CONSUMER SELF-REGULATION IN A RETAIL ENVIRONMENT

The importance of retail store design and merchandising policies rests in the ability of the physical retail environment to alter shopper reactions and behavior. Previous research documents relationships between physical store environments, shopper emotions, and subsequent shopping behavior. Research presented in this paper extends this research by considering the role of consumer self-regulation as a moderator of relationships between shopping emotions and consumer evaluations of the shopping experience. Structural equations analyses support this assertion and suggest disparate outcomes depending upon one's self-regulatory tendency. Results also show that feelings of dominance, previously dismissed as unimportant, significantly alter shopping behavior among those low in self-regulation.