Loyalty and store image are intertwined, which has been confirmed by different researchers in the past. Store image is understood as perceptions and beliefs of consumers about a certain store that influence purchasing behaviour. From theoretical and empirical perspectives, effective store image is said to be the key determining factor of economic success and loyalty, which is supposed to show the highest level of patronage intensions. Research to date on store image mostly focused on non-visual characteristics of the environment, which is why the aim of this undergraduate thesis as to study the impact of a store's visual image on brand loyalty. Based on the theoretical part, comprising an overview of store image and loyalty, we conducted a survey to verify the set hypothesis. The research gathered responses by 199 respondents, which were analysed and justified in the empirical part. By conducting this research, we confirmed that the better the perceived store's visual image, the stronger the brand loyalty. Our research contributes to the understanding of the relationship between loyalty indicators and a store's visual image, shows parallels between literature on store's image and literature in the field of the servicescape and atmosphere as well as compares how one's visual image is measured with a comprehensive one-dimensional approach and a multidimensional approach to create a comprehensive image in the mind of consumers.
|