Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate, drawing on the construct of brand experience, the previously little-researched role of digital signage in retail atmospherics. Digital signage consists of screen displays in public spaces showing video.

The method consisted of face-to-face questionnaire survey experiments at permanent digital signage installations in the UK: (i) a pretest in a university (between-subjects, n=103 total); and (ii) a field trial at the Harrods department store in London (between-subjects, n=437 total).

The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of a digital signage ad with sensory-affective content (with little functional information), whereas the previous studies have concerned more cognitive content. Digital signage content that is high on sensory cues (providing hedonic benefits) and that evokes affective experience among customers strengthens the customers’ experiential processing route. On the other hand, digital signage ads that are high on factual ‘features and benefits’ information (providing utilitarian benefits) and evoke intellectual experience strengthen the customers’ deliberative processing route. These ads can strengthen the influence of the cognitive route. Critically, evoked affective experience is more strongly associated with the attitude towards ad and the stated approach behaviour towards advertiser than evoked intellectual experience.

Theoretically, the findings indicate not only that incidental brand-related stimuli broadcast over digital in-store monitors can trigger deliberative processes that lead to evaluative judgments such as attitudes but they can also work more spontaneously by evoking sensory and affective experiences among customers and eliciting approach behavior towards advertiser.

The results also have practical implications as ‘affective’ digital signage ads can be effective in increasing shoppers’ approach towards an advertiser and also towards a store that carries the digital signage ads, especially in generating loyalty from shoppers on their first visit.

This study contributes to marketing theory and practice by providing a rare field study of the effects of an incidental, atmospheric stimulus on real shoppers in a real retail context, the first time that we are aware of that content designed to appeal to the experiential as well as deliberative customers’ processing systems has been evaluated.