nature of the merchandise and promotion strategy or tactics which may be used to
target various customer segments with different needs and appeal factor (Lempert,
2005). The different needs and appeal factor may be analyzed by marketers or
shopping staffs prior to shoppers entering the store through customer databases or
may even be analyzed once the shopper enters the store especially for new shoppers
where no prior experience exists. The objective for marketers in formulating the
strategy for in-store marketing is to control the shopper’s mindset whereby they feel
the experience, scan the store by using their senses and make a decision (Dulsrud and
Jacobsen, 2010).
There are different forms of media which marketers are able to use in developing the
in-store promotion such as sign arrangements, ads on shopping carts and its straps,
shelves ads and arrangements, end of aisle display, signage located on the floor or
ceiling and interactive panels that releases audio-visual contents (Kotler and Keller,
2009). Each of the forms of promotion might result in different impacts however the
ultimate aim is to generate and increase the shopper’s impulse purchase tendency.
Besides the in-store promotion researchers have also identified the in-store
environment as a critical factor influencing impulse buying. According to
(Applebaum, 1951) the stimuli which affects shoppers may be an external stimuli
however may also result from an internal stimuli which results from within the store.
The in-store environment factors that serve as internal stimuli may include
background music at the store, display of the store, smell and hygiene of the store,
store density or occupancy and staffs of the store (Tendai and Crispen, 2009).
Recognizing this phenomena (Zhou and Wong, 2004) indicated the need to
categorize the marketing of shopping place into two categories which are the
promotional effect and atmospheric engagement effect. The promotion effect focuses
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