Store layout design and consumer response: A behavioural and EEG study

A novel approach was used to evaluate the impact of retail store layouts on consumer responses, by triangulating subjective feedback, behavioural data and electroencephalogram (EEG) data in the context of a virtual environment. Participants (n = 45) were assigned to one of three store layout conditions. While there were no significant differences in participants subjective/conscious evaluations of the layout complexity, they demonstrated reduced product-recall scores, and greater cognitive workload in visual/spatial-processing brain regions, in store environments with more complex layouts. This study explores the correlation between perceived visual complexity and perceived store attractiveness and examines how pleasure and processing fluency mediate this relationship. The results demonstrate a strong association between these factors, with processing fluency playing a more significant role in mediating the effect (78%) compared to pleasure (22%). Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the psychological factors that influence consumer perceptions of store environments. The findings demonstrate the value of an EEG/VR-based approach in studying human behaviour during the building design process for identifying neural mechanisms and responses that self-reported feedback may obscure. The result of this study has implications for building designers and retailers, suggesting that simpler store layouts might be more effective in terms of product recall and reduced cognitive workload.