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Servicescape cues and customerbehavior: a systematic literaturereview and research agendaMichela Mari a & Sara Poggesi aa School of Economics, Department of Business Studies, TorVergata University, Via Columbia, 2, 00133, Rome, Italy

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To cite this article: Michela Mari & Sara Poggesi (2011): Servicescape cues and customerbehavior: a systematic literature review and research agenda, The Service Industries Journal,DOI:10.1080/02642069.2011.613934

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Servicescape cues and customer behavior: a systematic literaturereview and research agenda

Michela Mari and Sara Poggesi∗

School of Economics, Department of Business Studies, Tor Vergata University, Via Columbia, 2,00133 Rome, Italy

(Received 4 February 2011; final version received 10 July 2011)

Although management scholars have devoted considerable effort to researching theeffects of servicescapes [Bitner, M.J. (1992). Servicescapes: The impact of physicalsurroundings on customers and employees. Journal of Marketing, 56(2), 57–71] oncustomer behavior, we still lack an up-to-date systematization of both theoreticaland empirical findings. This paper aims at filling the gap with a systematic literaturereview based on rigorous criteria. In reviewing the 188 selected papers, attention hasbeen devoted to an in-depth analysis of new research paths on the topic. Ourresearch findings contribute to a deep understanding of the link between customerbehaviors and new ways of interpreting specific features of the servicescape. Webelieve these implications are valuable for both managers and scholars.

Keywords: servicescape; customer behavior; atmospherics; spatial layout

Introduction

This paper systematizes the literature on the effects of servicescapes on customer behavior,

especially the developments that have recently emerged.

The physical environment in service firms is pivotal since services may be produced

and consumed simultaneously in a surrounding which acts as a packaging of the service

and may represent its only physical evidence.

With services now outstripping manufacturing in many economies in GDP, environ-

mental psychology and marketing researchers are paying more attention as to how the

physical environment influences experienced and inexperienced customers. In the

environmental psychology literature, the most widely cited work is that of Mehrabian

and Russell (1974) (M–R), which is based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R)

paradigm: stimuli (S) from the environment affect people’s internal evaluations (O)

that, in turn, influence behavior responses (R). Three emotional states – pleasure/

displeasure, arousal/non-arousal and dominance/submissiveness (PAD) – mediate

responses to the environment in approach or avoidance behavior. Approach is the desire

to remain in a store and explore its offerings, while avoidance is the opposite.

At least two intertwined streams of research in the marketing literature, atmospherics

and servicescape, help us understand the role of the physical environment. The term

‘atmospherics’ is credited to Kotler (1973–1974), who defines it as ‘the effort to design

buying environments to produce in the buyer specific emotional effects that enhance his

purchase probability . . . Atmosphere is apprehended through the sense. Therefore, the

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∗Corresponding author. Email: sara.poggesi@uniroma2.it

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atmosphere of a particular set of surroundings is described in sensory terms. The main

sensory channels for atmosphere are sight, sound, scent and touch . . . The fifth sense,

taste, does not apply directly to atmosphere’ (pp. 50–51). Kotler argues that the atmos-

phere can affect purchase behavior since it may directly arouse visceral reactions that

can favorably contribute to purchase probability.

The term servicescape, credited to Bitner (1992), refers to the physical surroundings

(‘built environment’) that impact on the behaviors of customers and employees in

service organizations. Bitner (1992, p. 59) states that ‘a variety of objective environmental

factors are perceived both by customers and employees and that both groups may respond

cognitively, emotionally and physiologically to the environment. Those internal responses

to the environment influence in turn the behavior of individual customers and employees

in the servicescape and affect social interactions between and among customers and

employees’. The author identifies three environment dimensions:

. ambient conditions (e.g. temperature, music, odor) that are parallel to Kotler’s

(1973–1974) atmospheric factors. spatial layout and functionality (e.g. equipment, furnishing). signs, symbols and artifacts (e.g. style of decor).

Despite the lively research committed over the years, an up-to-date systematization of

both theoretical and empirical findings on how servicescapes affect customer behavior is

still lacking; thus, this work aims at filling the gap through a systematic literature review.

By adhering to the original Bitner (1992) definition of servicescape, often considered

synonymous with the term ‘atmospherics’ in the classical literature, our paper intends to:

(1) systematize the literature currently available on the topic

(2) explore the new developments that have emerged in recent years

(3) identify areas for future research.

In the next sections, the research methods are defined, results outlined and discussed

and conclusions and implications for future research presented.

Methodology

Widely used in the management literature (Crossan & Apaydin, 2010; David & Han, 2004;

Newbert, 2007; Thorpe, Holt, Macpherson, & Pittaway, 2005), the ‘systematic literature

review’ method has been adopted as the research design most suitable to the aims of

this paper. Unlike traditional reviews, it allows us to better link future research to the ques-

tions posed by past research and to apply rigorous and reproducible methods of selection

and evaluation of the papers.

Based on the traditional systematic literature review process, we established the fol-

lowing set of inclusion/exclusion criteria:

(1) we chose the Business Source Premier (EBSCO), ABI/Informs and Ingenta

(including Science Direct) as the research databases.

(2) We established three restriction criteria to promote quality control: (a) only pub-

lished peer-reviewed journal articles were considered; thus, books, chapters in

books, conference proceedings, working papers and other unpublished works

were excluded; (b) articles had to be written in English and (c) they had to be pub-

lished in management journals. We identified 106 management journals from the

‘Journal of Quality List’ (2010), in the categories ‘General & Strategy’, ‘Inter-

national Business’, ‘Marketing’, ‘Management Information Systems, Knowledge

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Management’, ‘Organization Behavior/Studies, Human Resource Management,

Industrial Relations’, ‘Operations Research, Management Science, Production

& Operations Management’ and ‘Tourism’.

(3) We ensured the substantive relevance of the papers by requiring that the selected

abstracts contained at least one of the following words, often considered syno-

nyms: ‘servicescape∗’, ‘physical surrounding∗’, ‘physical dimension∗’, ‘tangible

dimension’, ‘physical setting∗’, ‘tangible element∗’, ‘environmental dimension∗’,

‘aesthetics element∗’, ‘architectural design’, ‘atmospherics’, ‘physical

environment∗’, ‘service environment’, ‘physical design’.

Since we adhere to the servicescape model, we also searched for those abstracts

containing the keywords and synonyms used by Bitner (1992). For the ‘ambient con-

ditions’ dimension we searched for words such as ‘scent’, ‘smell’, ‘perfume’,

‘fragrance’, ‘odor∗’, ‘aroma’, ‘olfact∗’, ‘music’, ‘light∗’, ‘illumination’, ‘color∗’,

‘colour∗’, etc. For the dimension ‘space/function’ we searched for words such as

‘layout’, ‘equipment’, ‘furnishing∗’, ‘traffic flow’, ‘fixtur∗’, ‘interior design∗’,

‘shelf space’, ‘wait∗’, etc. For the dimension ‘signs, symbols & artifacts’ we searched

for words such as ‘signage’, ‘personal artifact∗’, ‘style of decor’, ‘sign∗’, ‘decor∗’,

‘decor∗’, ‘wayfinding’, ‘artwork’, etc. The asterisk at the end of a search word

allows for different suffixes (e.g. odor or odorless).

(4) We scanned all the articles selected in the previous phase by reading all the

abstracts to ensure substantive context.

(5) We then read all papers selected through the previous screening of abstracts to

ensure the alignment between chosen works and the first research objective. A

research final sample of 188 papers emerges.

(6) To explore developments in the literature about the servicescape model and to

identify areas for future research (the second and third research objectives), we

carefully reviewed the 188 papers and grouped them into three lists according

to their ‘distance’ from Bitner’s original model. The list labeled ‘classical

studies’ (92 papers) contains works that directly refer to Bitner’s servicescape

model, while the lists ‘new insights’ (42 papers) and ‘emerging trends’ (51

papers) include those studies that take a step forward from it. These last two

lists are analyzed in detail in the paper.

We excluded three papers from any list as critical literature reviews: those by

Milliman and Fugate (1993), Turley and Milliman (2000) and Ezeh and Harris

(2007). These three reviews constitute an early phase in the analysis of the evolution

of studies on servicescape. Stemming from the definition of atmospherics proposed

by Kotler (1973–1974), Milliman and Fugate (1993) have been the first to syn-

thesize the then-current thought on the topic, ‘giving structure and substance to

the familiar, but somewhat disjointed and disorganized, concept of atmospherics’

(p. 73). Turley and Milliman (2000) went one step further, reviewing 60 empirical

studies on the influence of servicescape on consumers. Ezeh and Harris (2007) pre-

sented a recent overview of classical research into the servicescape domain.

The evidence base

In this section, we explain the nature of the evidence base used for the study.

The 188 selected papers are categorized according to:

. the distribution of the years of publication

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. the percentage of articles in each journal

. the distribution of articles by subject.

The distribution of articles published by year is shown in Figure 1. Since 2000, the

research on servicescape is significantly increased, with 68% of the selected papers

(128 out of 188) published in the last 10 years: 47 are included in the ‘classical studies’

list (51% of the list), 37 in the ‘new insights’ list (88% of the list) and 44 papers are

included in the ‘emerging trends’ one (86% of the list). The most prolific years are

2003 and 2006 with, respectively, 17 and 16 published articles.

We also analyzed the reviewed papers according to the journal they appear in, to ident-

ify those journals most involved in the conversation on the topic. The 188 papers are dis-

tributed in 49 journals. Table 1 categorizes the works per academic journal with more than

three articles and shows that 16 out of 49 journals contain almost 78% of all refereed

papers.

Six marketing-oriented journals contain 50% of the 188 articles: Journal of Business

Research, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Services Marketing, Psychology and Market-

ing, International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, Journal of Marketing.

It is worth noting that during the last 10 years, other journals that were not specifically

focused on marketing have started to pay attention to the topic (e.g. TQM Journal,

Decision Support Systems).

