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Britomart Stores
Introduction
Customer retailing is a broad subject which covers all the major processes of shopping. The major focus of retailing is on the customers which entail analyzing the entire process of customer purchasing behavior to the outcomes of the shopping experience. This study paper seeks to explore customer shopping behavior in relation to the various factors affecting the shopping process. In this discussion, the paper provides detailed information on the shoppers’ behavior with a major emphasis on Britomart stores. The paper will relate different aspects of the Britomart stores from designs, merchandise, service, and other physical attributes which influence customer shopping behavior. Customer shopping behavior is a long process which starts from the point the customers chooses to shop to the moment they acquire the goods and services. For instance, customer service in retailing profoundly influences the shoppers’ behavior. Customer service can be the differentiation between similar offerings and incompetent customer service can kill a relationship. In this understanding, exceptional customer service can save a relationship and establish a long term profitable one. The following section will provide a detailed explanation and description of Britomart stores, which the paper majorly has focused.
Description-Britomart Stores

Shopping at Britomart stores offers the customer a wide range of products and services in the fashion industry. Britomart store is a large shopping ground, which allows their customers to move around freely and explore the items displayed in the different sections of the business. Britomart stores are neither malls nor a high street but an attractive precinct of streets, lanes, and open spaces. This design of the stores allows customers to wander, explore, and shop at their own leisure. The merchandise in the store ranges from fashion, beauty, sportswear, to other specialist stores. All these merchandises are within accessible stores under the brand name Britomart. In this part of the paper, we provide a detailed description of Britomart stores from the design, service to the merchandise which is visible by any customer visiting the store. Britomart’s description will capture the necessary elements which contribute towards ample shopping behavior of most customers. These will include Britomart stores’ atmosphere, layout, fixtures and fittings, and other physical attributes which attract and retain fashion customers. Consumer behavior refers to the selection, purchase, and consumption of goods and services for the satisfaction of their wants. Various studies indicate that different processes influence the consumer behavior (Khosrowpour pg 76 2009). On the onset of shopping, the consumer tries to find the goods necessary in his, or her life and then he or she will select goods which promise greater utility. After the selection step, the consumer will make estimates of the available money in relation to the set spending. The last step will be the consumer’s analysis of the prevailing prices of goods and services and then makes the ultimate decision concerning the goods and services to acquire. Meanwhile, the entire explained process will be subject to various factors, which will influence the buying practices of the consumer. Before consumers can make a decision shop and acquire their essential goods and services, they will have to evaluate different aspects of the shopping process before deciding on where and when to shop. Britomart stores offer different consumers diverse aspects and grounds for shopping. Among the factors, which influence the shopping behavior of consumers includes the available merchandise, design of the stores, layouts, fixtures and fittings, lighting, air supply, and nature of floor. While surveying Britomart stores, we took an analysis of all the physical attributes which will influence the shopping behavior of fashion customers. The utmost notable factor, which is likely to influence consumer behavior at Britomart stores, is the available merchandise. Britomart is a vibrant shopping, entertainment, and business private grounds located in downtown Auckland. From their profile, Britomart offers a wide variety of products and services to its consumers. In respect to available products and services, customers look out for stores which can offer most and all the necessary items at one place. Availability of all necessary goods and services at one store significantly influences the consumer behavior. Most if not all customers will prefer carrying out their shopping activities at one place, which allows them to acquire all the items on their shopping list. As for Britomart, the store offers a variety of merchandise to its customers ranging from fashion and beauty to other specialist products. The heritage and modern buildings provide a mix of small boutiques and big-name brands. In this setting, the store offers fresh local talent in the fashion industry alongside other international designers. Apart from the fashion market, Britomart stores provide plenty of places and stalls where customers can make a stop-over and refresh themselves. In this case, there are several entertainment spots under the stores such as restaurants and bars. Among other merchandise available at the stores include food which is mostly sold on Saturday morning while fresh from the farm. The aspect of the store providing a wide range of products under one roof attracts many customers who wish to save time while shopping. Reports from the management of Britomart indicate the presence of diverse and rapidly growing mix of restaurants, offices, bars, galleries, public spaces, and boutiques. The projection of the business estimates that, by 2015, the business will be host to close to 200 businesses with apartments