of the wait Unknown (Kellaris & Altsech, 1992) Music tempo (no/slow/fast) Discrepancy between……….

perception and reality of time Field experiment (Oakes, 2003) Lighting. Lighting research focused on visibility and visual comfort for many years. Rather, the future of lighting research in interiors lies in a move beyond these topics to areas where lighting operates on mood and behaviour through the 'message' it sends (Boyce, P. R., 2004). A few studies examine the effect of lighting on different dependent variables, which indicate how authors think about the impact of lighting on waiting, but these studies also indicate that more research in this field is needed. A study on preferred lighting levels variability among settings, behaviours, and individuals of Butler, D. L., & Biner, P. M. (1987) yield a number of interesting findings. The lighting preference for low activity tasks (listening to music, watching TV) is lower than for high activity task (studying, cooking). Waiting in the queue for the checkout is a lower activity task (you don't have to do something) and therefore we assume dimmed (subdued) light is preferred. Next, when in a retail store warm and cosy light is displayed, customers tend to buy more whereas with cold light customers rushing rapidly along the shelves. In an empirical store setting, customers identify that the high-end lighting setting is perceived as more cosy, more lively, less tense, and less detached (Quartier, Christiaans et al. 2009). Some studies give insights about the comfort of people, influenced by light, not specific for a retail environment. Miwa, Y., & Hanyu, K. (2006) find that dimmed lighting yields more pleasant and relaxed feelings, more favourable impressions of the interviewer, and more self-disclosure than for bright lighting. Finally, the aim of the study of Rikard Küller, Seifeddin Ballal, Thorbjörn Laike,

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 22 Byron Mikellides & Graciela Tonello (2006) is to determine whether indoor lighting and colour would have any systematic impact on the mood of people working indoors. The workers’ mood is at its lowest when the lighting is experienced as much too dark. The mood improves and reaches its highest level when the lighting is experienced as just right, but when it becomes too bright the mood declines again.

The studies discussed above give two insights: (1) dimmed (subdued) light can have a positive effect on the mood and behaviour of customers and (2) the lighting level can have an irritating effect when it is too bright or too dark. The activity task can play a role in this effect. Since we expect that waiting in the queue is a low activity task, we assume dimmed light will be preferred. Table 3 includes an overview of the research about lighting.

Table 4.

Overview of research about the stimulus lighting

Independent variables Dependent variables Study Authors Light (high-end, mid-level,

hard discounter) Consumers’ mood and buying behaviour Field experiment Quartier, Christiaans et al. (2009) Light (bright, dark) Workers mood Field experiment (Rikard Küller , Seifeddin

Ballal , Thorbjörn Laike , Byron Mikellides & Graciela Tonello (2006) Light (dim, bright) Participants’ self-disclosure

and impressions of a counsellor

Field experiment Miwa, Y., & Hanyu, K. (2006)

Lighting levels 43 behaviour settings of

college students Exploratory study Butlet, D.L. & Biner, P.M. (1987)

3.1.1 Explicit distraction

According to the model of Turley and Milliman (2000) the elements of interior display can have the role of explicit distracter. Less research is done about the influence of distraction and various conceptions are known. The first conception is the attentional model of time perception (Thomas and Weaver, 1975), where explicit distraction leads to shorter perceived durations of waiting. This is due to the fact that attention is drawn away from the internal clock responsible for the perception of time passage (Zakay, 1989). The second conception is the contextual change or segmentation model of time perception (Poynter, 1983; Block, 1990), where the authors alternatively predict that the more changes there are in the environment during an interval, the longer its perceived duration. Both models are empirically tested and the explanation can be found in the prospective and retrospective task. A prospective task means that the customer is aware of the time element, before the event. The retrospective task means they have to make an estimation, without being informed about this. Waiting in line at the

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 23 checkout will be a prospective task, because the customer is aware of waiting. Pruyn & Smidts (1998) proposed therefore that in waiting situations, the effect of explicit distraction on perceived duration is explained best by the attentional model and can shorten the perceived waiting time. In this study the stimuli short movies on TV-screens and the use of recipe(books)stands will be examined.

