Factors affecting evaluations of storefront designs and inferences on store characteristics

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the factors affecting the evaluations of storefront designs and to understand how they relate to inferences on store characteristics. The study consists of two parts. In both parts of the study, 12 color photographs of storefronts manipulated to represent two different levels of crowdedness and openness levels were used. The first part was conducted with 70 students from Interior Architecture and Environmental Design Department, Bilkent University. They were asked to rate the storefronts on a semantic differential scale which consisted of adjective pairs involving evaluations of storefront designs and those related to their inferences on the items which may be sold in the stores. In the second part, interviews with 32 shoppers were conducted in a shopping mall, regarding their preferences on the same storefronts displayed together on a board, and reasons affecting their appraisals. The results show that the evaluations of storefront designs have a strong relationship with the inferences on store characteristics. Crowdedness, openness, complexity and familiarity of the storefronts were also found to affect the appraisals of storefronts.