THE EFFECT OF VISUAL MERCHANDISING ON CONSUMER SHOPPING BEHAVIOUR AND BUILDING CONSUMER BRAND RELATIONSHIP IN PAKISTANI APPAREL STORES: MODERATION STORE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

The aim of this research is to examine the relationship between Visual Merchandising Elements, Consumer Shopping Behaviour, and Consumer Brand Relationship with the mediating role of Consumer Shopping Behaviour in the physical store and the moderation role of Store Environmental Factors. The study proposes a novel model that has not been seen in previous studies. The research adopted a quantitative method using questionnaires, which were distributed through Google Forms in the major cities of Pakistan, and 118 usable questionnaires were filled out of a total of 121 questionnaires received. The analysis conducted through SmartPLS4 proved that there is positive and significant relationship between the Visual Merchandising Elements and the Consumer Shopping Behaviour and between the Consumer Shopping Behaviour and Consumer Brand Relationship. However, Store Environmental Factors did not significantly moderate the relationship between Consumer Shopping Behaviour and Consumer Brand Relationship. The theoretical implications of this study present a new viewpoint on the constructs investigated, providing a novel model to the existing literature and guiding future research. Moreover, the study has explored the Pakistani context in the emerging Pakistani industry of Pakistani Fashion Apparel Brands. However, on a practical level, this research yields important implications for brand managers that should guide their focus on the importance of visual merchandising components and their impact on the rational thinking processes of customers and their purchasing behaviour, which in turn lead to long-term customer brand relationships.