As far as the distribution of articles by subject is concerned, according to the in-depth

paper content analysis, we identified new research paths in addition to the environmental

dimensions discussed by Bitner (ambient conditions; spatial layout and functionality;

signs, symbols and artifacts). The new areas include:

(1) Congruity

(2) Interaction between two environmental cues

(3) Multiple cues effects

(4) The virtual servicescape

(5) The ‘dark side’ of the servicescape

(6) Integration of Bitner’s model

(7) Advancements in the S-O-R model

Those studies in clusters from one to three constitute the ‘new insights’ list since they

consider specific features of Bitner’s model in a way not analyzed before. Papers in

Figure 1. Distribution of articles by year.Source: Elaboration on the data set.

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clusters from four to seven fall in the ‘emerging trends’ list since they explore new

research directions with respect to the Bitner model. Papers referring to the classical fra-

mework are grouped in the ‘classical studies’ list.

The specific consistency of each cluster, according to the main aim of the papers, is

shown in Table 2.

The analysis of the clusters shows that works on music in the ambient dimension are

the most numerous with 28 articles (14.9% of the total), followed by those on virtual ser-

vicescapes, with 27 papers (14.4% of the total). Twenty-five papers are then included in

the cluster ‘multiple cues effects’ which, due to its complexity, is further divided into

three sub-clusters: ‘holistic view’, ‘customers’ peculiarities’ and ‘specific servicescape’.

Altogether, studies included in the lists ‘new insights’ and ‘emerging trends’ represent

49% of the data set and 87% of them have been published in the last 10 years. Both these

data show an increasing commitment of researchers to the literature on the topic.

Developments in servicescape literature

Almost 20 years have passed since Bitner’s seminal model appeared so, in order to con-

tribute to the conversation on servicescape effects on customer behavior, we chose to

analyze the new insights about its specific features and identify different, although

related, new trends in the research.

Thus, despite their theoretical and empirical relevance, we did not investigate papers in

the ‘classical studies’ list. However, a brief comment seems appropriate. These classical

studies mainly aim at analysing the impact of a particular cue (e.g. music), or a specific

characteristic of the cue (e.g. tempo, pleasantness, genre), on several outputs (e.g. shop-

ping time, time spent in the encounter, shopping behavior). To improve the consistency

of results, more and more complex empirical analysis and theoretical frameworks for

Table 1. Distribution of articles by management journals.

Journ

alti

tle

Number ofarticles %

of

journ

als

Journal of Business Research 33 17.55Journal of Retailing 19 10.11International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management 11 5.85Journal of Services Marketing 11 5.85Journal of Marketing 10 5.32Psychology & Marketing 10 5.32International Review of Retail, Distribution & Consumer

Research7 3.72

Journal of Marketing Research 7 3Journal of Consumer Research 6 3Journal of Marketing Management 6 3Advances in Consumer Research 5 2International Journal of Service Industry Management 5 2.66Journal of Retailing & Consumer Services 5 2.66European Journal of Marketing 4 2.13Journal of International Consumer Marketing 4 2.13Journal of Service Research 4 2.13

Source: Elaboration on the data set.

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how single ambient cues (especially music and scent) may affect customer perceptions

have recently been proposed. Papers in this list generally use the M–R model, suggesting

that pleasure and arousal can be considered explicators of consumers’ emotional responses

to the physical environment. It is worth noting that, traditionally, dominance is excluded

from most empirical works since the Donovan and Rossiter (1982) study, one of the first to

apply the model to the retail setting, found that pleasure and arousal were the most signifi-

cant mediators between environmental stimuli and consumer responses. More recently, the

role of dominance has been reconsidered and it is starting to be included in the empirical

analysis, as discussed later. Overall, results from this list confirm that it is possible to influ-

ence consumer behavior through manipulating a store’s servicescape, even if contradic-

tory evidences exist. These divergences may be explained by several empirical

situations, such as differences in settings (e.g. mall, supermarket, fashion store), countries

(e.g. UK, USA, China), methodologies (field studies versus laboratory experiments),

samples (e.g. actual shoppers versus selected respondents), periods of observation and

characteristics of the analyzed cues.

For the ‘new insights’ and ‘emerging trends’ lists, detailed results appear in the appen-

dix, including sample, setting, country, methods and relevant findings. We used a categor-

ization based on a two-digit key (01–93) to code the studies in order to elaborate specific

figures for each list that offer a better understanding of the key findings.

Table 2. Distribution of servicescape articles by subject headings.

ClustersNumber of

articles% of allsubjects

Classicalstudies

AmbientLight 2 1.06Music 28 14.89Scent 13 6.92Color 8 4.26Cleanliness 1 0.53

Space/functionWait∗ 6 3.19Shelf space; product display; power aisle;layout; flooring

22 11.70

Signs, symbols and artifacts 8 4.26Theoretical models on the effect of a single cue 4 2.13Total ‘classical studies’ list 92 48.94

New insights Congruity 10 5.32Interaction between two environmental cues 7 3.72Multiple cues effects

Holistic view 4 2.13Customers’ peculiarities 7 3.72Specificity of servicescapes 14 7.45

Total ‘new insights’ list 42 22.34

Emergingtrends

The virtual servicescape 27 14.36The ‘dark side’ of the servicescape 2 1.06Integration of Bitner’s model 10 5.31Advancements in the S-O-R model 12 6.38Total ‘emerging trends’ list 51 27.12Reviews 3 1.60

Source: Elaboration on the data set.Note: The asterix (*) at the end of a search word allows for different suffixes.

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We next conducted a citation analysis of the papers to provide data on the academic

relevance of the studies using the Publish or Perish (Harzing, 2010) open access software

(version 3.2) for citation analysis on a ‘paper-by-paper’ basis. The appendix thus includes

information on the number of citations and the average number of citation per year for

each paper.

The next two sections analyze the content of the articles in the two lists in detail, while

more general remarks on the research output are left to the final discussion.

New insights on Bitner’s model

Papers in this list refer to the first three research paths: congruity between a cue and its

physical environment; interaction between two environmental cues and multiple cues

effects on customer behavior.

Some general results can be depicted using data in the appendix. All papers included

here are empirical and 73% of them use field studies. Although this type of analysis offers

an advantage over laboratory settings (e.g. realism), data collection performed in an actual

context may also have limitations; for example, since people tend to respond to environ-

mental cues holistically, it is difficult to separate the effects of investigated stimuli from

those of uncontrollable ‘contaminators’. This especially applies to those papers focused

on the congruity and interaction between specific cues.

In regard to the type of statistical techniques used, heterogeneity emerges. However,

regression and correlation analysis result as the most used ones; some works adopt struc-

tural equations in order to assess the more complex relationships among cues, internal

evaluations and responses.

Furthermore, we find that 22.5% of the papers collect data by interviewing students.

Using student samples is a subject of debate. Currently, some researchers on servicescape

topics cite the propriety of this choice because of students’ unfamiliarity with stores as con-

sumers (Grewal, Baker, Levy, & Glenn, 2003); other researchers object, contending that

students are an unrepresentative sample (Vaccaro, Yucetepe, Torres-Baumgarten, &

Myung-Soo, 2008).

As far as the specific settings are concerned, the leisure service setting is the most ana-

lyzed one, confirming the importance of this business sector in the economy.

Considering the investigated countries, 45% of the studies are conducted in North

America (USA and Canada), while data from Europe are used in 26% of papers. The per-

centage of papers that do not declare the country (28.6%) is fairly high.

Finally, for what concerns the citation analysis, the paper with the highest number of

citations per year (43) is that of Baker, Parasuraman, Grewal and Voss (2002), ‘The influ-

ence of multiple store environment cues on perceived merchandise value and patronage

intentions’; this result is not surprising, as the study is a milestone in the multiple cues

analysis of the encounter. Similar remarks apply to the paper by Mattila and Wirtz

(2001), ‘Congruency of scent and music as a driver of in-store evaluations and behavior’,

with 18 citations per year; it is indeed one of the first works to study the congruency effects

of environmental cues, thus profoundly contributing to the development of the theory.

For the main findings of this list, we created a review matrix, where the 42 papers are

sorted according to the direct and most relevant links between servicescape cues and out-

comes, to provide an integrative and useful framework of the results. Rows represent inde-

pendent variables and columns represent dependent ones (Table 3).

The criteria used to model the matrix need to be explained. On the one hand, in review-

ing the papers, we found a wide variety of dependent variables as well as several cases of

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multiple-dependent variables analysis. To reduce the complexity of results, we conducted

an aggregation process that led to identify eight main dimensions. On the other hand, to

better describe each cluster’s composition, we created a disaggregation based on the

different ways of dealing with independent variables. Even if we found some differences

in the operationalization of independent variables in the studies (e.g. foreground versus

background music), we did not take them into account in this synthesis attempt.

We realize that a certain amount of subjectivity may be present, although we made

every attempt to analyze works as accurately and comprehensively as possible.

Several comments on the analysis of the matrix follow. In the rows, the analysis of the

three clusters highlights the new ways of studying environment cues, going beyond their

mere presence/absence in the service encounter, usually handled by ‘classical studies’. In

focusing on these cues, what emerges is that their number and newness (e.g. the addition of

industry-specific stimuli in ‘specificity of servicescapes’ cluster) slightly increase from the

top to the bottom of the matrix, in order to adhere as much as possible to reality.

However, the low consistency of a number of sub-clusters and their heterogeneity do

not allow for general conclusions, although their identification stresses the need to conduct

more in-depth analysis (e.g. ‘music × color’ or ‘music × density’) and highlights existing

gaps in the literature (e.g. ‘light congruity’).

As far as the columns are concerned, beside the traditional M–R’s pleasure–arousal

framework, other emotions have been analyzed (e.g. excitement, affective responses)

and new responses have been investigated (e.g. cognitive reaction). Behavioral and

emotional responses are the most analyzed-dependent variables, especially in those

papers that investigate the service encounter through a broader perspective using multiple

environmental cues effects analysis. We urge researchers to go beyond the S-O-R para-

digm in explaining the complexities of customer behavior.

