Technique of collage for store design atmospherics

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the holistic perception of the customer vis‐a‐vis the creation of an ideal store by using the projective technique of collage. In particular, it discusses the role of the factor of atmosphere which a distributor must privilege to satisfy the expectations of current customer.

To this end, a qualitative exploratory survey based on the technique of collage has been carried out with a sample of 30 individuals. The information were collected through the drawings and the technique of “complete the following sentence”. The collages were analyzed using a holistic approach.

The results show that the new customer refers to all the stimuli of the environment of purchase in order to satisfy his utility, hedonic and even social needs. The companies, and in particular the distributors, must direct the atmosphere of their store towards the vectors of attraction, gratification and distraction.

The projective technique of collage made it possible to go further than a declaratory matter collected by questions about the concept of the environmental factors. Indeed, in spite of the limited number of the individuals relied upon for the study, the images that were stuck on paper were enriching and made it possible to explain what evokes for the consumer the concept of “ideal store”; his feelings or his hidden emotions.

From a managerial point of view, the noted results can give way to a significant number of actions for the distributors. Indeed, in order to ensure the perennial aspect of their business, the persons in charge should follow this practice by considering the atmosphere as a sum of factors which should be managed in a coherent and harmonious way and not in an intuitive way; thus constituting sources of creation of value for the consumer. In other words, the distributors must implement the factors necessary to generate the comfort of purchase as well as the pleasure of consumption.

This paper is distinguished compared to the majority of the researches undertaken on this subject. It proposes an indirect qualitative study (projective study) making it possible to certify the passage of the consumer from an atomized vision towards a holistic vision including informing the distributors on the atmospheric components most adapted to the new requirements of the current consumer.