Branding, marketing and design: experiential in-store digital environments

The aim of this chapter is to develop knowledge of retail environments through an overview of the most used technologies in retailing and the contribution of in-store technologies to the experience of the fashion store environment. The chapter commences with an overview of the influence of multichannel development, consumer-facing technologies and their adoption by fashion retailers. The second part examines the use of digital signage and its contribution to atmospherics in a department store. The researchers have used a mixed method approach, with observational techniques drawn first from ethnographic methodology and second, a quantitative approach to consumers’ environmental response behavior. The results indicate a limited use of innovative in-store technologies, and reliance on conventional technological media in fashion stores. Secondly, digital signage demonstrates both communication and experiential effects. The chapter concludes with a discussion of convergence between the virtual and physical store environments, and the implications for theory and management.