Window creativity of a fashion store: Its effects on consumer emotions and behavioral intentions

This study investigates the multi-dimensional structure of fashion store window creativity and examines its effects on consumer responses. Through an expert evaluation survey, this study proposes that fashion store window creativity involves originality, relevance, and artistry. Two experiments are conducted to test the proposed hypotheses. Consumers' emotional responses to the level of window creativity are collected using psychophysiological and self-report methods. Fashion store window creativity has positive effects on psychophysiological affective responses. When the three dimensions of creativity are specified as explanatory factors of emotional responses, relevance and artistry show positive effects on arousal and pleasure, whereas originality has a negative effect on pleasure. Its effect on attitudes is mediated by arousal and pleasure; in addition, the effect on entering intentions is mediated by arousal. Attitudes toward window display also have a positive effect on entering intentions. This study extends existing research on creativity in marketing into the context of visual merchandising in fashion store windows. Findings provide meaningful implications in that the effects of fashion store window creativity on emotions affect consumer attitudes and behavioral intention. By adopting multiple approaches in the empirical phase of this study, the findings are built on strong reliability and validity.