The influence of external design elements on clothing store entry intentions for recreationally and task-oriented female clothing shoppers

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the influence of the exterior of a clothing store for store entry intentions of potential female recreational and task-oriented clothing customers. First, we analyse the proposed exterior elements of a clothing store that are preferred and affect the willingness to enter the store. Second, we investigate the impact of the most significant exterior elements (e.g. the crowdedness of the store entry and the creative complexity of the composition of the window display) on the entry intentions for recreational and task-oriented potential female shoppers from a self- and other decision perspective. Overall, the results show that task-oriented female clothing shoppers have a higher store entry intention when the store entry is less crowded, and the window display has a creative complex composition. Recreational female clothing shoppers, on the other hand, prefer crowded complex window displays.

KEYWORDS:

• Window display
• crowding
• composition
• external design elements
• store entry intentions

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Esther Panken for helping to collect the data material for the empirical research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Irene Roozen

Irene Roozen is assistant professor at the KU Leuven – Campus Brussels. Her main field of research includes consumer behavior and marketing communications. She also worked with Luc De Grez and Martin Valcke on experimental research to enhance oral presentation skills and has researched topics such as product placements, the influence of music, the effectiveness of celebrity use in advertising and emotional reactions to advertising.