Importance of Marketing Mix Elements in Determining Consumer Purchase Decision in the Retail Market

This research aimed to identify the linkages between marketing mix elements and the purchase decision process among consumers in the Malaysian retail industry. To fulfill this objective, the present study followed a quantitative survey for gathering the data from the consumers of department stores at the East Coast region in Malaysia. All of the obtained data were inserted and coded using SPSS and then analysed by AMOS 18. The findings indicated that the impact of advertising on the consumers' purchase decision is positive and statistically significant. Besides that, the findings demonstrated that distribution intensity has a negative effect on purchase decision, whereas price plays a key important role in affecting purchase decisions process of the consumers. Lastly, the findings of this paper verified that store image and store location have significant positive linkages with purchase decision. These outcomes enhance our understanding on the role of marketing mix elements in determining a consumer's purchase decision, particularly in the retail context.