Combining data from the appendix and results from Table 3, comments on the most

interesting findings for each cluster follow.

Congruity

The existence of the fit between environmental cues and the encounter – also known as

congruity or consistency – is an area of growing interest. Ten papers out of 42 fall into

this list and 50% were published in 2008 and 2009.

Reviewing the content of these papers, music and scent are the most investigated cues.

Music congruity with store environment mainly affects: (1) consumer resource expenditure,

both in terms of money and time spent in the encounter (Jacob, Gueguen, Boulbry, & Sami,

2009; Vida, Obadia, & Kunz, 2007); (2) customers’ cognitive activity which, in turn, can

influence attitudes toward employees and the store (Chebat, Chebat, & Vaillant, 2001).

As far as the fit between the scent and the service environment is concerned, (a)

gender-congruent scent influences perceptions of the store, its merchandise and actual

sales (Spangenberg, Sprott, Grohmann, & Tracy, 2006); (b) in an odorless store, an appro-

priate scent associated with the physical environment can enhance shopping behavior

(Parsons, 2009).

The strategic importance of the ‘fit’ leads some researchers to analyze the contempor-

ary presence of music-retail consistency and other environmental cues, such as light

(Vaccaro et al., 2008) and scent (Vaccaro, Yucetepe, Torres-Baumgarten, & Myung-

Soo, 2009). Although these research outputs are an attempt to improve the consistency

of the analysis, studies on the joint effects of cues congruity and interaction among

these cues can give a greater contribution.

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Table 3. ‘New insights’ list main results: an integrative framework.

Resourceexpenditure

Patronageintentions

Productinvolvement

Storeimage

Behavioralresponses PAD

Emotionalresponses

Cognitiveresponses

Congruity Music congruity 05, 08 02Scent congruity 04 01, 04 01, 09Music congruity + 1

or more var.10 03 07, 10 03, 07,

1010 06

Interaction Music and scent 15 15Music × scent 17 14 11, 14 11, 13, 17 11, 14,

1711, 17

Music × color 16Music × density 12

Multiple cues(more than 4)

Holistic view 21 19, 20 19, 21 20 18 20Customers’

peculiarity22,23 23 22 26 24, 25, 26, 28 22, 24 22, 23, 26, 27

Specific servicescape 30, 31, 40 35 29 29, 33, 36, 28,41

32, 36,38

29, 39, 34, 35,37, 41, 42

34

Source: Elaboration on the data set.Notes: Examples of aggregation for dependent variables follow. Resource expenditure: money/time spent – Behavioral responses: behavioral intentions, approach/avoidance behavioretc. – Patronage intentions: repatronage intentions, desire to stay etc. – Product involvement: merchandise evolution, n. of items purchased etc. Resource expenditure: money/timespent – Patronage intentions: repatronage intentions, desire to stay etc. – Product involvement: merchandise evolution, n. of items purchased etc.– Behavioral responses: behavioralintentions, approach/avoidance behavior etc. – PAD: pleasure, arousal, dominance – Store image: store evaluation, store environment, etc. – Emotional responses: excitement, affect,etc. – Cognitive responses: cognitive responses.

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Interaction between two environment cues

Interactive effects arise from the mutual or reciprocal influence among specific character-

istics of environment cues (e.g. loud music × intense scent). Few researchers are studying

this topic pointing out that, if strategically manipulated, the combination of environment

cues (mainly music and scent) can help retailers improve customer satisfaction.

In order to analyze this topic more in depth, several works (4 out of 7) try to combine

interaction with congruity, suggesting that the boundaries between clusters are not fixed

but somehow blurred.

In this vein some interesting findings emerge. For example, the study of the interaction

and congruity between Christmas music and associated Christmas scent (e.g. apples, spice,

cinnamon or mulberry) during the holiday period shows that this mix can cause customers

to evaluate a store more favorably when Christmas music is played. Scent can have no

effect or, in some cases, a negative effect when non-Christmas music (non-congruent-

music) is played (Spangenberg, Grohmann, & Sprott, 2005). Moreover, the shopping

experience, together with impulsive buying tendencies, results to be enhanced from the

interaction between congruity of aromas and music also in other studies (Mattila &

Wirtz, 2001; McDonnell, 2007).

Multiple cues effects

The analysis of the main results from the data set (Table 3) shows that more researchers are

now focusing on the impact that the simultaneous presence of multiple environment cues

exerts on customer attitudes and behavior. A more in-depth investigation of papers in this

cluster, adopting a broader perspective on the physical environment, allowed us to further

divide the works into three sub-clusters: the holistic view of the servicescape, customers’

peculiarities and specificity of servicescapes.

The holistic view of the servicescape

By integrating Bitner’s holistic perspective with the Gestalt theory approach, a new study

niche adopting a holistic approach to the analysis of servicescape has evolved based on the

idea that a given system cannot be explained by considering its component parts separately

from each other, but should instead be studied as a whole. Authors studying this topic

mainly focus on the impact of the servicescape on quality perceptions and customer

loyalty (Baker et al., 2002; Harris & Ezeh, 2008). The model proposed by Baker et al.

(2002) remains one of the first attempts to empirically test a comprehensive retail patron-

age model where a dominant role is played by the variable ‘time/effort’ and ‘psychic

costs’.

Customers’ peculiarities

This cluster emphasizes the importance of cultural and physical differences among

consumers.

A growing number of scholars is concentrating on how servicescape features are per-

ceived in non-western cultures (Chan & Tai, 2001; Sayed, Farrag, & Belk, 2003; Tang,

Chan, & Tai, 2001). China is the most investigated country where, according to Tang

et al. (2001), in addition to the service environment in the narrow sense (ambience,

design, and layout), the low level of excitement’s influence on re-patronage intention is

associated with Chinese culture. The Chinese, for example, are less impulsive than

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Americans and generally put a strong emphasis on purchase value and a low emphasis on

the aesthetic dimensions of the goods or services.

In another study of this sub-cluster, it emerges that Egyptians tend not to be keen

observers: retail settings in Egypt are, in fact, so crowded that consumers seem to be

more influenced by elements such as environmental music than interior design (Sayed

et al., 2003).

Furthermore, immigrant attitudes toward the servicescape have been here highlighted as

a sub-field of studies. Researchers, for example, have investigated a small sample of Hispa-

nic immigrants in the USA, finding their purchase intention directly related to the ‘famili-

arity’ of the servicescape. Hispanics often overlook other atmospheric elements if they

perceive they are treated well by sales associates (Fowler, Wesley, & Vazquez, 2007).

As far as physical differences are concerned, studies in this sub-cluster emphasize the

role that the servicescape could have in helping people with disabilities to approach the

service encounter (Baker, Holland, & Kaufman-Scarborough, 2007; Rosenbaum, 2009).

While in previous studies the servicescape has never been considered as ‘enabling or dis-

abling’ consumer behavior, this fuction is now added in line with the increasing attention

to the social side of the service encounter.

Specificity of servicescapes

An understudied research area concerns how physical environments can influence custo-

mers in certain service industries, especially the sport encounter (‘sportscape’), the restau-

rant encounter (‘dinescape’) and the bank encounter. The distinctive features and the

newness of this cluster lie in the introduction of industry-specific stimuli in the analysis,

thus extending the M–R model.

For leisure services, as an example (Wakefield & Blodgett, 1994), the effects of

various sports encounter factors have been investigated (e.g. parking, cleanliness, crowd-

ing, food service area, score-boards, stadium seats, ticket gates) in relation to: (a) spectator

desires to stay and return to the stadium (Wakefield & Sloan, 1995); (b) consumer behav-

ioral intentions (Hightower, Brady, & Baker, 2002); and (c) the overall level of satisfaction

(Lambrecht, Kaefer, & Ramenofsky, 2009). Also, the effects of various restaurant factors

(e.g. facility aesthetics, ambience, layout, product quality) on customer emotions and be-

havioral intentions and satisfaction have been analyzed (Jang & Namkung, 2009).

The following comments synthesize the main results of the ‘new insights’ list. First,

studies on congruity and interaction between environmental cues are still few: they rep-

resent only 38% of the list (Table 3). But the joint analysis of the topics seems promising;

even better than the investigation of the ‘simple’ presence of several cues, cues congruity

and interaction catch the environment effects in a closer-to-reality way. Second, compared

with those works grouped in the ‘classical studies’ list, music is still the most investigated

cue, mainly because of the easiness and cheapness of its manipulation. Future studies

could adapt the music-retail consistency construct to other servicescape variables such

as lighting, color, temperature, etc. and examine the effects of their interaction. Third,

the effects of the simultaneous presence of multiple cues are increasingly analyzed,

with the emergence of specific sub-fields in sub-clusters; however, the results are not

easly interpretable because of their poor consistency and high heterogeneity. This last

comment applies to all the papers in the list.

In the next part of the paper, we move away from studies that focus specifically on new

insights and explore those focusing on new research directions.

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Emerging trends

The ‘emerging trends’ list describes new research directions in the servicescape field:

. The virtual servicescape

. The ‘dark side’ of the servicescape

. Integration of Bitner’s model

. Advancements in the S-O-R model.

Figure 2 shows the composition of the list where the diameter of each circle reflects the

weight of each cluster.

As Figure 2 shows, and with supporting data from the appendix, the different clusters

exhibit high heterogeneity in size, nature of their samples, type of analysis and content.

Thus, to clarify the results, we highlight the main findings in each cluster’s commentary

and present preliminary conclusions of the results at the end of the section.

The virtual servicescape

Web atmospherics is defined as ‘the conscious designing of web environments to create posi-

tive effects in users in order to increase favorable consumer responses’ (Dailey, 2004, p. 796).