and hotels. In relation to the merchandise available in the shopping spots, the design of the store will also influence the purchasing behavior of consumers. Different stores come up with diverse and consumer friendly designs which aim at attracting new customers and retaining the old ones. The most crucial part of Britomart is the architecture employed in construction of the store. Britomart is a 6.5 hectare waterfront private ground of heritage and new buildings. In addition, the store boasts of its regeneration sites and open spaces which offer consumers an ample ground and atmosphere for shopping. The present age of shopping encourages the self-service stores which can be useful in fulfilling the ever growing needs of customers. Britomart store is a perfect example of the recent, careful and science-driven design which allows customers to purchase and acquire their goods and services comfortably. The design of the store maximizes the service environment which substantially determines the consumer behavior. The design of the store allows for consumers to move around with ease while carrying out their shopping activities. At Britomart, the stores are organized in such a manner that customers can engage in self-service shopping while at the same time receive attendance from the shop attendance. Both aspects of the store design allow customers to shop comfortably while and make necessary enquires concerning the items needed. Self-service stores also allow customers to survey the products and make the best choices concerning the products and services required. On the other hand, the design of Britomart permits the display of a wide variety of products giving customers diverse products to make their selection. The design of the building store will also determine the store’s layout. The layout of Britomart stores is a particularly intriguing one with different stores and stalls handling certain goods and services (Michael and Linoff pg 55 2000). Walking through the building, one realizes the unique arrangement of the stalls and stores. Britomart stores host a variety of stores which deal in the sale of various products and services. Such a store requires a layout which will allow customers to identify what goods and services they need while at the same sampling out other available products. The arrangement of the stores is according to the different products and services and mostly according to the designs and nature of the product. For instance, there is a remarkable stall for NIKE products and the same trend applies to all other fashion designs and brands under the business. The essence of this layout is to provide customers with an easy way to acquire their products without having to go through the entire building. In the event, a customer comes to the building and needs to purchase sportswear, then the direction and layout of the stores allows for this without having to move from stall to stall. Clear directions about the various stalls and their products are provided by the management hence ample shopping. The layout equally allows for different suppliers and designers to display their products and giving each seller equal opportunities to display their products. This enhances the choices and decisions the customers will make concerning the products and services they need. More so, the layout enables customers to shop around for all their products moving from one stall to another and getting professional advises. Consumer behaviors are substantially influenced by such factors as store layout and design because of the positive effects it will have on their shopping experience (Levy &Weitz pg 29 2004). Britomart store has other physical attributes which attract customers to carry out their shopping activities. Most notable is the sufficient lighting present in the stores. The business building is operational all-round the clock with customers purchasing their items both day and night. Since the store is a broad and busy area, there is a need for sufficient lighting and even fresh air. Customers prefer shopping in perfectly lit environment which is a sign of security. In addition, this allows for the consumer to have visibility on the goods and products available in the business. Dark areas and dimly lit rooms discourage the customers from accessing the room because of the insecurity aspect displayed by such poor lighting. Moving around Britomart stores, one quickly admires the proper lighting which offers perfect view of all the people in the store and the commodities. The lighting mechanism of the store seems to be up to the recommended standards with appropriate lighting apparatus in use. Being in the store, one could not distinguish whether it was day or night due to the proper lighting. The store, despite the numerous stalls and many people, had fresh air because of the proper ventilation. Finally, the most paramount aspect of any business is the provision of proper service. Service ranges from the shop attendants to other relevant people in the stores. At Britomart, there is a high standard of services to both customers and other visiting people. Every store has shop attendants who immediately come to the help of customers through showing them around together with making any clarifications.
Critical Analysis and Reflection Reflection refers to the developing awareness of people’s own learning process together with a more analytical approach to the subject. There are certain factors that affect the consumer behavior in the process of purchasing goods and services they require. From the above description, it is almost certain that there is a variety of factors that are paramount to consumer behavior. In this section, the paper provides an in-depth analysis of the above-discussed factors. These include; design, service, merchandise and other physical attributes (Khosrowpour pg 56 2009).

