HOW STORE ATMOSPHERE SHAPES CUSTOMER LOYALTY: POSITIVE EMOTION AS A MEDIATOR AND HEDONIC SHOPPING VALUE AS A BOUNDARY CONDITION

Abstrak

This study examines how store atmosphere influences customer loyalty in offline retail by considering the mediating role of positive emotion and the moderating role of hedonic shopping value. Drawing on the stimulus–organism–response perspective, the study proposes that store atmosphere acts as an environmental stimulus that shapes customers’ emotional responses and, in turn, their loyalty behavior. Data were collected from 77 retail customers and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. The results show that store atmosphere has a positive and significant effect on positive emotion, while positive emotion has a positive and significant effect on customer loyalty. In contrast, the direct effect of store atmosphere on customer loyalty is not significant. The findings further confirm that positive emotion mediates the relationship between store atmosphere and customer loyalty, indicating that loyalty is formed primarily through an affective mechanism rather than through atmospheric cues alone. In addition, hedonic shopping value significantly strengthens the effect of positive emotion on customer loyalty, suggesting that emotional responses are more likely to translate into loyalty when shopping is perceived as enjoyable and experientially rewarding. This study contributes to the retail literature by offering a more integrated explanation of loyalty formation through the interplay of environmental stimulus, affective response, and experiential value. The findings also provide practical implications for retailers in designing store environments that evoke positive emotions and enhance hedonic shopping value.