Since 2000 more scholars have shifted their attention from the physical servicescape to

the virtual one, referred to as an ‘e-scape’ (Koering, 2003), ‘cyberscape’ (Williams &

Dargel, 2004), ‘e-servicescape’ (Hopkins, Grove, Raymond, & La Forge, 2009),

‘bricks-and-clicks’ setting (in contrast to ‘bricks-and-mortar’) or the ‘clicks-only’

setting (Tuzovic, 2008).

Since this is a new concept, it is not surprising that 18% of the papers in the cluster are

theoretical and aim to create a common framework for research on the topic.

For what concerns the empirical papers, 32% use student samples. In this cluster, there

are no relevant observations about this choice, mainly because students can be considered

‘the younger end of the market for on-line buying’ (Oh, Fiorito, Cho, & Hofacker, 2008).

Figure 2. Emerging trends: a graphical representation.Source: Elaboration on the data set.

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In analyzing the content, most studies apply Bitner’s model, although with changes.

First, ambient cues are directly applied and investigated, but differences with the ‘tra-

ditional service settings’ studies results are evident. For example, the seldom-analyzed

color cue attracts much attention here (Nitse, Parker, Krumwiede, & Ottaway, 2004),

but only one paper investigates the impact of sound on online consumer responses

(Fiore & Kelly, 2007). Space/function cues are also investigated and the virtual layout

analysis is developed to identify the best consumer-friendly shopping interfaces (Griffith,

2005; Vrechopoulos, O’Keefe, Doukidis, & Siomkos, 2004). Second, new stimuli are

noted while old ones disappear. The new ones include ‘design cues’, ‘navigational atmos-

phere’ and ‘timeliness of information’, with ‘design cues’ (e.g. uncluttered screens, fast

presentations or simple/non-simple search paths) the most often investigated feature. In

contrast, the third Bitner environmental dimension (signs, symbols and artifacts) has

been integrated, or sometimes entirely replaced, with the new dimension of ‘site security’,

perceived as a key issue by e-servicescape customers (Harris & Goode, 2010; Szymanski

& Hise, 2000). Third, regardless of the way cues are classified and analyzed over time, the

goal of understanding the impact of the virtual servicescape on customer behavior remains

unchanged. Thus, also in this cluster, the S-O-R framework is applied to identify the most

appropriate, arousing and pleasant virtual environment (Menon & Kahn, 2002) able to

influence purchase intentions (Harris & Goode, 2010) and loyalty (Koering, 2003).

The ‘dark side’ of the servicescape

Only two empirical studies are included in this research path that analyzes situations at the

opposite extreme of Bitner’s positive model: the study by d’Astous (2000) that investigates

the irritation among shoppers caused by environmental stimuli, and the paper by Reynolds

and Harris (2009) on negative customer behaviors. The former points out 18 environment-

based shopping irritants and tests whether the degree of irritation depends on consumer

gender and age. The Reynolds and Harris paper indicates that the careful design or redesign

of servicescapes may help managers reduce the severity of dysfunctional customer behavior

by creating environments that are satisfactory and exhibit a degree of ‘fit’ with patrons.

Integration of Bitner’s model

In this cluster are grouped papers that focus on issues not addressed in the original Bitner

theoretical framework. Therefore, the predominance of theoretical studies (60%) seems

consistent with the purpose of contributing to advancements in the field.

On the theoretical side, the investigation of the ‘social side’ of the servicescape appears

to be promising. A conceptual model, called ‘the social servicescape’, is introduced to

account for the influence of social density and the displayed emotions of other customers

on consumer-affective states and their subsequent cognitive and behavioral responses

(Tombs & McColl-Kennedy, 2003).

Other variations of the original model emerge. Bonnin (2006) introduces the appropria-

tion concept, which refers to how people use the environment and move in it. Aubert-Gamet

(1997) and Aubert-Gamet and Cova (1999) investigate the servicescape as a ‘facilitator’ that

encourages and nurtures certain forms of social interaction among customers.

Regarding the empirical papers, 75% are based on field studies of retail customer reac-

tions. The integration aspect of Bitner’s model appears, for example, in the analysis of the

response moderators that regulate the relationship between the in-store environment and

mood states (McGoldrick & Pieros, 1998) and in the analysis of consumer self-regulation

(Babin & Darden, 1995).

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Advancements in the S-O-R model

Included in this cluster are papers that, based on the original S-O-R model, mainly address

the ‘O-R’ side: the organism, its emotions and the resultant behavioral responses related to

the servicescape receive the most attention, producing new empirical results.

The existence of the predicted relationships is mainly tested via laboratory exper-

iments (7 papers out of 12), while the remaining five papers are based on field studies.

Looking at the sample used by the authors, the papers appear to be equally distributed:

50% include studies directly analyzing customer behavior, while the other 50% (mainly

laboratory studies) are based on student samples.

A new interest in arousal is evident in these papers, especially the arousal congruity

between consumers’ target-arousal levels and the actual arousal level, which has become

a moderating variable in the evaluation process (Wirtz, Mattila, & Tan, 2007). Dominance

has been reintroduced in the investigation, as testing pleasure, arousal and dominance may

separately explain consumer expressions of approach/avoidance in a vast range of environ-

ments (Foxall & Yani-de-Soriano, 2005). Other emotions that are not in the S-O-R model

(e.g. fear, anger, surprise) are used (Machleit & Eroglu, 2000) as well as two new environ-

mental qualities, complexity and order (Gilboa & Rafaeli, 2003).

Concerning the reinterpretation of the S-O-R model, cognitive theory is further ana-

lyzed along with the influence of environmental cues on cognitive evaluation, which in

turn influences emotions and consumer behaviors (Fiore & Kim, 2007). In this vein,

Massara, Liu, and Melara (2010) posit that atmospheric stimuli have no direct effect on

emotions which, they say, are merely a product of cognition.

By synthesizing the findings from this part of the review, we conclude the following.

First, the four research paths identified here seem largely heterogeneous in content and

goals. However, we can still trace a common thread relating to interest in the social dimen-

sion, mostly omitted by classical studies on the topic. From our in-depth review, this seems

one of the most promising topic as it allows to consider the servicescape not only in terms

of physical attributes. Second, among the different clusters, the virtual servicescape is the

most studied, although the research is still in its infancy. Currently, researchers are trying

to translate the ‘classical’ Bitner framework into the virtual environment. As research

on the ‘traditional’ servicescape is evolving, it may be possible to figure out a cross-

fertilization between this cluster and findings from the ‘new insights’ list.

Finally, the relevance of the virtual servicescape research path is also confirmed by the cita-

tion analysis; the most cited paper, with 60 citations per year, is indeed that of Szymanski and

Hise (2000), ‘e-Satisfaction: An Initial Examination’, followed by those of Mandel and

Johnson (2002) and Menon and Kahn (2002) – belonging to the virtual servicescape cluster.

Discussion and conclusions

Based on a review of the selected 188 papers, this study identifies current research paths to

broaden our understanding of the relationships between servicescapes and customer be-

havior. The major paths include the congruity concept, the interaction between two

environment cues, the effects of multiple cues on customer behavior, the virtual services-

cape, the ‘dark side’ of the servicescape, the integration of Bitner’s model and the

advancements in the S-O-R model. We concentrated on these new concepts in conducting

an in-depth analysis of 93 papers.

Possible further developments and managerial implications follow.

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First, after several calls for papers (Turley & Milliman, 2000), researchers have begun

to examine the effects on customer behavior of more than one servicescape cue. The con-

gruity of a single cue with the service environment and the interactions between different

cues are analyzed. Although these three research paths are improving our understanding,

further investigation is needed. We encourage exploring the interactions between environ-

mental cues other than music (e.g. colors, light) and the congruity within them, in order to

provide a more realistic analysis. But since we still know too little about the holistic view

of the servicescape, a cross-fertilization of the above identified research paths is needed.

This could lead, for example, to broaden the concept of congruity and interaction by con-

sidering more than two variables.

Second, while studies on the consequences of customer cultural differences exist,

future research could analyze more systematically differences among ethnic groups and

better explain the theoretical underpinnings of such differences (e.g. adopting Hofstede’s

cultural dimensions theoretical framework). Different samples (e.g. business customers),

more individual characteristics of consumers (e.g. gender, age, educational level) and

purpose for buying (e.g. renting versus buying or purchasing gifts versus purchasing for

oneself) should be included in the research agenda.

Third, empirically testing the characteristics of other service settings, such as hotels,

airports, hospitals and/or comparing different tiers of servicescape would be useful. The

results could help managers within these service settings understand which environmental

features can directly influence firm performance.

Fourth, by comparing current and past research, we see that scholars have moved from

investigating the tangible characteristics of the servicescape to its social aspects. Future

research should continue to explore this topic with particular emphasis on the influence

that employees motivation, satisfaction and productivity might have on customer

behavior.

Fifth, one of the most promising research streams concerns the virtual servicescape.

Although online atmospherics studies have only appeared during the past 12 years, the

topic is receiving great attention by academics eager to transfer the classical Bitner

model to this new kind of service encounter. Issues such as congruity, interaction and hol-

istic interpretation of the virtual service encounter should be considered to improve results

consistency. At the same time, however, we need to explore its specific aspects, such as the

congruency between the virtual servicescape and the physical environment; the relation-

ship between customer satisfaction and e-loyalty; the differences in approach/avoidance

behavior for B2B and B2C online customers.

Sixth, the analysis of citations has been useful in pointing out the most influential

papers in the field, thus reinforcing our identification of the research paths. This type of

analysis could be expanded to outline the integration, if any, among management

studies and other disciplines.

Finally, methodology cannot be overlooked. Eighty-five percent of the papers in the

data set are quantitative, with samples that vary from 34 (Tuzovic, 2008) to 2121 respon-

dents (Greenland & McGoldrick, 2005). Furthermore, according to Ezeh and Harris

(2007), longitudinal studies may explain linkages between environmental cues and custo-

mer reactions. Finally, retail settings are the most widely investigated, though physical

environments of other service firms should also be included.

