Do You Want Pulsating Music With That?

What does your store look like? How does it feel to you when a shopper walks in? How does the shopper feel? Thought about that lately? Perhaps you should.

A new University of Florida study discovered that shoppers want stores to be "turn-ons" when they browse for fun, but that they prefer sedate environments when shopping for mundane merchandise for everyday life.

This study is profiled in the summer issue of the Retail Report, a publication of the university´s David F. Miller Center for Retailing Education & Research.

Marketing professor Barton Weitz says some store managers get it wrong by making their establishments too flashy for customers who only want to pick up groceries, toiletries or household goods.

"While research on store environments is mixed, with some saying that an arousing, exciting environment is good and others saying it is bad, we came up with a theory that says, "It depends on what people go shopping for,´ " Weitz told the newsletter writer. "It might be good for department stores but bad for supermarkets and discount stores."

Weitz and University of Florida marketing professor Velitchka Kaltcheva discovered that certain design elements make a difference. People who browse through a mall might like bright colors and pulsating music, but grocery stores shoppers prefer streamlined aisles, pastel greens or blues and soft melodies playing in the background.

We´re going to explore design again this week in Retail Strategies when we talk with an Atlanta expert on store design. Tune in.