ywhere to give the customer the cheapest possible price (Science Press 1993). The perception of the store can also go the other way. Give the customer a place where they are exposed to gentle music and they feel that the merchant is in tune with their lifestyles, their needs, the way they want to look or the way they would like to furnish their homes and you can charge a higher price (Barr et al 1997). The classier a place looks, the more money a person is willing to spend. Beds are set up like bedroom scenes with all the accessories looking like it has come straight out of a Vouge magazine. These layouts put customers in a buying mood and they are recognized as part of the retail personality.Customers perceptionsWhat a consumer thinks about the retail store is an important factor. How a consumer feels when they walk into a store and what they think when they think about the store are all part of the customers perception. This area is an important part of the retail brand. Four areas that can give the customer a good perception of the retail brand are:1.The products themselves2.The retail formula3.The actual consumer4.The management of the retail outlet. (Warnaby 1994)By having a unique product range, a consumers perception is changed. How the retail outlet is set up and how it is managed all affect the consumers perception of the retail brand. Targeting your products at the right consumers is also a strategic part of retailing. Music is also an important factor in retailing. In-store experiments have shown consumers spend significantly less time in stores when music is loud compared to when it is soft. Music must fit the situation in which it is to be used and the wrong music can produce effects that totally negate the objective of the exercise. (Aylott 1999)PositioningA retail store has a positioning within the market. Where it fits makes up the retail brand. The position of corporations such as Wall-Mart is what has m...
