Retail as experience: the role of in-store sensory engagement in consumer behaviour

This study investigates how consumers respond to physical experiential retail stores in which sensory and social cues are orchestrated to create meaningful in-store brand experiences. Data were collected using zip code-based targeting in major US metropolitan areas featuring interactive and emotionally engaging retail environments. Findings show that sensory store, sensory product, and social cues positively influenced anticipated emotion and decision satisfaction. Sensory store experience and social cues also enhanced store image, which strengthened anticipated emotion and decision satisfaction. However, sensory product experience did not significantly affect store image, suggesting that consumers’ overall store perceptions are shaped more by the broader experiential environment and social interactions than by product-level sensory engagement. Store image also mediated the relationship between experiential cues and behavioural intentions. By focusing on sensory-rich shopping environments, this study highlights experiential marketing’s strategic role in transforming physical stores into emotionally resonant, brand-building spaces in an increasingly digital retail landscape.