This study has several limitations. Although rigorous and replicable criteria were used

in the selection of studies, the investigated samples may not exhaust all the management

literature on the servicescape role. The selected criteria may have led us to identify the

final sample in ways that other keywords and/or other researchers may not have. In the

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analysis for example, the human variable (e.g. employee appearance), as introduced by

Baker (1987) and Turley and Milliman (2000), is not investigated. Although this choice

is justified by our adherence to Bitner’s model, it may be a limitation of the work as

well as a starting point for further developments.

In brief, the findings of this paper provide a useful review of the effects of servicescape

and a platform for a more in-depth research.

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the two anonymous SIJ referees for their helpful comments and

suggestions.

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Appendix. Detailed results of study-by-study review

Author(s) Year Sample Setting Country Methods Main findings

Analysis

methods Citations∗Cites/

year∗ Cluster∗∗

01 Fiore, A.M., Yah, X.,

and Yoh, E.

2000 109 Female students Retail n.a. Laboratory experiment:

manipulated setting

The addition of a pleasant and appropriate fragrance to the

product display result in statistically significant increases and

in the highest levels of attitude toward the product, purchase

intention toward the product and price the subjects are willing

to pay for the product

Correlation

analysis

64 5.33 Congruity

02 Chebat, J.C., Chebat, C.G., and

Vaillant, D.

2001 593 Students Two universities Canada Laboratory experiment:

videotapes

Retailers using background music in their stores favor the

generation of some types of cognitive responses, which may

negatively influence the attitudes toward the employees and

the store if the music does not fit with the sales encounter

Correlation

analysis

51 4.64 Congruity

03 Grewal, D., Baker, J., Levy, M.,

Voss, G.B.

2003 213 Students Jewelry store USA Laboratory experiment:

videotapes

The authors empirically establish the relative importance of the

presence/absence of music that fits with the environment, the

n. of customers and the n. of visible employees on wait

expectations, store atmosphere evaluation and store

patronage intentions

Structural

equation

analysis

74 8.22 Congruity

04 Spangenberg, E.R., Sprott,

D.E., Grohmann, B., and

Tracy, D.L.

2006 181 Customers Clothing store USA Field study Results show positive effect of gender-congruent ambient scent

on store evaluation, merchandise evaluations, and approach/

avoidance behaviors, including money spent, in comparison

to an incongruent scent

Regression

analysis

23 3.83 Congruity

05 Vida, I., Obadia, C., and

Kunz, M.

2007 332 Customers Two large supermarkets UE Field study Shoppers’ liking of the music in the natural retail setting and the

perceived music fit with the store image positively affect the

length of shopping time, which, in turn, indirectly influence

consumers’ expenditure

Structural

equation

analysis

7 1.40 Congruity

06 Oakes, S., and North, A.C. 2008(b) 274 Students University UK Field study With low crowd density, satisfaction levels, relaxation levels, and

positive disconfirmation of wait expectations are highest in

the slow-tempo treatment, lower in the fast-tempo treatment,

and lowest in the no-music treatment. With high crowd

density, satisfaction levels, relaxation levels, and positive

disconfirmation of wait expectations are highest in the no-

music treatment, lower in the slow-tempo treatment, and

lowest in the fast-tempo treatment

Correlation

analysis

10 2.50 Congruity

07 Vaccaro, V.L., Yucepete, V.,

Torres-Baumgarten, G.,

Lee, M.S.

2008 248 Students Variety of types of stores

and service providers

USA Field study Results show statistically significant correlations between music-

retail consistency and product involvement, but not store

image. Brighter lighting was significantly related to greater

product involvement and more positive store image

Correlation

analysis

0 0.00 Congruity

08 Jacob, C., Gueguen,

N. Boulbry, G., Sami, S.

2009 120 Customers Flower shop France Field study The comparison between pop, romantic (congruence condition)

and no music conditions shows clearly that romantic music

has a positive effect on the amount of money spent by

customers

Correlation

analysis

0 0.00 Congruity

09 Parsons, A.G. 2009 229 Customers Bookstore, lingerie store,a

white-ware appliance

store

n.a. Laboratory experiment

and field study

In the case of the normally odorless store, an appropriate scent in

the form of an associated scent can enhance shopping

behavior. Presence of a pleasant but non-associated scent can

actually lead to negative affective or behavioral responses

Correlation

analysis

2 0.67 Congruity

10 Vaccaro, V.L., Yucepete, V.,

Torres-Baumgarten, G.,

Lee, M.S.

2009 248 Students Variety of types of stores

and service providers

USA Field study The study of music-retail consistency and scent shows that

pleasant scent is directly related only to the intended time

spent, but music-retail consistency has an impact on product

involvement, store image, behavioral intentions and intended

time spent in service environments

Regression

analysis

0 0.00 Congruity

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Appendix: Continued.

Author(s) Year Sample Setting Country Methods Main findings

Analysis

methods Citations∗Cites/

year∗ Cluster∗∗

11 Mattila, A.S., and Wirtz, J. 2001 247 Customers Gift shop n.a. Field study When the arousal levels of ambient scent and background music

match, consumers’ evaluations and behaviors in the shopping

experience are enhanced. Moreover, appropriate aromas and

music might encourage shoppers to engage in impulse buying

Correlation

analysis

196 17.82 Interaction

12 Eroglu, S.A., Machleit, K.A.,

and Chebat, J.C.

2005(b) 347 Customers Suburban mall n.a. Field study The findings indicate that at least one quality of music – tempo –

together with shopper density, can affect shoppers’ cognitive

and behavioral responses to the retail environment

Regression

analysis

25 3.57 Interaction

13 Morrin, M., and Chebat, J.C. 2005 774 Customers Mall Canada Field study Atmospheric cues such as music and scent are more effective at

enhancing consumer response when they are congruent with

individuals’ shopping styles. More impulsive shoppers are

positively affected by the presence of background music,

whereas more contemplative shoppers are positively affected

by the presence of a pleasant ambient scent

Correlation

analysis

21 3.00 Interaction

14 Spangenberg, E.R., Grohmann,

B., and Sprott, D.E.

2005 130 Students Retail USA Laboratory experiment:

slides

Consistency between ambient scent and music in a retail setting

(e.g. congruent combination of Christmas scent and

Christmas music) leads to more favorable evaluations of the

store, its merchandise and the store environment. Behavioral

intentions to visit the store are also positively affected

Correlation

analysis

31 4.43 Interaction

15 McDonnell, J. 2007 607 Subjects Customer service center n.a. Field study Music and scent can increase satisfaction among customers kept

waiting in a line and reduce queue rage

Structural

equation

analysis

6 1.20 Interaction

16 Lin, I.Y. 2010 127 Subjects Hotel bar USA Laboratory experiment:

videotapes

Bar service providers should adopt novel or unique colors and

music that fits with the purpose of their bar atmosphere to

enhance customers’ arousal level because individual arousal

will then moderate customer satisfaction evaluation

Correlation

analysis

1 0.50 Interaction

17 Morrison, M., Gan, S.,

Dubelaar, C., Oppewal, H.

2010 263 Female customers Fashion retail n.a. Field study The combination of high volume music and the presence of a

vanilla aroma results in an enhancement of pleasure levels,

suggesting a congruency effect. This congruency, in turn,

results in higher levels of pleasure, and consequently of

money and time spent, as well as approach behavior and

satisfaction levels for this atmospheric condition

Correlation

analysis

1 0.50 Interaction

18 Tai, S.H.C., and Fung, A.M.C. 1997 300 Customers 2 CD stores China Field study The findings show that the in-store environment stimuli are

positively related to the level of pleasure experienced in the

store. In turn, environment-induced emotional states in the

store are positively related to in-store shopping behavior

Regression

analysis

n.a. n.a. Holistic

view

19 Baker, J., Parasuraman, A.,

Grewal, D., and Voss, G.B.

2002 466 Students Card-and-gift store USA Laboratory experiment:

videotapes

The authors propose a comprehensive store choice model that

includes (1) three types of store environment cues (social,

design, and ambient) as exogenous constructs, (2) various

store choice criteria as mediating constructs, and (3) store

patronage intentions as the endogenous construct. The

environmental cues have great potential to influence

shopping experience costs and store evaluation

Structural

equation

analysis

426 42.60 Holistic

view

20 Babin, B.J., Chebat, J.C., and

Michon, R.

2004 800 Customers Mall n.a. Field study Respondents perceptions of appropriateness significantly affected

their product quality ratings, their feelings, the perceived

value of the shopping experience and their approach/

avoidance behavior

Structural

equation

analysis

33 4.13 Holistic

view

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21 Harris, L.C., and Ezeh, C. 2008 271 Customers Restaurantes UK Field study The authors propose and test a model of the key physical and

employee-oriented aspects of servicescape. Linear

associations are found between aroma, cleanliness, implicit

communicators, furnishing, customer orientation, physical

attractiveness of staff and intentions to be loyal

Regression

analysis

10 2.50 Holistic

view

22 Chan, R.Y.K., and Tai, S. 2001 213 Customers Hypermarket China Field study The work supports the general postulation that shopping

emotions directly influence resource expenditure and

shopping values. Furthermore, deviating from previous

research, this study suggests a greater adverse impact of

resource expenditure on utilitarian shopping values, and a

negative relationship between resource expenditure and

hedonic shopping values

Structural

equation

analysis

7 0.64 Customers

Pec.

23 Tang, E.P.Y., Chan, R.Y.K.,

and Tai S.

2001 200 Customers Four large game shops China Field study The perceived physical environment of the game center

(ambience, design, and layout) exerts a direct and positive

influence on Chinese customers’ emotional state, as well as

on their repatronage intention

Structural

equation

analysis

9 0.82 Customers

Pec.

24 El Sayed, I.M., Farrag, D.A.,

and Belk, R.W.

2003 308 Customers 10 malls Egypt Laboratory experiment:

videotapes

Background music, crowdedness, mall location, and lights all

have a significant impact on shoppers’ emotional states and

behavioral intentions. This study finds that there is no direct

effect of interior design on shoppers’ behavioral intentions,

mainly due to Egyptian customers’ cultural characteristics

Correlation

analysis

12 1.50 Customers

Pec.

