: 10.56472/25835238/IRJEMS-V4I11P108
Bharath Kumar. S, Aarthi Dhakshana. J.D. "The Role of Consumer Mood as a Mediator in the Linkages between Visual Merchandising and Impulse Buying Behaviors in Supermarkets" International Research Journal of Economics and Management Studies, Vol. 4, No. 11, pp. 44-52, 2025. Crossref. http://doi.org/10.56472/25835238/IRJEMS-V4I11P108
Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to analyses how the Consumer mood in supermarkets acts as a mediating role in the relationship between visual merchandising and impulse buying behaviour. This study aimed to determine the extent to which various aspects of visual merchandising, such as window displays, floor displays, promotional boards, and internal social discussion forums within stores, would impact the mood of a consumer and, in the long run, influence impulse buying. Design and methodology: This research employed a descriptive study design, collecting data from a structured questionnaire administered to 280 supermarket consumers in Tiruchirappalli through a systematic purposive sampling approach. Data was analysed through SPSS and AMOS, employing Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), reliability and validity were established (using Cohen's alpha, Composite Reliability (CR), and Average Variance Extracted (AVE) and fit indices were examined using CFI, TLI, and RMSEA. Results: The SEM analysis revealed that all four visual merchandising dimensions had significant, positive effects on customer mood, with the window display having the strongest influence (β = 0.43, p < 0.001). In this analysis, customer mood was also a strong and significant predictor of impulse buying behaviour (β = 0.57, p < 0.001). Most of the visual merchandising variables had indirect effects on impulse buying behaviour via mood; however, it is noteworthy that the in-store forum had a low direct effect on impulse buying behaviour (β = 0.12, p = 0.017). Taken together, the findings suggest that an important part of understanding the relationship between visual merchandising and impulse buying behaviour is to consider the emotional state of the shoppers. Practical Implications: This study emphasises the importance of supermarket managers in creating an emotionally appealing store environment, as customers' moods significantly affect The core tactics are resorting to window displays in allocating resources to develop a positive impression, planning lively events in-store, such as a demonstration on how to prepare a product, and maintaining effective floor merchandising through layout repetition, so shoppers learn where products are located for the description of an uplifting ambient environment.
[1] Abu Bashar and Irshad Ahmad. 2012. “Visual Merchandising and Consumer Impulse Buying Behavior: An Empirical study of Delhi & NCR.” International Journal of Retail Management & Research 2(4):31–41. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234032745.
[2] Amos, Clinton, Gary R. Holmes, and William C. Keneson. 2014. “A Meta-Analysis of Consumer Impulse Buying.” Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 21(2):86–97. doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2013.11.004.
[3] Beatty, Sharon E., and M. Elizabeth Ferrell. 1998. Impulse Buying: Modelling Its Precursors.
[4] Bhakat, Ravi Shankar, and G. Muruganantham. 2013. “A Review of Impulse Buying Behavior.” International Journal of Marketing Studies 5(3). doi:10.5539/ijms.v5n3p149.
[5] Bhatti, Khurram L., and Seemab Latif. 2013. The Impact of Visual Merchandising on Consumer Impulse Buying Behaviour.
[6] Chandon, Pierre, J. Wesley Hutchinson, Scott H. Young, and Eric Bradlow. 2011. “Does In-Store Marketing Work? Effects of the Number and Position of Shelf Facings on Brand Attention and Evaluation at the Point of Purchase.” SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1406506.
[7] Donovan, Robert. 1982. “Store Atmosphere: An Environmental Psychology Approach.” Journal of Retailing 58:34–57. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248766608.
[8] Dreze, Xavier, and Stephen J. Hoch. 1998. Exploiting the Installed Base Using Cross-Merchandising and Category Destination Programs. Vol. 15.
[9] Gardner, Meryl P. 1988. Effects of Impulse Purchases on Consumers’ Affective States. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284587609.
[10] Gardner, Meryl Paula. 1985. “Mood States and Consumer Behavior: A Critical Review.” Journal of Consumer Research 12(3):281. doi:10.1086/208516.
[11] Hefer, Yolandé. 2013. Visual Merchandising Displays’ Effect On Consumers: A Valuable Asset Or An Unnecessary Burden For Apparel Retailers. Vol. 12.
[12] Kumara, Varuna, N. H. Wanniachchi, and W. V. L. Kumara. 2016. A Study on the Impact of Visual Merchandising on Consumer Buying Behaviour in Clothing Retail Stores. Vol. 4. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327730461.
[13] Lakshmi MVN, Naga, YVN Sai Sri Charan, S. Sekar, DrDevi R. Prasanna, Indu Santosh, and Sushree Sangeeta Mukhi. 2025. “The Future of Retail in India: Blending Organized and Unorganized Upsurge Challenges and Opportunities.” Journal of Marketing & Social Research. https://jmsr-online.com/.
[14] Mannohar Dasare, Mangesh, Dnyaneshwar Narwade, and Wasim Khan. 2024. “Effect of In-Store Promotions in Triggering Impulse Buying Behaviour among Customers of Non-Metro Cities of Maharashtra.” International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts (IJCRT) Www.Ijcrt.Org G31 12:2320–2882. www.ijcrt.orgwww.ijcrt.org.
[15] Osman, Syuhaily, Fon Sim Ong, Md Nor Othman, and Kok Wei Khong. 2014. “The Mediating Effect of Mood on In-Store Behaviour among Muslim Shoppers.” Journal of Islamic Marketing 5(2):178–97. doi:10.1108/JIMA-01-2013-0005.
