The influence of interactive window displays on expected shopping experience

Abstract

Purpose The global aim of this paper is to provide managerial and theoretical contributions in order to guide retailers in their decision to invest in interactive storefront technology and to fill in the gaps in the literature in regards to the influence and the role of exterior atmospheric variables in brick-and-mortar retail experience. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of interactive technology in window displays and its influence on consumers’ affective responses, expected shopping experience and behavioural intentions at the point of sale. Design/methodology/approach The design of the study is founded in the presence (=1) vs absence (=0) of interactive technology in the window display. A partial least squares–structural equation modelling (PLS–SEM) approach is used to analyse the structural model and the correlations between the variables. Findings This paper finds that the technology has a significant influence on arousal, and that expected shopping experience has a significant influence on patronage intentions. Research limitations/implications This study was conducted on French individuals in a tourist bureau setting. The study should be replicated in other retail settings in order to improve the generalisation of the findings. Originality/value This study is the first to experimentally test the influence of an interactive storefront display in retailing. This paper also contributes to the retailing literature on exterior atmospheric variables.