International flagship stores: An exploration of store atmospherics and their influence on purchase behaviour

Abstract

Flagship stores are luxury retailers' most prestigious market entry method and serve as impressive representations of their brand image. However, there is a lack of extant research investigating how the holistic experience created in luxury flagship stores has an effect on consumers' purchase behaviour. This study aims to fill this gap in the academic literature by using a qualitative methodology to explore how the atmospheric cues in luxury flagship stores influence consumers' impressions of the brand and, ultimately, their impulse and non-impulse purchase behaviour. The findings show that atmospheric cues and design features have a significant impact on the perceived brand image and on both impulse and non-impulse purchase behaviour. Furthermore, the results show that the most influential atmospheric cues on purchase behaviour are the customer service provided, followed by the product displays, the layout of the store and the design and experience of the fitting rooms.