Impact of Store Location and Layout on Consumer Purchase Behavior in Organized Retail

Headnote

Abstract

Store location and layout are essential variables influencing shopper conduct and a basic determinant towards the making of overall store imagery. Well composed store layouts are critical on the grounds that they firmly impact in-store movement designs, shopping environment, shopping conduct, and operational productivity. At the point when an irregularity happens regarding store area and format, a few customers may forsake that store looking for another which offers quick, advantageous and better administrations. Store format is a basic variable driving customer elaboration and reaction in retailing. While impressive consideration has been centered on store location in connection to physical retailing, store design has been for all intents and purposes is undermined in the investigation of retailing. Related survey of literature echoes the fact that, store layout and the retail location have been found to essentially affect a retailer's strategy buyer expectations and demeanor towards the retail organizations and ultimately enhancing retail atmospherics. The study aims at identifying the crucial aspects of store location and layout which have a significant causal impact on the consumer purchase behavior in the organized retail environment.

Key Words : Location, Layout, Atmospherics, Retail, Store

Introduction

In India, retail has been one of the growth areas in the global economy. The Industry has witnessed a high growth rate in the developed countries and is poised for an exponential growth, in the emerging economies. Along with the exponential growth, the modern retail industry has also been distinguished by increasing competition and emergence of increasingly new retailing formats. With a variety of merchandise being offered across different formats, the retail rivalry has become intense and unpredictable in terms of the direction where it is coming from. In such a scenario, the study of how consumers choose retail stores, and what drives the store choice, is crucial to understand. The surfacing of a variety of retail formats, offering a diverse mix of offerings to the consumers, adds further confusion to the domain of store choice. India is among the highest in the world in terms of per capita retail store availability. Aided by strong growth fundamentals, increased urbanization and consumerism, the retail industry offers immense scope for retail expansion for foreign players. Rapid emergence of organized retail outlets, like mega malls &...