Atmospherics, Service Encounters and Consumer Decision Making: An Integrattve Perspective

The purpose of this article is twofold. First, a theoretical framework is described that integrates the published literature associated with atmospherics into a services marketing context. Secondly, the roles of atmospherics as they pertain to consumer decision processes within service encounters are specifically addressed. A propositional inventory is developed that postulates the relationship between atmospherics and the three primary stages of consumer decision processes – prepurchase, consumption, and postpurchase evaluations. Suggestions for future research and managerial implications are also presented.