[16] P. Mehta, Neha, and Pawan K. Chugan. 2013. “The Impact of Visual Merchandising on Impulse Buying Behavior of Consumer: A Case from Central Mall of Ahmedabad, India.” Universal Journal of Management 1(2):76–82. doi:10.13189/ujm.2013.010206.
[17] Parsad Sanjeev Prashar Sai Vijay Vinita Sahay, Chandan T. 2019. “Role of In-Store Atmospherics and Impulse Buying Tendency on Post-Purchase Regret.” Sahay / Journal of Business and Management 25(1):1–24. doi:10.6347/JBM.201903_25(1).0001.
[18] Pradhan, Vidha. 2016. “Study on Impulsive Buying Behavior among Consumers in Supermarket in Kathmandu Valley.” Journals of Business and Social Science Research 2(2):215–33.
[19] Reardon, Thomas, and Ashok Gulati. 2008. The Rise of Supermarkets and Their Development Implications: International Experience Relevant For India. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5056681.
[20] Reardon, Thomas, Peter Timmer, and Julio Berdegue. 2004. E J A D E Electronic Journal of Agricultural and Development Economics The Rapid Rise of Supermarkets in Developing Countries: Induced Organizational, Institutional, and Technological Change in Agrifood Systems. Vol. 1. www.fao.org/es/esa/eJADEVol.
[21] Rook, Dennis W. 1987. “The Buying Impulse.” The Journals of Consumer Research 14:189–99.
[22] Rupusundara Rao, M. 2023. “Visual Merchandising’s Impact On Consumer Buying Decisions In Visakhapatnam Retail Stores.” Educational Administration Theory and Practice 676–85. doi:10.53555/kuey.v29i2.7973.
[23] Sigurdsson, Valdimar, Halldor Engilbertsson, and Gordon Foxall. 2010. “The Effects of a Point-of-Purchase Display on Relative Sales: An in-Store Experimental Evaluation.” Journal of Organizational Behavior Management 30(3):222–33. doi:10.1080/01608061.2010.499028.
[24] Sigurdsson, Valdimar, and Nils Magne Larsen. 2015. “Behavior Analysis of In-Store Consumer Behavior.” The Routledge Informa Ltd 40–50. doi:10.4324/9781315850696.ch3.
[25] Slack, Neale J., and Gurmeet Singh. 2020. “The Effect of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty and the Mediating Role of Customer Satisfaction: Supermarkets in Fiji.” TQM Journal 32(3):543–58. doi:10.1108/TQM-07-2019-0187.
[26] Sloot, Laurens M., F. O. K. Dennis, and Peter C. Verhoef. 2006. “The Short- and Long-Term Impact of an Assortment Reduction on Category Sales.” Journal of Marketing Research 43(4):536–48. doi:10.1509/jmkr.43.4.536.
[27] Spence, Charles, Nancy M. Puccinelli, Dhruv Grewal, and Anne L. Roggeveen. 2014. “Store Atmospherics: A Multisensory Perspective.” Psychology and Marketing 31(7):472–88. doi:10.1002/mar.20709.
[28] Štulec, Ivana, Kristina Petljak, and Anja Kukor. 2016. “The Role of Store Layout and Visual Merchandising in Food Retailing.” European Journal of Economics and Business Studies 4(1):138. doi:10.26417/ejes.v4i1.p138-151.
[29] Sun, Binbin, Yu Zhang, and Li Zheng. 2023. “Relationship between Time Pressure and Consumers’ Impulsive Buying—Role of Perceived Value and Emotions.” Heliyon 9(12). doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23185.
[30] Tantanatewin, Warakul, and Vorapat Inkarojrit. 2016. “Effects of Color and Lighting on Retail Impression and Identity.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 46:197–205. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2016.04.015.
[31] Tarka, Piotr, Monika Kukar-Kinney, and Richard J. Harnish. 2022. “Consumers’ Personality and Compulsive Buying Behavior: The Role of Hedonistic Shopping Experiences and Gender in Mediating-Moderating Relationships.” Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 64. doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102802.
[32] Tu, Chiang-Kuo, Kuan-Wei Wu, Chii-Huei Jean, and Yue Huang. 2017. “The Impact of Online Promotions on Online Impulsive Buying Behavior: Mediating Effects of Perceived Value, Positive Emotion, and Moderating Effects of Online Reviews.” Pp. 280–82 in Economics and Management Innovations (ICEMI). Vol. 1. Volkson Press.
[33] Turley, L. W., and Ronald E. Milliman. 2000. Atmospheric Effects on Shopping Behavior: A Review of the Experimental Evidence. Vol. 49.
[34] Verplanken, Bas, and Astrid Herabadi. 2001. “Individual Differences in Impulse Buying Tendency: Feeling and No Thinking.” European Journal of Personality 15(1 SUPPL.). doi:10.1002/per.423.
[35] Verplanken, Bas, and Ayana Sato. 2011. “The Psychology of Impulse Buying: An Integrative Self-Regulation Approach.” Journal of Consumer Policy 34(2):197–210. doi:10.1007/s10603-011-9158-5.
Visual Merchandising, Impulse Buying, Shoppers' Mood, Window Display, In-store Forum, Floor Merchandising, Promotional Signage, and Stimuli organism response.