Short movies on TV-screens. A few tests examine the use of TV-screens with infotainment. Pruyn & Smidts (1998) conduct a test with a TV in a hospital. Patients are exposed to a variety of light entertainment such as sports, nature and medical information. However, no significant difference is found on the perceived waiting time as well as the cognitive component of long or short judgement. This leads to the conclusion that the presence of a TV does not serve as a distracter in the waiting room as it does not result in any change in the waiting experience. Van Hagen (2011) tests TV-screens with infotainment on a train station. The findings show that passengers find the wait more useful and pleasant with infotainment than without, as well as they awarding the platform with infotainment a higher score. Heineke (1998) examines a test with an electronic news board which transmits up-to-date news. However, this intervention doesn't show significant results. Jones & Peppiatt (1996) conduct a test in a small retail food outlet showing significant result between the experimental group and control group. The perceived waiting time for the experimental group is significantly lower than for the control group, showing evidence that TV-screens can be a distracter. Because of the divergent results, further testing is needed. Watching TV or reading material both fulfil as a distracter. Short movies distracting the customer from the waiting environment is a passive distracter, since only watching to the screens is enough.

The use of recipe(books)stand. Watching movies on a TV-screen is a form van passive distraction; the presence of recipe(books)stands is an active form of distraction, because the customer has to pick up the recipes/recipe books and read them. No scientific studies already support this idea of explicit distraction.

Results show that individuals exhibit a tendency to overestimate waiting time. These data are consistent with others (e.g., Cottle 1976) which show that subjects have a tendency to overestimate passive durations and underestimate active durations of time. To test short movies on TV screens as well as the use of recipe(books)stands make it possible to draw conclusions about the difference between active and passive distraction.

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3.1.3 Holistic experience of the waiting environment

The holistic experience aims at reinforcing the atmospheric stimuli by use of multi atmospherics. Therefore the above mentioned stimuli are combined in one test of holistic experience. Only the short movies on TV-test is not part of this test. Because background music, dimmed light and recipe(books)stands will be tested, both the perceived attractiveness of the waiting environment and the explicit distraction from the waiting environment are influenced. Based on these insight, we test four stimuli and hypothesize:

H1a: Waiting customers exposed to an attractive waiting environment (presence of

background music or dimmed light) or distracted from the waiting environment (by short movies on TV screens or use of recipe(books)stands) will estimate the perceived waiting time to be shorter, compared with customers who are not exposed to an attractive waiting environment or are not distracted from the waiting environment.

H2: Waiting customers exposed to an attractive waiting environment (presence of

background music or dimmed light) or distracted from the waiting environment (by short movies on TV screens or use of recipe(books)stands) have a higher acceptable waiting time, compared with customers who are not exposed to an attractive waiting environment or distracted from the waiting environment.

Because explicit distraction from the waiting environment influences the internal clock, we hypothesize:

H1b: The effect on Perceived Waiting Time is stronger for stimuli influencing the explicit

distraction from the waiting environment than for stimuli influencing the perceived attractiveness of the waiting environment.

3.2 Customer's perception of the wait

Finally, the customer has been through the checkout process and has a review of the wait: the perception of waiting. This perception is identified in (1) the perceived waiting time, (2) the acceptable waiting time, (3) the appraisal of the wait and (4) satisfaction with the service.

