Abstract:

A key question for Asian retailers is the degree to which 'soft factors', such as shopper reactions to branding or in-store experiences, impacts satisfaction and shopper spend. In Indonesia, answering this question is complicated by the respondent's tendency towards 'top-box bias' in rating stores. We examine the impact of the shopper's underlying emotional reaction to a convenience store visit on key outcome measures (e.g. spending, products bought, chain preference). Combining results from a quantitative survey with unique facial-imaging based measurement of shopper reaction, clarifies the interaction between stated reaction to the visit and visit outcomes. We show that Indonesian retailers can derive real benefit from improved chain imagery and that mobile facial imaging provides unique shopper insight.