According to research on the impact of design on consumer behavior scholars identified, that design can affect the behaviors of consumers either positively or negatively. In Britomart, there is enough space to hold the large amount of traffic in and out of the hotels, entertainment shops, designer wear shops and all the other stores. The sufficiently spaced building ensures that the owners of the shop have enough space to display and separate goods according to taste and preferences of consumers. Sufficient space allows clients to offer quality service for consumers, for example, consumers who need clothes and shoes use the flawlessly set changing rooms to fit what they desire. This is a strategy to make the consumer to buy the clothes, because they have fitted and are aware that the clothes fit, and if they suit them, this encourages high purchases. Consumers enjoy visiting often because of the fresh air, order and easily accessible shops in the shopping complex; hence, window-shopping that might lead to a purchase. Britomart has floors that are not slippery to ensure that customer’s safety is a priority, the presence of numerous exit and entry points are vital mainly when there is commotion, caused by fire accidents, gunshots and other minor situations. It is clear that when consumers want to buy a good or service they have to select among many. With a secure environment, consumers are comfortable moving from one store to another without any fear, the use of surveillance cameras in the building ensure no crime goes undetected (Stahlberg and Ville Maila pg 43 2009). This store is beautiful; the construction finished excellently both in exterior and the interior walls and glasses well done and consumers like to be associated with the modern things hence shopping at Britomart gives them a chance to feel classy. It is enjoyable to shop in stylish place consumers tend to link the quality and price of a good or a service to the location where found. Majority think a good purchased in a sophisticated place like Britomart must be genuine, and of high quality, hence it has increased sales and popularity of the stores. The building design includes wide pathways to facilitate the movement of the shoppers through the store where they select and identify the goods they need. In addition, it is significant to note that a variety of stores in the building made of glass, according to consumer behavior research, glass is the most efficient method for a shop owner to display goods all the time. Whether the shop is closed or open, this will enable consumers to view and compare in the adjacent shops adequately reach a conclusion on where they will purchase the good. The design and layout in Britomart stores organized in a manner such that all the shops get equal opportunity to display their work. The consumers have a tough choice on where to buy what they require, although they are a variety the consumer will choose what they deem fit to them. The consumer will face the challenge of decision making hence the design of Britomart ensures that customers are able to arrive quickly at the answer, this increases their purchasing rate. Merchandise Britomart clearly offers a variety of goods and services ranging from entertainment spots, restaurant, movie theatre, game rooms, fashionable clothes, sportswear to bars. This store offers almost all the necessities under one roof, when a consumer enters the complex, amazed with a wide range of products and services. It is evident from previous research that, 45% of consumers who entered the store ended up buying goods that they did not require because of impulse buyer behavior. Consumers who enter the stores are likely to spend more time than they had planned to stay, because of the advertisements and the promotions taking place in various shops and restaurants. A report produced recently indicated that the presence of promotions in different spots at the Britomart stores affect consumer decision concerning a good they want. The presence of merchandise all in one roof has made the consumers engage in repeat purchases from the same shop owner due to lack of options, for example, there is only one Nike shop a shop selling sportswear in Britomart. A consumer has to buy regularly from the same shop because the complex has mainly one or two shops selling the same goods, the design of the building is to ensure a representation of at least all the shops that can satisfy consumers needs but not the same shops. The merchandise in this mall is mainly of high quality and from a variety of suppliers from all over the world. Analysis of the consumer behavior concerning the quality of goods in this store indicates that consumers who frequent Britomart purchase goods and services frequently and expensively. They do not easily switch brands because they know what they need and at what price they are willing to pay for a certain good. The availability of a variety of goods and services in these stores, increases competition among brands, consumers tend to crowd one store while their competitors hardly get any customers for the same product (Michael and Linoff pg 35 2000). The consumers tend to rely on the store environment to foresee the quality of the goods because most of the consumers relate the available variety of goods and the store environment. When there are activities in various parts of the mall, activities including shows, contests and promotions of various goods the consumers find it fascinating to shop. Hence frequent the mall, survey shows the women are the majority. The feelings of the consumers stir up when they have arrived the mall for entertainment purposes, dates and romantic gateways. The presence of a variety of the goods and services stimulates the mind of consumers, for example, Britomart has exciting leisure services and meeting places that make the consumers be in high spirits during and after the shopping.