The perceived waiting time is the time the customer thinks he was waiting at the checkout. This time is subjective, because it is the customers’ opinion and therefore hard to predict. Studies (e.g. Pruyn and Smidts, 1998) investigate that this perceived time is always higher than the objective waiting time, since it is hard for customers to estimate the waiting time. The acceptable waiting time is the time that customers are willing to wait. This judgement is also subjective, because it differs per customer. The perceived and acceptable waiting time are

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 25 followed by the appraisal of the wait. The appraisal of the wait is the customers' feeling to the wait, based on a cognitive and affective judgment. Finally, satisfaction with the service indicates to what extent the performance of the service meets customer’s expectations. In turn, satisfaction is believed to influence the attitude change and purchase intentions (Oliver, R. L., 1980)

Concerning the appraisal of the wait, we hypothesize:

H3a: The greater the perceived attractiveness (background music and subdued light) of

the waiting environment or explicit distraction from the waiting environment (short movies on TV screens or use of recipe (books)stands), the more positive the cognitive appraisal of the wait;

H3b: The greater the perceived attractiveness (background music and subdued light) of

the waiting environment or explicit distraction from the waiting environment (short movies on TV screens or use of recipe (books)stands), the more positive the affective appraisal of the wait;

H3c: The influence on the cognitive appraisal of the wait is stronger for stimuli

influencing the explicit distraction from the waiting environment, than for stimuli influencing the perceived attractiveness of the waiting environment;

H3d: The influence on the affective appraisal of the wait is stronger for stimuli influencing

the perceived attractiveness of the waiting environment, compared to stimuli influencing the explicit distraction from the waiting environment;

Since multi retail atmospherics are assumed to reinforce each other, we hypothesize:

H3e: The effect of multiple retail atmospherics (holistic experience) on the appraisal of

the wait is stronger, compared to the effect of one retail atmospheric has; Concerning the satisfaction with the service, we hypothesize:

H4a: The greater the perceived attractiveness (background music and subdued light) of

the waiting environment or explicit distraction from the waiting environment (short movies on TV screens or use of recipe (books)stands), the more positive the satisfaction with the service;

H4b: The effect of multiple retail atmospherics (holistic experience) on the satisfaction

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 26 Next to this direct effect of atmospheric stimuli on the appraisal of the wait and the satisfaction with the service, this effect could also be indirect through the perceived waiting time and appraisal of the wait.

We therefore hypothesize:

H6: The shorter the perceived waiting time, the more positive the appraisal of the wait. H7: The more positive the appraisal of the wait, the more positive the satisfaction with the

service

3.3 Motivational orientation

The motivational orientation implies that utilitarian shoppers are less influenced by the waiting environment, compared to the hedonic shoppers. This is due to the fact that utilitarian shoppers focus on fulfilling their needs as quickly as possible Therefore motivational orientation will act as moderator between the atmospheric stimuli and the perceived waiting as well as between the atmospheric stimuli and the acceptable waiting time: the utilitarian shopper will estimate the perceived waiting time to be larger than hedonic shopper; the utilitarian shopper is less willing to wait than the hedonic shopper.

Concerning the motivational orientation, we hypothesize:

H5a: The impact of perceived attractiveness of the waiting environment and explicit

distraction from the waiting environment on the perceived waiting time is smaller for utilitarian shoppers than for hedonic shoppers.

H5b: The impact of perceived attractiveness of the waiting environment and explicit

distraction from the waiting environment on the acceptable waiting time is smaller for utilitarian shoppers than for hedonic shoppers.

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4. Research design

The purpose of this study is to understand the impact of the characterizations of the wait and specific atmospheric stimuli on the perception of waiting. This implies (1) the perceived attractiveness of the waiting environment, (2) the explicit distraction from the waiting environment and (3) the holistic experience of the atmospheric stimuli on the waiting environment. Besides that, it gives insights in which of the four atmospheric stimuli (background music, dimmed light, short movies on TV screens and recipe(books)stands) works best to influence the perception of waiting and the impact of the motivational orientation on this influence. The research takes place in a real retail environment. The benefit of this kind of research is that the customer will act as he normally does, without even knowing he is part of a test environment. Therefore it gives increased ecological validity, due to higher similarity with real shopping experience. The disadvantage is that it is important to keep all the other factors exactly the same. Although we will not change other factors purposefully, we cannot exclude that the retail environment is always the same. For example, the behaviour of the cashier can be different from person to person.

