The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of retail crowding on positive and negative emotions and to empirically verify structural relationships between the two emotions and customer satisfaction. In addition, moderating effect of retail crowding on emotions caused by shopper and store characteristics were studied.
A survey was conducted on shoppers at large-scale discount stores, and 361 samples were used for analysis. Data were analyzed using moderated regression analysis on SPSS 19.0 and path analysis on AMOS 19.0.
The results of this study are as follows. First, spatial crowding and human crowding significantly reduced positive emotion and significantly increased negative emotion at level. Also, positive emotion significantly increased customer satisfaction, and negative emotion significantly reduced customer satisfaction. Second, convenience and assortment showed significant moderating effects between spatial crowding and positive emotion. That means convenience and assortment moderates were spatial crowding enhanced positive emotion. While, moderating effects of did not between human crowding and positive emotion. Third, consumer conformity showed significant moderating effects between positive emotion by both spatial crowding and human crowding. That means consumer conformity moderates were spatial crowding and human crowding enhanced positive emotion. Fourth, familiarity showed significant moderating effects between human crowding and positive emotion. That means familiarity moderates were human crowding enhanced positive emotion. On the other hand, moderating effects of did not between spatial crowding and positive emotion.
This study suggests the following managerial implications.
First, spatially-crowded stores must design the interior for convenience in shopping and equip as means to reduce the decrease in positive emotion felt by customers. Also, spatially-crowded stores must prepare with diverse brands and products as a means to reduce the decrease in positive emotion felt by customers.
Second, human-crowded stores must attract customers to visit the store more frequently through various promotional activities, reducing the decrease in positive emotion by increasing familiarity about the store. Also, decrease in positive emotion can be reduced by attracting substantial number of shoppers to perceive that they belong to a group.