L'image d'un magasin influence-t-elle le niveau de dépense des ménages?

Store image has been largely studied in the marketing literature. While past studies have shown that store image influences store patronage intentions, very little research has examined its effects on actual purchase behaviors. Extending research on store image, we use basket size as a dependent variable, account for marketing actions and consumers’ perceptions, and control for both consumer and store heterogeneity. Using scanner panel data and longitudinal survey data from two markets over three years, we find evidence that a model with store image (preference data) does improve model fit statistics thus providing a better understanding of consumer in-store spending than a model based on scanner data variables alone. Some of the relationships are consistent with prior studies (e.g. price image, locational convenience). However, other relationships are different. For example, we find that, contrary to Van Heerde et al (2008), produce quality has a negative influence on basket size. Contrary to studies based on self-reports (e.g. Arnold et al. 1983), we find that the perceived variety of the assortment has a negative influence on spending. The consistency of the results across the two markets suggests that store image perceptions are a valuable input to consumer spending models.