25 Baker, S.M., Holland, J., and

Kaufman-Scarborough, C.

2007 115 Customers with

disabilities

n.a. USA Field study This paper extends the understanding of the cues that customers

with disabilities use to judge inclusion/welcome (or not) in

interactions in retail stores. Service personnel, store

environmental factors, other customers and product/service

assortments impact their perceptions of welcome (or

unwelcome)

CIT (critical

incident

technique)

7 1.40 Customers

Pec.

26 Fowler, D.C., Wesley, S.C.,

and Vazquez, M.E.

2007 90 Hispanic

immigrants

Retail USA Field study Hispanic communities often overlook atmospheric elements such

as price, merchandise, retail staff, general layout and design

if they perceive being treated well by sales associates – a

simpatico treatment – and when sales associates

communicate with them in Spanish

Interpretive

analysis

3 0.60 Customers

Pec.

27 Rosenbaum, M.S., and

Montoya, D.Y.

2007 20 Ethnic students and

faculty, 100

Hispanic and 100

homosexual

Restaurants n.a. Field study Consumers respond to additional elements in a social

servicescape to assess their place identity. Place identity

refers to the congruency between a consumer’s self-identity

and a place. In particular, consumers assess their place

identity by evaluating the ethnicity of employees and

customers in a setting, a process termed ‘place likening’, and

by responding to verbal and non-verbal cues in a

consumption setting

Regression

analysis

10 2.00 Customers

Pec.

28 Rosenbaum, M.S. 2009 589 Customers Restorative servicescape

(e.g. gym, diner,

bookstore,

coffeeshop)

n.a. Field study + laboratory

experiment (video)

Servicescapes may comprise more than objective elements that

influence consumer approach/avoidance behaviors; they may

also comprise restorative elements that help consumers recover

from symptoms associated with directed attention fatigue

Structural

equation

analysis

3 1.00 Customers

Pec.

29 Greenland, S.J., and

McGoldrick, P.J.

1994 2000 Respondents Five Banks UK Field study Modern branches (in terms of design, esthetics, space, comfort,

air quality, etc.) have a more favorable impact upon

customers’ emotional states. They also have a better image

and level of customer satisfaction

Correlation

analysis

39 2.17 Specific S.

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Appendix: Continued.

Author(s) Year Sample Setting Country Methods Main findings

Analysis

methods Citations∗Cites/

year∗ Cluster∗∗

30 Wakefield, K.J., and Blodgett,

J.G.

1994 Students (for baseball)

+ 538 spectators

(for football)

Five major league baseball

stadiums

USA Laboratory experiment

(videotapes) + field

study

Perceived quality has a significant, positive effect on

respondents’ satisfaction with the sportscape. Satisfaction, in

turn, has a positive effect on respondents’ intentions to attend

future games. Perceived crowding has a significant negative

impact on respondents’ excitement levels and on their

perceptions of quality. Perceived quality, in turn, has a direct

effect on excitement. Involvement has a significant, positive

effect both on excitement and on attendance intentions

Structural

equation

analysis

191 10.61 Specific S.

31 Wakefield, K.J., and Sloan, H.J. 1995 1491 Respondents Five football stadiums USA Field study Although team loyalty strongly affects attendance, stadium

design and stadium services also directly influence

spectators’ desire to stay, and hence, attend games at the

stadium

Structural

equation

analysis

108 6.35 Specific S.

32 Wakefield, K.L., Blodgett, J.G.,

and Sloan, H.J.

1996(b) 559 Respondents Minor league baseball and

football stadium

USA Field study Consumers’ pleasure with the sportscape is influenced by

perceived crowding, esthetic quality of the facility and

scoreboard quality. In turn, the pleasure strongly influences

spectators desire to stay and repatronize games at that facility

Structural

equation

analysis

56 3.50 Specific S.

33 Hightower, R., Brady, M.K.,

and Baker, T.L.

2002 125 Respondents Minor league baseball

stadium

USA Field study The servicescape has a positive and significant effect on positive

effect, which is directly related to behavioral intentions. In

addition, the servicescape positively influences perceptions

of service quality, which in turn impacts value perceptions.

Value perceptions act to influence positive effect and

behavioral intentions

Regression

analysis

97 9.70 Specific S.

34 Greenland, S., and McGoldrick,

P.

2005 2121 Respondents Eighteen branches UK Field study Overall modern styles of branches have a more favorable impact

upon cognitive, affective and, especially cognative responses

to the environment

Structural

equation

analysis

10 1.43 Specific S.

35 Cottet, P., Lichtle, M.C., and

Plichon, V.

2006 436 Respondents Hypermarket n.a. Field study As regards the hedonic value, atmosphere (i.e. setting, outside

aspect, lighting, colors, smell), the store’s employees,

peripheral services and crowding are the fundamental

elements that make consumers consider a store to be pleasant.

Only the product availability has an impact on the utilitarian

value

Regression

analysis

15 2.50 Specific S.

36 Kottasz, R. 2006 140 respondents Ten museums UK Field study Two out of the five genres of atmospheric cues, i.e., the interior

(the lighting and special effects) and decoration elements (the

signage accompanying the exhibition displays) are found to

impact significantly upon the pleasure, arousal and

dominance felt by visitors.

Structural

equation

analysis

3 0.50 Specific S.

37 Namkung, Y., and Jang, S.C. 2008 287 Respondents Four mid-to-upper scale

restaurants

USA Field study This study shows that appealing food presentation, tasty food,

spatial seating arrangement, fascinating interior design,

pleasing background music, reliable service, responsive

service and competent employees are important attributes in

contributing to the high satisfaction of diners

Regression

analysis

18 4.50 Specific S.

38 Ryu, K., and Jang, S. 2008 319 Respondents Three upscalerestaurants USA Field study Facility esthetics (such as architectural design, interior design and

decor), ambience (music, scent, and temperature), and layout

have significant effects on the degree of customer pleasure,

while facility esthetics and employees significantly

influenced the level of arousal and have direct influences on

behavioral intentions. Moreover, pleasure is a significant

determinant of behavioral intentions

Structural

equation

analysis

6 1.50 Specific S.

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39 Allard, T., Babin, B., Chebat

J.C., and Crispo, M.

2009 300 Customers Bank North

America

Field study Results suggest that due to the utilitarian nature of the financial

services industry, modern retail environments that are low-

arousing and pleasure-oriented offer strong potential for the

maximization of consumers’ experience

Structural

equation

analysis

0 0.00 Specific S.

40 Grayson, R.A.S., and McNeill,

L.S.

2009 n.a. Bar n.a. Field study Results suggest that bar managers’ atmosphere objectives are

well aligned with what a consumer values about that

environment (comfort, the feeling of a relationship and

safety). In addition, managers tended to focus on creating

interest and arousal in their bar setting, as well as influencing

purchasing, with the intention of manipulating atmospheric

variables to keep consumers in their establishment longer.

Consumers on the other hand tended to emphasize negative

atmospheric elements such as crowding and threats to

physical safety, remembering what had made them leave a

bar far more readily than elements that had induced them to

stay

Interpretive

analysis

1 0.33 Specific S.

41 Jang, S., and Namkung, Y. 2009 290 Customers Four mid-to-upperscale

restaurants

USA Field study Atmospherics and service function are stimuli that enhance

positive emotions, while product attributes, such as food

quality, act to relieve negative emotional responses.

Moreover, positive emotions mediate the relationship

between atmospherics/services and future behavioral

intentions

Structural

equation

analysis

18 6.00 Specific S.

42 Lambrecht, K.W., Kaefer, F.,

and Ramenofsky, S.D.

2009 394 Respondents PGA tour event n.a. Field study Spectators attending a PGA tour event appear to be satisfied with

all sportscape factors considered (parking, course

accessibility, concessions, seating, merchandise, crowd

control, restrooms, helpfulness of employees/volunteers)

Regression

analysis

n.a. n.a. Specific S.

‘Emerging trends’ list

43 Szymanski, D.M., and Hise,

R.T.

2000 1007 Online

customers

n.a. n.a. Field study Convenience, site design and financial security are the dominant

factors that influence e-satisfaction. Good site design

includes having fast, uncluttered, and easy-to-navigate sites.

Convenience includes saving time and making browsing easy

Regression

analysis

709 59.08 Virtual S.

44 Eroglu, S.A., Machleit, K.A.,

and Davis, L.M.

2001 – – – – The authors propose a model, suggesting a number of research

avenues for studies on online retailing from an atmospheric

perspective

Theoretical

paper

1 0.09 Virtual S.

45 Mandel, N., and Johnson, E.J. 2002 385 Respondents Retail n.a. Laboratory experiment:

ad hoc Internet websites

On-line experiments manipulate the background pictures and

colors of a web page, affecting consumer product choice. The

authors demonstrate that these effects occur for both experts

and novices, albeit by different mechanisms. For novices,

priming drives differences in external search that, in turn,

drive differences in choice. For experts, we observe

differences in choice that are not mediated by changes in

external search

Regression

analysis

201 20.10 Virtual S.

46 Menon, S., and Kahan, B. 2002 211 Students Juice bar + Internet

shopping mall

USA Laboratory experiment:

ad hoc Internet websites

Study 1: The characteristics of products and websites can

significantly influence the level of arousal and pleasure that

consumers experience and thereby can influence their later

shopping behavior. Study 2: if consumers are exposed

initially to pleasing Internet websites, they are then more

likely to engage in subsequent approach shopping behaviors

Correlation

analysis

178 17.80 Virtual S.

47 Eroglu, S.A., Machleit, K.A.,

and Davis, L.M.

2003 328 Respondents High-quality shirts retailer n.a. Laboratory experiment:

ad hoc Internet website

The perceived online atmospheric cues influence shoppers’

pleasure, which, in turn, influences attitude, which then

Structural 165 18.33 Virtual S.

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Appendix: Continued.

