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A recent retail strategy, store artification consists of introducing artistic stimuli into store atmospherics. Such linkage to art and creativity promises to create a highly stimulating shopping environment for customers while adding value to store offering, thus maximising retail performance. To assess the impact of store artification on retail performance, we conducted a field experiment testing the 'presence vs. absence of artworks' store artification modality in retail stores in Paris, France. Results indicate store artification increases store perceived differentiation, perceived value of the offering, customer satisfaction, and enhances store and product image. However, store artification does not affect store commercial performance, raising the issue of its profitability for the retailer and adequate implementation modalities. Further, this research suggests the relevance of the store artification strategy regarding store marketing performance for non-luxury retailers and as a tactical, store-level tool. Managerial and retailing implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws on the construct of store atmospherics to address one of the latest developments in that field, i.e. the strategy of incorporating artistic elements into the store. On the one side, incorporating artistic elements in store atmospherics constitutes an innovative way for retailers to differentiate their shopping experience. Such a hybrid retail strategy seeks to offer maximised hedonic gratification to store visitors, while adding symbolic value to the commercial offering. Store traffic and sales are thus stimulated. Incorporating artistic elements is also a magic way to conceal the store’s transactional purpose; through this association with the art world, the store is viewed as less mercantile. However, there is a risk that consumers will view the store as a ‘museum’ and visit without purchasing. Therefore we conduce a conceptual investigation of that experiential strategy in order to assess its effects on retailer’s commercial and marketing performance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]