Physical Appearance in Retail Service: Impact on Customer Loyalty and Experience

The purpose of this paper is to understand specific drivers of customer loyalty, experience, and physical appearance of a store. Based on the papers and studies that I have reviewed, I have identified different sub-categories within the criterion “physical appearance,” and argue that the notion of physical appearance should not be understood as a single homogeneous criterion. I have also shown that sub-categories such as visual diversity of store employees, in-store design, in-store signage and even logistic performance can all have some levels of impact, mostly positive, on customer loyalty. I have also tried to understand some possible mechanisms as to how these aspects can have positive impact on customer experience to see how retailers can in turn improve their service