The influence of store atmospheric on consumer behaviour in clothing stores in Durban

Store atmosphere is a critical force driving consumer response in the retail business (Lunardo 2015: 196). Store atmospherics are the store environmental designs intended to produce emotional effects on consumers to enhance purchase decisions, or the physical characteristics of the store that create an image to attract customers (Soomro, Kaimkhani and Iqbal 2017: 22). Clothing stores have unique ways of using store atmospheric cues to catch the attention of consumers to make themselves stand out from among their competitors. A large volume of financial resources are invested by clothing retailers to improve their store atmosphere to create an improved environment that enhances consumers’ immediate buying behaviour. However, there is a need to investigate the level of influence these store atmospheric cues have on consumer buying behaviour, especially in the South African clothing retail context. The main objective of the study was to investigate how different types of store atmospheric cues contribute towards consumer attitudes and buying behaviour in clothing stores in Durban. This study is quantitative and therefore conducted by means of a descriptive survey. The sample size of this study was 400 customers of Durban clothing stores. Nonprobability sampling was used to select the sample. A structured questionnaire with closed-ended and scaled response questions was used as the research instrument. This research found that fitting rooms, product display and cleanliness have the greatest influence on consumer attitudes and buying behaviour. The results also indicated that most of the consumers are content with the store atmospheric cues provided by their selected clothing retailers in Durban, and will continue to visit, spend more time there and recommend their stores to their family and friends. It is therefore recommended that clothing retailers should continue to invest in store atmospheric cues, focusing on fitting rooms and product displays. The results from this study will contribute towards the body of research in the field of retail atmospherics, as well as making practical contributions towards the retail clothing industry.