Effect and Impact of Store Image on Brand Experience, Brand Attitude, Brand Attachment, and Brand Equity

To Evaluate the Effect and Impact of Store Image on brand Experience, Brand Attitude, Brand Attachment, and Brand Equity

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[University of]

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CHAPTER-1: INTRODUCTION

The image of stores matters the most while positioning the brand and enhancing the buying experience of customers. Image can be described as the overall look of the store and the series of visuals and feelings evoking within the beholders. It is important to develop a powerful image in order to deliver a robust image along with standing out in the competition. Store image can be lively, attractive, exciting, and well organized. It can also be boring and messy delivering a boring message. Kotler (2008) stated that in this regard visual merchandising plays an important and crucial role. It has six components in the form of image, layout, presentation, display, events, and signing. Additionally, stores can attract customers within the first seven second and in this regard, an identifiable store name, powerful visual trademark, inviting entrance, and compelling store look plays an important and decisive role. In many cases, stores attract customers along with enticing them to explore and live the store environment along with admiring it through real emotions.

Keller (2008) believed that store image has significant amount of impact on the brand equity as it helps in enhancing its image and appeal. Additionally, brand experience, brand attitude, and brand attachment can also be impacted by the image of stores. However, this requires great deal of research and analysis for forming critical outcomes. In this regard, the research topic will try to investigate the effect and impact of store image on brand experience, brand attitude, brand attachment, and brand equity. The chosen store in this regard is H&M having great present all across the world. The focus will be on analysing the views and opinions of customers along with referring to the past published research papers and academic books and journals. The research will identify the effect of store image being an independent variable on other discussed four dependent variables in a critical manner for identifying key outcomes.

1.1: Rationale for the Study

Store image has been highly researched topic in the field of marketing and branding and a number of researchers have tried to understand the significance and importance of store image by using different set of dependent variables. In the past it was found that store image creates an impression over the mind of customers that in turn affects the buying behaviour of customers. Kotler (2008) found that store image helps in positioning the brand along with enhancing the brand appeal in a significant manner. It was also found that store image helps in building the brand equity that enhances its value and long term acceptance prospects. In today’s world, everything that is marketed requires distinctive appeal and value. However, that value can only be enhanced if the product is served in the right environment and style and in this regard, store image plays an important role. Prior to entering stores; customers create impression over the products and services by analysing and evaluating the image of stores. Store image can either be attractive or boring and the former forces to enter the store.

In this regard, the rationale for the study will be to understand the impact of store image on brand equity, brand awareness, brand attachment, and brand attitude. It needs to be mentioned that all these concepts are dependent in nature suggesting the fact that one independent factor can be associated with them. Thus, the researcher has used store image as an independent factor in order to ascertain its impact on the discussed dependent variable. Additionally, brand equity is a huge field that is dependent on wide arrays of other variables and so are other variables. Thus, the research offers an opportunity to analyse and evaluate a number of variables along with assessing the impact of store image from customers’ perspectives. This will further help in underpinning the key notions and concepts through the primary and secondary research in a critical manner. Thus, the rationale for the research includes adding value to the existing research framework and findings.

1.2: Outline of the Dissertation

The dissertation has been divided into seven chapters and overview of each chapter has been discussed as follow.

Chapter-1: Introduction

The chapter presents an overview of the research topic and rationale for the research.

Chapter-2: Literature Review

The chapter presents an overview of the brand awareness, brand attitude, brand equity, and brand attachment. The chapter also presents discussion over the impact of store image on these variables along with discussing the challenges of managing stores.

Chapter-3: Aims and Objectives

The chapter will discuss the research aim, objectives, questions, and hypotheses.

Chapter-4: Research Methodology

The chapter presents an overview of different elements of the methodology that will help in investigating the research issues in a critical and systematic manner.

Chapter-5: Findings

The chapter presents findings in the form of interviews and surveys to be conducted in a quantitative manner.

Chapter-6: Findings

The chapter will present key findings in the form of identifying the association between the primary and secondary research outcomes. This will also help in ascertaining whether research objectives and questions have been achieved or not.

Chapter-7: Conclusion and Recommendations

The chapter will present conclusion and recommendations to be derived from the research outcomes and findings.

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1: Introduction

The chapter presents an overview of brand experience, brand attitude, brand attachment, and brand equity along with discussing the impact of brand experience and brand attitude on store image and impact of brand attachment and brand equity on store image. The chapter also discusses the challenges of managing the store image in an illustrative and critical manner. This will help in underpinning the research issues along with identifying existing issues and problems in a comprehensive manner.

2.2: Brand Experience

Kotler (2008) stated that brand experience can be termed as an interaction between the brand and customers. Brand experience is brand’s actions perceived by customers that can have different meanings.. Kotler and Keller (2006) stated that brand needs to communicate with customers in order to offer an experience. Brand experience is generated through different mediums and gets stronger based on personal beliefs and experiences. Visiting a website or reading a billboard can be a brand experience as all these activities communicate with customers. Brand experience is based on effective communication and points of communication are often termed as touchpoints (Armstrong and Kotler, 2009).. These touchpoints can generate wide arrays of responses that may turn into either positive or negative customer experiences. Brand experience is based on feelings and emotions being generated by brands through effective communication and impact. Brand experience has emerged as one of the most important tools for enhancing the brand appeal along with enhancing the level of awareness in a critical manner. The success of majority of brands is mainly based on the experiences being offered by them in different ways.

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