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The IUP Journal of Marketing Management
Impact of Store Size on Impulse Purchase
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Every store, whether organized or unorganized, attempts to entice customer towards its products and services. In-store stimuli, such as product display, product price, large variety, store ambience, etc., form the core reasons that influence consumers to purchase on impulse. Clearly, a large store must be able to attract more impulse purchases from a customer as compared to a small store. However, there is a caveat here. The impulse purchases made from a large store must be large enough to justify the investment and turnover of the store as compared to a smaller-size store. Therefore, in this research we study the influence of store size on impulse purchase. The study reveals that the impulse purchase as a ratio of total spending is high for the mid-sized departmental stores when compared to small-sized and big-sized retail stores.

 
 
 

Abratt and Goodey (1990) define impulse buying as a purchase decision made in-store with no explicit recognition of a need for such a purchase prior to entry into the store. In simple terms, impulse purchase or impulse buy is an unplanned or otherwise spontaneous purchase. One who tends to make such purchases is referred to as an impulse purchaser or impulse buyer.

The impulse purchasing habits are increasing among the consumers with an increase in organized retailing. Organized retail stores are designed in a manner so as to appeal to the senses of the consumers into making impulse purchases. Even the mom-and-pop shops are being designed with soft music and serene environment which appeal to customers' emotions. The increasing disposable income of the consumer is also adding to the increase in impulse purchases by the customers. According to the 1997 study (Mogelonsky, 1998) $4.2 bn annual store sale was generated by impulse sales of items such as candy and magazines. New technologies, such as teleshopping channels and Internet, act as catalysts of consumer's impulse buying behavior as they increase both the accessibility to products and services, and the ease with which impulse purchases can be made (Kacen and Lee, 2002).

 
 
 

Marketing Management, entice customer, product price, large variety, store ambience, departmental stores, Organized retail stores, consumers, candy, magazines, technologies, teleshopping channels, Internet, catalysts of consumer's, buying behavior, products and services.