4.1 Procedures

This study has been conducted in six supermarket stores of one Dutch retailer. The study is a field experimental design indicating two parts: (1) the zero measurement, indicating the perception of waiting with 'standard' conditions which every supermarket store of this retailer has and (2) a one measurement, when conditions are changed, to examine the impact on perception of waiting. The changed conditions are installed at once. Both measures are carried out by surveys.

Atmospheric stimuli. The stimuli which has been tested indicate the impact of perceived attractiveness, explicit distraction and holistic experience on the perception of waiting. The four stimuli tested are (1) background music, (2) dimmed light, (3) short movies on TV screens and (4) the use of recipe(books)stands. The zero measurement indicates the perception of waiting, when the conditions are normal and the one measurement indicates the perception of waiting after manipulation. For the stimulus music, no music is available at the checkout area in the zero measurement. This is changed by background music by installing speakers in the checkout area, which connect with the same music as in the supermarket store. The light is bright light in the zero measurement, changed to dimmed light, by switching off three lightning jobs. Next, in the zero measurement the TV screens are switched off, changed to displaying short movies of cooking videos in the one measurement. Finally, in the zero measurement no presence of

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 28 recipe(books)stands are present, changed to the presence of furniture with recipes and recipe books.

Pilot stores. The research takes place in six pilot stores with five stores in the experimental group and one store as a control group. The four stimuli has each been tested in one store; the fifth store tests three out of four stimuli (only the short movies is not tested in this store) to examine the holistic experience. The sixth store is the control group where no conditions are changed, to examine whether the impact of the atmospheric stimuli on perception of waiting are due to the changed conditions or through other factors. The pilot stores are selected by two criteria: (1) indicating approximately the same score on "efficiency flow of the checkout", based on customer satisfaction survey; and (2) indicating approximately the same score on "Great Grocery Trip", which means the percentage of customers buying 20 unique items or more (approx. 10%). In this way it is assumed that the same customer profiles are measured and the waiting environments are comparable. In the photos below the changed conditions between the zero- and one-measurement are displayed (only the absence/presence of music cannot me displayed in a picture)

Zero-measurement (bright light) One-measurement (dimmed light) Figure 4. Photos regarding bright and dimmed light

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 29 Figure 5. Photos regarding the absence/presence of recipe(books)stands

Zero-measurement (three images of the current theme) One-measurement (short movies of cooking instrcutions, approx. 30 seconds)

Figure 6. Photos regarding the absence/presence of short movies on TV screens

Zero-measurement (bright light, no music, no recipe(books)stand)

One-measurement (dimmed light, music,………. recipe(books)stand)

Figure 7. Photos regarding the combination test

Surveys. The survey of the zero measurement takes place in Week 2, 2015 on the Wednesday between 10 AM and 18 PM, and on Saturday between 9 AM and 17 PM. The survey of the one measurement takes place in Week 7, on same days and time window. The choice for these weeks rely on the fact no holidays are included and after installation a minimum of four weeks between the zero and one measurement is needed to let customer signalize the changed conditions and make judgments about these changed conditions. The surveys are carried out by a research firm, with the use of exit interviews. After paying at the checkout, subjects are intercepted by an interviewer who asks them the questions and fills in the questionnaire. Table 5 gives an overview of the demographic characteristics of the subjects. The sample is representative for the size (n=1321). All age categories are represented however age categories 46-55 years and 56-65 years are overrepresented compared to the other categories.

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Customer Experiences - the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting 30 Table 5.