Author(s) Year Sample Setting Country Methods Main findings

Analysis

methods Citations∗Cites/

year∗ Cluster∗∗

affects shoppers’ level of satisfaction and approach/

avoidance behavior

equation

analysis

48 Koernig, S.K. 2003 102 Students Four different hotel web-

sites

n.a. Field study Increasing the tangibility of cues in the e-scape elicits more

positive evaluations of the service, more positive evaluations

of the Web site, higher unaided recall and higher loyalty

Correlation

analysis

56 6.22 Virtual S.

49 Dailey, L. 2004 – – – – Restrictive navigation cues act as barriers that threaten web users’

control over web navigation, which, in turn, arouses

psychological reactance leading to negative consequences for

the web marketer, including negative emotion, negative web

site attitudes and site avoidance behavior

Theoretical

paper

70 8.50 Virtual S.

50 Gorn, G.J., Chattopadhyay, A.,

Sengupta, J., and Tripathi,

S.

2004 306 Students Real estate n.a. Laboratory experiment:

ad hoc Internet website

For each dimension of color (i.e. hue, value and chrome), colors

that induce more relaxed feeling states lead to greater

perceived quickness. Feelings of relaxation have direct

effects on site attitudes

Correlation

analysis

64 8.00 Virtual S.

51 Nitse, P.S., Parker, K.R.,

Krumwiede, D., and

Ottaway, T.

2004 288 Students n.a. n.a. Field study Results indicate that companies are losing customers and sales as

a result of having colors on e-commerce sites that do not

accurately represent the actual colors of the products being

sold

Correlation

analysis

29 3.63 Virtual S.

52 Rosen, D.E., and Purinton, E. 2004 211 Students Retail USA Field study Web sites scoring highly on coherence, complexity and legibility

result in greater overall impression and probability of revisit

Correlation

analysis

91 11.38 Virtual S.

53 Vrechopoulos, A.P., O’Keefe,

R.M., Doukidis, G.I., and

Siomkos, G.J.

2004 120 Respondents Grocery store Greece,

UK

Laboratory experiment:

different versions of the

same virtual store

The grid layout is perceived as being more effective for

navigating a virtual store, compared with the freeform and

the racetrack layout. A mixed grid/freeform layout pattern

constitutes an emerging layout for virtual retailing

Regression

analysis

50 6.25 Virtual S.

54 Williams, R., and Dargel, M. 2004 – – – – A number of key findings are vital to the planning and designing

of sites. First, there is a need to focus and target site content at

particular user groups. Designers and publishers cannot

expect to satisfy a wide and diverse audience with single

sites. Second, there is a need to offer vividness providing

most notably a depth sensory information

Theoretical

paper

11 1.38 Virtual S.

55 Ballantine, P.W. 2005 360 Web users Retail n.a. Laboratory experiment:

simulated online retail

store

Results suggest that two web-specific attributes (i.e. the level of

interactivity and the amount of information) can predict

consumers’ e-satisfaction

Interpretive

analysis

1 0.50 Virtual S.

56 Griffith, D.A. 2005 228 students Retail n.a. Laboratory experiment:

simulated two online

retail stores

Participants in the tree structured online store layout have a

greater proportion of positive inferential thoughts, accurately

recall a greater number of products and brand names, have

greater purchase intentions, a more positive attitude toward

the retailer and perceive the site to be easier to use than

participants in the tunnel-structured online store layout

Correlation

analysis

17 2.43 Virtual S.

57 Mummalaneni, V. 2005 130 Students Four website stores USA Field study The online store ambience has a positive effect on consumers’

pleasure, arousal, satisfaction, expressed intention of loyalty

and number of items purchased

Regression

analysis

56 8.00 Virtual S.

58 Richard, M.O. 2005 Web users Pharmaceutical web site USA Field study Entertainment is positively related to site attitudes, site

involvement, exploratory behavior and purchase intentions

Structural

equation

analysis

48 6.86 Virtual S.

59 Varlander, S., and Yakhlef, A. 2006 Tour operator, a bookstore

and a bank

n.a. Field study The Internet has not reduced the importance of physical space; on

the opposite, it has revalorized and emphasized the

significance of space

Interpretive

analysis

3 0.50 Virtual S.

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60 Vilnai-Yavetz, I., and Rafaeli,

A.

2006 137 Employees of

various

organizations

n.a. n.a. Laboratory experiment:

four different version of

the same virtual store

Esthetics were found to influence feelings of pleasantness,

satisfaction, and approach toward a service interaction.

Professionalism was found to influence satisfaction but not

feelings of pleasantness or approach toward a service

interaction. However, perceptions of professionalism did

influence these variables. Feelings of pleasantness mediated

the relationship between esthetics and satisfaction and

between esthetics and approach toward a service interaction,

but not the relationship between professionalism and these

variables

Regression

analysis

22 3.67 Virtual S.

61 Fiore, S.G., and Kelly, S. 2007 n.a. Seventyweb sites UK Field study The audio-visual format helps to bring people closer to the actual

product by making the experience more physically rich and

incorporating the expressiveness of spoken language. It gives

people better possibility to form their own subjective ideas

about products rather than being forced to rely on

descriptions conceived from another’s perspective

Interpretive

analysis

6 1.20 Virtual S.

62 Davis, L., Wang, S., and

Lindridge, A.

2008 199 American students

and 214 Chinese

students

Four online music

compact disc stores

n.a. Laboratory experiment:

ad hoc Internet websites

Chinese consumers find online cues more helpful in completing a

shopping task and experience lower levels of pleasure and

arousal, compared with US consumers

Structural

equation

analysis

22 5.50 Virtual S.

63 Oh, J., Fiorito, S.S., Cho, H.,

and Hofacker, C.F.

2008 307 Students Retail n.a. Laboratory experiment:

two experimental

storefront designs for a

web-based store

Consumers perceive that they will save time/effort and obtain

higher-quality merchandise through the use of information

displays for web-based stores (especially picture-based

information displays) with no preference to the storefront

designs. In addition, consumers perceive a safe and

entertaining web-based store image that reflects higher-

quality merchandise when the store has a thematic storefront

design and picture-based information displays. Finally,

consumers feel that shopping at a web-based store is more

convenient and they expect higher-quality merchandise with

pictorial elements in the information displays

Correlation

analysis

6 1.50 Virtual S.

64 Tuzovic, S. 2008 34 Faculty and staff

members

Real estate USA Field study A buyer’s perception of the overall service quality of real-estate

service consists of two components: the interaction with a

realtor (process quality); and the virtual servicescape,

especially the firm’s website design and content (potential

quality)

Interpretive

analysis

5 1.25 Virtual S.

65 Xia,L., He, M., and Xie, P. 2008 1001 Online

customers

n.a. China Field study Information quality, web site design, merchandise attributes,

transaction capability, security/privacy, payment, delivery

and customer service are strongly predictive of online

shopping customer satisfaction. Delivery and customer

service play a critical role in Chinese customer satisfaction.

Expending more effort on web page design and making

online shopping enjoyable is also important. The visitor’s

first impression on the web site is derived from the page

design, the layout and color match

Regression

analysis

18 4.50 Virtual S.

66 de Kervenoael, R., Aykac,

D.A.O., and Palmer, M.

2009 – – – – This article explores the potential impact of socially constructed

e-atmospherics on impulse buying. E-atmospherics need to

be co-constructed and co-branded by all the stakeholders.

This will lead to a fundamental rethink of the online human

social dimension that should translate marketers’ strategies

into actions and doing

Theoretical

paper

2 0.67 Virtual S.

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Appendix: Continued.

Author(s) Year Sample Setting Country Methods Main findings

Analysis

methods Citations∗Cites/

year∗ Cluster∗∗

67 Hopkins, C.D., Grove, S.J.,

Raymond, M.A., and La

Forge, M.C.

2009 216 Respondents Ticket brokerage firm n.a. Field study All three e-servicescape dimensions (ambient conditions; spatial

layout and functionality; signs, symbols, and artifacts)

influenced customers’ attitudes toward the web site, yet

ambient conditions had the greatest impact. A positive

attitude generated by the e-servicescape dimensions produces

a superior evaluation of the service provider

Structural

equation

analysis

2 0.67 Virtual S.

68 Manganari, E.E., Siomkos,

G.J., and Vrechopoulos,

A.P.

2009 – – – – Within the restricted computer interface the e-tailer should

convey the feeling of being in a real store. The web-site can

contribute to the effectiveness and differentiation by

determining consumers’ internal states and their overall

responses. The use of color, layout, interactivity, animation

and other atmospheric stimuli should be the result of

systematic and conscious design of online stores. E-tailers

can entice consumers to visit their store, shape their attitudes

towards the store, enhance their satisfaction, strengthen their

purchase intention or urge them to recommend the store to

others

Theoretical

paper

9 3.00 Virtual S.

69 Harris, L.C., and Goode,

M.M.H.

2010 257 Respondents Ninety-six different sites n.a. Field study First, security issues are heavily linked to web site trust and thus

purchase intentions. Second, trust constitutes a key variable

during online exchange. Furthermore, the ‘e-servicescape’, is

also a strong determinant of online shoppers’ purchase

intentions. Consumers’ perceptions and interpretations of

online service environments exert a powerful, direct

influence over trust that, in turn, is associated with

consumers’ purchase intentions

Structural

equation

analysis

0 0.00 Virtual S.

70 D’astous, A. 2000 281 Customers Canadian city of

Sherbrooke

Canada Field study Retailes and marketing researches should be concerned by those

environmental stimuli that create irritation among shoppers.

Among displeasing stimuli, ambient and social factors

generate significantly more irritation than design factors.

Gender and age have a statistically significant impact on felt

irritation due to ambient, design and social factors. In

general, women appear to be more irritated than men by

displeasing aspects of the environment

Correlation

analysis

71 5.92 Dark side

71 Reynolds, K.L., and Harris,

L.C.