It is a fact that the consumers of this stores come for shopping, but most of the young people entering Britomart stores go shopping because they want to keep up with the trends that will make them catch up with new fashions, sample all the new products available in the stores and lastly, experience new things (Ebster and Marion pg49 2011). Lastly, merchandise is the main factor that leads to frequent traffic in the Britomart stores, consumer behavior mainly evaluated using their behavior towards the goods and services provided and the arrangement of the goods and services. In Britomart stores, the goods and services arrangement is versatile; every shop in the mall has their unique features that make them stand out. The shops arrange their merchandise in the most appealing and convincing manner to attract and sway the consumers behavior. A Britomart store according to research carried out has increased the amount of shops selling fresh fruits and vegetables by 20% hence adding the group of vegetarians in their consumer base. Consumers now, have gained access to fresh fruits, hence the purchases have increased. Consumers are aware of the healthy foods and the way of living this is a strategy of stores to develop a positive relationship with the consumers.
Physical attributes There are various physical attributes of the stores which impact shopping behavior either positively or negatively. The physical environment ranges from music, merchandise display, aroma, and stores layout and designs. These are the factors directly affecting the consumers when they immediately enter the store. The attributes affect the consumer shopping behavior included lighting in Britomart stores is above average consumers are able to see all the merchandise clearly. In the variety of shops in this store, there are different types of lighting that enhancing the appearance of some goods. There is also the aspect of moods of the shop attendants which is subjective reactions to a given situation or environment (Ebster and Marion pg69 2011). Mood affects perceived store shopping experience, purchasing patterns, expenditure, trip duration and frequency, information search and evaluation. Good and bad mood encourages prosocial behavior, resists temptation, and delays self-reward.
Service
Service is an intangible thing that the consumer receives while; in the stores it can be bought directly or indirectly. Service explored in two dimensions, to begin with, service provided because of purchasing goods and service bought like shaving hair. A survey carried out to investigate how service affects the consumer behavior indicates, 50% of the people who receive good service are likely to add extra purchase exceeding their budget (Weinstein pg 78 1994). When a consumer buys a service, and the presentation is excellent, he is likely to select and purchase repeatedly. The service at Britomart is excellent hence; consumers freely select what they require from where they want, and purchase using both cash and their cards. There are self-serving spots where most consumers prefer because it is fast to the cashier system. This is a persuasion strategy to increase the amount of sales in the stores, and it has so far worked because many consumers have now preferred to use the self-serving spots. Different stores employ various methods and opportunities to reduce customer service issues. According to the observations made at Britomart, the business has put in place a service culture. Service culture means shared perceptions of what is significant in an organization and shared values and beliefs of why those things are indispensable. Another notable approach is charismatic and value-driven leadership (Levy &Weitz pg 29 2004). This helps reduce customer complaints concerning the services offered by the different shop attendants. The business also collects information from customers as an after service process to ensure that the service expected was received. Scholars present two research tools for measuring service, which are quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative measuring service tools include post-transaction surveys, employee surveys, ongoing surveys of account holders, and competitive market surveys. The qualitative methods include focus groups and analysis of customers’ complaints hence the business implementing any necessary changes in the service department.
Conclusion
In-store behavior of customers majorly relies on individual differences and shopper behavior. On the other hand, other shoppers will influence the in-store behavior because most stores accommodate various shoppers. Britomart store is a perfect example of stores which provide a wide variety of merchandise hence will attract diverse customers. Some of the factors which influence individual differences in the shopping process include personality, lifestyles, and values. From the above discussion, it is evident that shopping behavior processes is a combination of varied aspects of stores’ state. The main identified factors include design of the store, merchandise provided by the store, service received by customers, and other physical attributes such as lighting and air. One of the stores under Britomart stores is Mac makeup store which had several positive attributes which attracted several customers. For instance, notable was the spotlights on products, mirrors on all sides, and most colorful pro-products on display. Such physical attributes attract and retain customers to the stores.

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