Overview of the demographic characteristics of the sample size (zero- and one-measurement)

Condition 1 Music Condition 2 Light Condition 3 TV screens Condition 4 Recipes Condition 5 Combination Condition 6 Control Ze ro -m e a s ure m e nt G e n -de r Male 35.0% 35.8% 56.8% 35.4% 16.5% 47.8% Female _65.0% _64.2% _43.2% _64.6% _83.5% _52.2% Age 18-25 years _9.8% _8.5% _2.5% _3.6% _4.1% _1.5% 26-35 years _9.8% _10.4% _10.2% _4.5% _6.6% _8.8% 36-45 years _15.4% _30.2% _14.4% _24.1% _14.0% _23.5% 46-55 years _17.9% _23.6% _29.7% _28.6% _34.7% _27.2% 56-65 years _28.5% _15.1% _20.3% _16.1% _22.3% _22.8%

66 years and higher _18.7% _12.3% _22.9% _23.2% _18.2% _16.2%

M ot. Or ie n -ta tio n Task-oriented shoppers 28.5% 29.2% 23.7% 17.7% 35.5% 17.6% Experiential oriented shoppers 71.5% 70.8% 76.3% 82.3% 64.5% 82.4% Total 123 106 118 112 121 136 Condition 1 Music Condition 2 Light Condition 3 TV screens Condition 4 Recipes Condition 5 Combination Condition 6 Control O ne -m e a s ur e m e nt G e n -de r Male 34.5% 36.7% 38.8% 30.0% 13.7% 38.7% Female _65.5% _63.3% _61.2% _70.0% _86.3% _61.3% Age 18-25 years _4.6% _7.2% _4.0% _5.0% _5.3% _4.2% 26-35 years _11.1% _11.3% _12.9% _7.5% _4.2% _6.8% 36-45 years _11.1% _16.5% _20.8% _21.3% _11.6% _16.9% 46-55 years _25.9% _25.8% _24.8% _27.5% _25.3% _24.6% 56-65 years _23.1% _24.7% _19.8% _21.3% _27.4% _23.7%

66 years and higher _24.1% _14.4% _17.8% _17.5% _26.3% _23.7%

M ot. Or ie n -ta tio n Task-oriented shoppers 26.4% 30.6% 19.4% 31.3% 40.0% 6.7% Experiential oriented shoppers 73.6% 69.4% 80.6% 68.8% 60.0% 93.3% Total 110 98 103 80 95 119

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4.2 Measures

The questionnaire starts by asking the perceived waiting time in seconds, i.e. “how long do you think you had to stand in the queue before the cashier helped you?”, complemented with the presentation of a number of statements, i.e. “I had to wait long at the checkout today”, measured on a five point scale. These statements show sufficient reliability (Cronbach α = 0,760). A composite scale is formed by averaging these items. A check is performed on extreme values, which results in cutting off 1% of the highest scores. This means values above 420 seconds are indicated as missing, which includes 12 cases (out of a total n of 1334 cases). The appraisal of the wait is measured by the affective and cognitive component. The affective component consists of five semantic differential items, measured on a five-point scale, namely “annoying...pleasant” and “irritating...not irritating”, "boring....varied", "honest.... not honest" and: stressed...not stressed". Reliability is good, by deleting "fair...unfair", showing Cronbach's α of 0,701. The cognitive component of the appraisal is measured on a five-point scale ranging from ‘ very short’ 1 to ‘ very long’ 5. Next, the acceptable waiting time indicates the time in seconds. Some statements are asked about the waiting environment, indicating (the noticed) perceived attractiveness and explicit distraction, measured on five point scale. E.g. "I found the checkout area decent", "There was enough distraction during waiting", indicating good reliability (Cronbach α=0,699). A composite scale is created of these six statements. Next, the satisfaction with the service behaviour is measured by a mark between 0-10 for the satisfaction of the waiting time at that moment. The questionnaire ends with some general questions, concerning the motivational orientation, age and gender, and primary and secondary supermarket. Motivational orientation is tested by asking if the customer is in a hurry (utilitarian shopper) versus has all time to shop (hedonic shopper). Finally, in the questionnaire of the one measurement questions are added to examine whether the changed conditions are noticed by the customer. The spontaneous and assisted reaction of the changed condition is measured, as well as their feeling about this change. The questions are based on earlier studies and therefore we make use of proven scales.

Customer experiences : the influence of retail atmospherics on the perception of waiting