2009 384 Customers Public space (e.g.

shopping mall)

n.a. Field study While the findings of the study do not support a direct

relationship between servicescape and the severity of

dysfunctional customer behavior, an indirect relationship,

mediated by disaffection with service is championed

Structural

equation

analysis

7 2.33 Dark side

72 Babin, B.J., and Darden, W.R. 1995 98 Customers Ten stores in a mall n.d. Field study Consumer self-regulation alters effects of emotions evoked by a

retail store servicescape on shopping behavior and shopping

value. In particular, feelings of arousal display a greater

impact on resource expenditures among state oriented

shoppers, compared to their action-oriented counterparts.

Likewise, the relationship between reported dominance and

resource expenditures only affected state-oriented shoppers.

In contrast, increased resource expenditures lowered

utilitarian shopping value much more among action oriented

versus state-oriented shoppers

Structural

equation

analysis

159 9.35 Integration

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73 Aubert-Gamet, V. 1997 – – – – While experiencing service, the customer can create new

meanings and unusual functions which could raise

opportunities to improve service management. In this

constructivist approach, the consumer is considered as a co-

builder of the servicescape

Theoretical

paper

61 4.07 Integration

74 McGoldrick, P.J., and Pieros,

C.P.

1998 1000 Customers Shopping mall UK Field study The model proposed and tested combines the Mehrabian and

Russell (1974) framework and the Bitner (1992) conceptual

framework. The authors introduce the response moderators

(shopping motives, personality traits, expectations and

familiarity with the environment) and focus on their role on

the relationship between perceived environment and mood

states

Structural

equation

analysis

32 2.29 Integration

75 Aubert-Gamet, V., and Cova,

B.

1999 – – – – Service places have to be designed as postmodern places of

creation and development of social links and communities.

Moreover, strategies for success in postmodernity are based

on the communal quality of the service or its ‘linking value’

Theoretical

paper

76 5.85 Integration

76 Sharma, A., and Stafford, T.F. 2000 80 Students Prestige/discount

computer store

n.a. Laboratory experiment:

role-playing scenario

Store ambience and design positively affect customers’

persuasion as well as customers’ positive perceptions of

salespeople. In particular, prestige image store salespeople

are likely to be persuasive simply as a function of how their

working environment is perceived by customers

Correlation

analysis

53 4.42 Integration

77 Turley, L.W., and Chebat, J.C. 2002 – – – – Most of the work in atmospherics has focused on consumer

reactions to environments, while the strategic dimensions of

this decision have largely been ignored. The paper explores

this gap by focusing on the managerial dimensions of store

atmosphere by linking retail strategies and atmospheric

design with consumer behaviors and issues

Theoretical

paper

57 5.70 Integration

78 Tombs, A., and McColl-

Kennedy, J.R.

2003 – – – – The authors develop the concept of social-servicescapes. It is

comprised of five key elements: (1) purchase occasion

(context); (2) social density (physical elements); (3)

displayed emotion of others (social elements); (4) customer’s

affective responses (internal responses); and (5) customer’s

cognitive responses (either as intention of behavior or actual

behaviors)

Theoretical

paper

53 5.89 Integration

79 Bonnin, G. 2006 – – – – Appropriation and appropriability are important concepts (how

people use the environment and move in it) that can help

broaden the understanding of consumer-service environment

Theoretical

paper

15 2.50 Integration

80 Noad, J., and Rogers, B. 2008 141 Customers Industrial retail outlet USA Field study The retail atmospheric elements that were identified as most

important by business respondents are product availability,

product range, product quality, product information and staff

interactions. ‘Softer’ elements, such as the store decor and

layout were considered more important in consumer retailing

Correlation

analysis

1 0.25 Integration

81 Esbjerg, L., and Bech-Larsen,

T.

2009 – – – – Consumers (and other constituents) are active co-constructors of

material and symbolic aspects of retail settings

Theoretical

paper

6 2.00 Integration

82 Donovan, R.J., Rossiter, J.R.,

Marcoolyn, G., and

Nesdale, A.

1994 60 Female customers Two discount department

stores

n.a. Field study Shoppers’ emotional states within the store predict actual

purchase behavior – not just attitudes or intentions.

Moreover, the contribution of the emotional variables

(pleasure and arousal) to store behavior is independent of

cognitive variables such as perceptions of quality and price.

Pleasure induced by store environments appears to be a

strong cause of consumers spending extra time in the store

and spending more money than intended

Regression

analysis

442 24.5 S-O-R

(Continued)

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Appendix: Continued.

Author(s) Year Sample Setting Country Methods Main findings

Analysis

methods Citations∗Cites/

year∗ Cluster∗∗

83 Kenhove, P., and Desrumaux,

P.

1997 364 Customers Seven retail outlets n.a. Field study The organism-response part of the M–R model is useful in a

retail environment. Both pleasure and arousal induced by the

store environment are strong predictors of behavioral

intentions and are strong correlated

Structural

equation

analysis

0 0.00 S-O-R

84 Foxall, G.R., and Greenley,

G.E.

1999 142 Customers Eight consumer settings England Field study Pleasure, arousal and dominance explain consumers’ verbal

expressions of approach/avoidance over the range of

Behavioral Perspective Model-generated service

environments investigated. The results suggest that the

Mehrabian and Russell (1974) framework can be made

meaningful to all consumer environments categorized using

the BPM variables

Regression

analysis

90 6.92 S-O-R

85 Machleit, K.A., and Eroglu,

S.A.

2000 744 Students + 153

adults

Variety of types of stores

and service providers

n.a. Field study Paper empirically compares the three emotion measures most

frequently used in marketing to determine which best

captures the various emotions shoppers experience. Findings

indicate the Izard and Plutchik measures perform

considerably better than the M–R measure

Regression

analysis

116 9.67 S-O-R

86 Wirtz, J., Mattila, A.S., and

Tan, R.L.P.

2000 240 Students Restaurant Singapore Laboratory experiment:

video role-play scenario

Consumers are sensitive to the targeted arousal levels they desire,

and that satisfaction levels decrease when the actual arousal

level departs from this targeted level

Correlation

analysis

86 7.17 S-O-R

87 Gilboa, S., and Rafaeli, A. 2003 130 Customers Two grocery stores n.d. Laboratory experiment:

photo analysis

Feelings of unpleasantness in grocery stores’ shoppers may be

due to the complexity of the settings. The highest levels of

approach behaviors were in those instances that combined

moderate complexity with high order

Regression

analysis

42 4.67 S-O-R

88 Foxall, G.R., and Yani-de-

Soriano, M.M.

2005 127 Customers Eight consumer settings Venezuela Field study The attitude responses pleasure, arousal and dominance vary over

a variety of consumption contexts as predicted by the

Behavioral Perspective Model. Elements of the environment

that increase social prestige, performance feedback and self-

esteem are important determinants of positive consumer

behavior but should not be so strong as to detract from the

pleasure responses generated by such environments

Regression

analysis

12 1.71 S-O-R

89 Burns, D.J., and Neisner, L. 2006 158 Students Retail setting USA Laboratory experiment:

scenario

In the setting examined, cognitive evaluation was found to be

more important than emotional reaction in explaining

customer satisfaction. Retailers whose customers possess

high expectations may need to place explicit attention on

their customers’ emotions since their customers’ emotional

reactions to performances appear to contribute to their

assessments of satisfaction

Regression

analysis

22 3.67 S-O-R

90 Kaltcheva, V.D., and Weitz,

B.A.

2006 327 Students Retail store ambience USA Laboratory experiment:

photo analysis

Motivational orientation moderates the effect of arousal on

pleasantness. Task-oriented consumers find high-arousal

retail environments to be unpleasant. Conversely,

recreational consumers derive inherent satisfaction from the

shopping activity itself and therefore like high arousal retail

environments that create rich shopping experiences

Correlation

analysis

77 12.83 S-O-R

91 Mattila, A.S., and Wirtz, J. 2006 178 Students Cafe USA Laboratory experiment:

video simulations

Results suggest that an intrinsically pleasant service environment

might not be enough to guarantee pleasure and satisfaction.

The level of pleasure and satisfaction derived from the

service experience might be dependent on the degree of

congruency between consumers’ target-arousal levels and the

actual arousal levels of the service environment

Correlation

analysis

10 1.67 S-O-R

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92 Wirtz, J., Mattila, A.S., and

Tan, R.L.P.

2007 506 Customers Music store and a book

store

n.a. Laboratory experiment:

video simulations and

role-playing scenario

Consumer satisfaction is strongly influenced by arousal

congruency in pleasant environments, whereas satisfaction

responses in unpleasant conditions appear to be more

valence-driven. Perceived under-stimulation, regardless of

the level of satisfaction, had a positive effect on in-store

behaviors, thus suggesting that satisfaction alone might not

be adequate in explaining consumer responses to retail

settings

Correlation

analysis

12 2.40 S-O-R

93 Massara, F., Liu, S.S. and

Melara, R.D.

2010 88 Students Grocery n.a. Laboratory experiment:

video simulations

Arousal are traditionally addressed as emotions, but were

interpreted here as cognitive appraisal dimensions which

affect pleasure. Participants judged pleasure to be

significantly greater when perceptual and cognitive

expectations matched than when they did not. Matching

conditions also led to significantly smaller differences

between expected and experienced states of arousal and

dominance, with the cognitive appraisals predicting pleasure

in the face of emotional predictors

Regression

analysis

2 1.00 S-O-R

Source: Elaboration on the data set.∗These columns include data based on the Publish or Perish (Harzing, 2010) open access software (version 3.2).∗∗On the basis of our codification criteria, this column contains the identified research paths (Congruity ¼ congruity; Interaction ¼ interaction between two environmental cues;Holistic view ¼ holistic view of the servicescape; Customers Pec. ¼ customers’ peculiarities; Specific S. ¼ Specificity of servicescapes; Virtual S. ¼ the virtual servicescape; Darkside ¼ the ‘dark side’ of the servicescape; Integration ¼ integration of Bitner’s model; S-O-R ¼ advancements in the S-O-R model).

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