Quality, value, satisfaction, trust, a

model along with development of the hypotheses. The following section describes the empirical
approach and the data used to test the model. We then present the results of empirical testing,
and conclude with a discussion of the finding, implications and limitations.
2. Conceptual Background
Turley and Milliman (2000) identified over 60 published studies with significant
relationships between store atmospherics and consumer behavior. Atmospherics has been shown
to influence consumer perceptions of retail products (Obermiller and Bitner, 1984), and store
approach/avoidance behaviors such as consumers' intention and decision to frequent and spend
money in a store (Turley and Milliman, 2000; Donovan and Rossiter, 1982; Donovan et al.,
1994; Darden et al, 1983; Stanley and Sewall, 1976).
Kotler (1973) defined atmospherics as “the intentional control and structuring of environmental cues”
or as “the conscious design of space to create certain buyer effects.” Milliman and Fugate (1993) defined
atmospheric cues as “any component within an individual’s perceptual field that stimulates one’s senses.”
Atmospheric cues may be more influential than other marketing inputs that are not present at the point of
purchase (Baker, 1986; Baker et al., 1994) and be more influential in the purchase decision than the
product itself (Kotler, 1973).
To explain the influence of atmospherics on consumers, the Mehrabian–Russell Affect
Model (Mehrabian and Russell, 1974; Turley and Milliman, 2000), is based on Stimulus-
Organism-Response paradigm. Features of the environment (S) cause behavioral responses
(liking the store, enjoyment of shopping in it, willingness to spend time in it, to explore the
environment, or to return to it, likelihood of spending more money than intended, feelings of
friendliness to others) (Donovan et al, 1994) within it (internet, in our case) by altering consumer
affect emotional states (O) (such as pleasure, arousal and sometimes dominance) (Mehrabian and
Russell, 1974; Donovan and Rossiter, 1982), depending on individual personality traits analyzed
in the Zuckerman‘s sensation-seeking scale (Grossbart et al., 1975).
By changing Kotler’s (1973) definition of brick-and-mortar atmospherics, Web atmospherics
can be defined as the “conscious designing of Web environments to create positive effects
(positive affect and/or cognitions) in surfers in order to develop positive consumer responses
(site revisiting, browsing)” (Dailey, 2002). For Milliman and Fugate (1993), a Web atmospheric
cue is comparable to a brick-and-mortar atmospheric cue and can be described as “any Web
interface component within an individual's perceptual field that stimulates one's senses.”
193