Retail Image As Seen Through Consumers' Eyes: studying international retail image through consumer photographs of stores

Citation

Burt S, Johansson U & Thelander A (2007) Retail Image As Seen Through Consumers' Eyes: studying international retail image through consumer photographs of stores. International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 17 (5), pp. 447-467. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593960701631516

Abstract
The aim of this paper is to explore how retail store image is perceived by consumers from different cultural backgrounds and with different degrees of awareness and experience of the retailer. The subject is IKEA, a retailer recognized as having a global approach to the markets in which it operates, resulting in a highly standardized approach to store branding. However, rather than employing traditional methodologies to elicit consumer perceptions of store image, we attempt to capture consumer perceptions through interpretations of the visual images generated by the participants themselves. The photo-elicitation method employed captured the different interpretations and meanings attached to commonly identified elements of store image and reinforced the central role played by the store itself in retail image formation.

Keywords
retail image; IKEA; photo-elicitation; cross-culture; Ikea (Firm) History; consumer behaviour; affluent consumers; marketing management; Stores, Retail Design and construction

Journal
International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research: Volume 17, Issue 5