1. Store Image

2. What is Store Image?

3. What is store image?
 The way in which the store is defined in the shoppers’
mind, partly by its functional qualities and partly by an
aura of psychological attributes’ Martineau (1958)
 “What exactly do we mean by the image of a store? I
submit that it is more than a factual description of its
many characteristics. In many cases, it is less like a
photograph than a highly interpretative portrait. In
other words, an image is more than a sum of its
parts” Oxenfeldt (1974)

4. What is store image?
 The range of tangible and intangible, factual
and emotional factors which combine to form
the image in consumers mind
 Impacts on the overall consumer experience
(Marineau 1958).
 The Store Personality (Martineau, 1958)
 Convergence between concepts of image and
concepts of branding

5. The importance of Store Image
 The link between store image and retail patronage is
now widely accepted.
 Success or failure of stores can often be related to
problems with image
 Image is positively related to store loyalty (Mazursky
and Jacoby, 1986; Osman, 1993)
 Research into store image informs positioning
strategies and how to differentiate stores
 Link between consumers self concept / ideal self and
store image Martineau (1958).

6. The Dull Personality
 “What happens to the retail store that lacks a
sharp character that does not stand for
something special to any class of shoppers?
It ends up as an alternative store in the
customers mind. The shopper does not head
for such a store as the primary place to find
what she wants. Without certain outstanding
departments and lines of merchandise,
without a clear-cut attraction for some group,
it is like a dull person”, Martineau (1958).

7. Question
 Can you identify any retailers in the
Irish market suffering from The Dull
Personality syndrome?

8. What are the elements of
store image?

9. Martineau refers to the
personality factor
 What makes up a store’s image in the minds
of customers?
 Layout and architecture
 Symbols and colours – In the customers mind
colour schemes and designs have an intrinsic
meaning.
 Advertising – needs to be consistent with the
character of the store itself.
 Sales Personnel- Martineau suggests that the
biggest single factor in the store image is the
character of the sales personnel!

10. Elements of store image
 Lindquist (1974) summarized the results of 21
studies and identified 35 different
components supposedly operating in store
image formation. These were grouped into 9
independent sets: merchandise, service,
clientele, physical facilities, convenience,
promotion, store atmosphere, institutional
attributes and post transaction satisfaction.
 Merchandise Components were mentioned
by the highest proportion of researchers

11. Elements of Store Image
 McGoldrick lists 18 general areas and 90
more specific elements that have been
identified in previous studies of image and
brand identity (List is not exhaustive)
 Elements include tangible and intangible
elements such as feelings, pictures and
associations.
 Relative importance of components varies
considerably between markets, sectors,
competitive situations and customer
segments

12. Retailers View of their store
image
 Martineau (1958) observed a disconnect between what retailers
were communicating and promoting and what shoppers actually
valued.
 Significant gaps between Store managers and customers
perceptions of store image continue to highlighted in many more
recent studies.
 A lack of consistent measuring and monitoring of store image
among many retailers observed.
 Employees generally less critical of their store than consumers
(Birtwistle et al 1999)
 Dept store managers found to overrate the attributes of their
store image (Pathak et al 1975)

13. Researching Store Image
 A difficult concept to explore and manage due to the
tangible and intangible nature of it
 Attributes of importance will vary across retail sectors
and are not necessarily applicable to other sectors.
 Image built up over time and impacts on our attitudes
and behaviour towards a retailer
 Central and peripheral cues
 Lifestyle and shopping orientations (Osman 1993
 Education (Geistfeld, 2003)
 Age (Joyce and Lambert, 1996)

14. Researching Store Image
 Quantitative research - Scaling techniques
 Qualitiative Research - Projective techniques

15. Scaling techniques
 The semantic differential
 Osgood et al (1957)
 Most widely used measurement system in image research
 Bi-polar contrasting adjectives
 Usually 5 or 7 point scale
 Traditional scale rates each retailer on all attributes before
moving to next retailer

16. The Semantic Differential




17. …semantic scales
 Modified Semantic Differential
 The Graphic positioning scale
 Respondents place a symbol to represent perception of
each retailer
 Saves space
 Problems with coding for computer analysis and more
complex instructions for respondents

