Abstract

Spatial-physical characteristics of a store environment play a very crucial role within the recent innovation process of the retail functions: they might complete and highlight product information for the consumer. Thus physical environment of the retail holds an information set which can influence consumers' choices. A review is presented about the principal and most recent contributes coming from the tradition of studies of environmental and architectural psychology focused on the influence of the physical environment of a retail on consumers' perceptions, evaluations, behaviors. Two models for the analysis of the person-store environment relation are presented; out-store and in-store characteristics are also discussed based on the results of the latest studies. In the concluding part of the article some guidelines for each of the physical characteristics analyzed are provided.