Designing engaging experiences in physical bookstores: a composite approach using the experience economy and S-O-R model

As digital reading and e-commerce expand at breakneck speed, traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores face an existential challenge. In response, hybrid bookstores – spaces that combine book retailing with cultural experiences and social functions – have emerged as powerful magnets for consumers. Drawing on the theory of the experience economy and the stimulus organism – response(SOR) model, this study develops an integrated framework that incorporates fourdimensions of experience (education, entertainment, escapism and aesthetics), user perceptions (perceived value, satisfaction and place attachment), and users’ intention to participate. The aim is to explain how participatory behaviors take shape in hybrid bookstores. Using Nanjing’s iconic Xianfeng Bookstore as a single-site exploratory case study, we conducted a survey that yielded 417 valid responses, and applied structural equation modeling (SEM) for empirical analysis. The results show that all four experiential dimensions positively influence user participation, mediated through perceived value, satisfaction and place attachment. Of these, aesthetic and educational experiences exert the strongest influence on perceived value, while escapist experiences most powerfully drive satisfaction and attachment to place. These results validate SOR model relevance for hybrid bookstore settings while illuminating how thoughtfully crafted experiences transform into engaged participation. This offers a fresh theoretical lens for understanding the dynamics of cultural consumption in physical bookstores.