18. Modified Semantic differential
Wide Selection Narrow Selection
Next 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Top Shop 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
River Island 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
etc
Ref McGoldrick pg. 193

19. Graphic Positioning Scale
 Ref McGoldrick pg. 193

20. …semantic scales
 Numerical comparative scale
 Overcomes some problems association with graphic
positioning
 Economical on space
 Rating on attribute by attribute basis leads to better
discrimination between stores (Teas, 1994)
 However, ratings given to one store will influence ratings
given to others

21. Numerical Comparative Scale
Next Top Shop River Island
Wide selection 1234567 Narrow Selection
Good Value 1224567 Poor Value
Etc
Ref McGoldrick pg. 193

22. The Likert Scale
 Likert (1932)
 Used to measure attitudes and opinions
 Usually 5 or 7 point scale
 Measuring degree of agreement or
disagreement to a series of attitudinal
statements

24. Some comments on scales
 Good for allowing comparisons between different groups of
respondents in relation to common and defined attributes
 Extensive evidence to support their validity, reliability and
sensitivity (Osgood et al, 1957)

25. Some problems with many
previous studies on Image
 However, Oppenhiem, 1976 questioned the equality of distance
between intervals
 “Are we justified in basing our calculations on the assumption of
equality of interval, both within each scale and between different
scales”
 A key criticism is that they involve forced choice measures - the
characteristics may not necessarily comprise the image that
respondents have of the store.
 The dimensions used to rate stores largely determined by the
researcher as opposed to the respondent
 Many studies have treated the attributes as being equally
important which is not necessarily the case.

26. Open-ended approaches / Projective
Techniques
 Objective is to bypass the
inhibiting thinking process of the
respondent
 Used when respondents are
unable or unwilling to verbalize
their response
 Subjectivity of the
analyst/researcher
 Used to gain access to answers
which would be denied by other
approaches
 Conducted on individual and
group basis
 Project their feelings onto other
people; objects or situations
 Uncover those topics such as
feelings; attitudes, motivations
which respondents may have
difficulty in articulating due to

Fear of disapproval

Unwarranted invasion of
privacy
 Encourages a state of freedom
and spontaneity of expression
 The true purpose of the
research is generally disguised
 Disadvantages include cost;
subjectivity potential; time
consuming

27. Open ended techniques
 Free association techniques - e.g. word association and
sentence completion
 Picture interpretation
 Store/brand as a person - identifies personality issues e.g. if
M&S were a person describe the type of person / act out the
type of person
 Places, animals, activities and magazines
 Use experience
 What is user like - how does the user of Dunnes stores differ
from the user of M&S
 What distinguishes brands/stores from each other

28. …Open Ended Techniques
 Completion tests

Complete stories, sentences or
conversations;

Brand Mapping

Used to identify gaps in the
market, NPD ideas, respondents
perception of product market etc.
 Association tests

Pictures and Words

Brand personality tests
 Construction tests

Cartoon tests; Picture
response/Thematic
Apperception Test

e.g. pick three images from a
selection that best describe
thoughts feelings and attitudes
towards object in question and
explain why.
 Choice ordering

Present list of words and ask
respondent to rank in order or
put into categories based on
factors associated with
product/brand
 Expressive techniques

Role Playing - Participant is
asked to assume the role of
another person or object.

Third-person Technique e.g.
Nescafe research in 1950s

Personification - If Guinness was
a person, what type of person
would it be? / Obituary for a
brand

29. Projective Techniques
 Belk, Ger and Askegaard (1997),
“Consumer desire in 3 Cultures:
Results from Projective Research” in
Advances in Consumer Research, 24,
pp 24-28
 Methods used were:
 Collage - your understanding of desire
 Association - a sea of objects people or
experiences
 Sketches - “Desire” and “not desire” artworks
 Synonym examples and feelings - Things a person
might strongly desire

30. What were the key results?
 Men and women focus on different objects of
desire
 Men focused on
 Luxury cars
 Women as objects of their desire
 Women focused on
 Food, especially chocolates
 Relationships as the interpersonal objects of their
desire
 American and Turkish women more likely to see
desire as sinful

31. Reading
 Chapter 5, McGoldrick, P. Retail Marketing, Second edition,
McGraw Hill, 2002.
 Journal Articles presented in class