Within the topic of Internet of Things (IoT) smart objects are a key concept. The concept of making everyday objects smart. Smart objects that can understand and react to their environment, creating a smart environment. However, with the fast technological development leading to more smart environments in the physical world, not much research has been done on how this will influence users from an Environmental Psychology perspective.
Earlier research on smart technologies has shown that users who received real-time feedback on their behavior got their attitude influenced and also changed their behavior, creating an interest to further explore the possibilities and impact of this technology. Marketing researchers have done Environmental Psychology studies for a long time to examine how other environmental stimuli (light, music, scents and digital signage etc.) influence people’s perception, emotions and behaviors using the Mehrabian-Russell model to build stimulating environments also known as atmospherics.
This study aims to solve the lack of research on how the emerging smart environments will influence consumers. With the following research question: “How will a retail example of a smart environment influence consumers from an environmental psychology perspective?”
The research strategy was a scenario-based case study, where the participants got to experience a retail scenario with a simulated smart environment. The data collection method were in-depth semi-structured interviews that was conducted on 10 participants, randomly selected. Thereafter a thematic analysis was conducted as a data analysis method. Data extracts were theory driven coded and categorized under the environmental psychology themes.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Background
- Problem
- Research question
- Delimitations
- Extended background
- Smart technology
- Environmental psychology
- Atmospheric effects research
- Methodology
- Choice of research strategy and method
- Scenario-based case study
- Choice of research method
- Choice of data analysis method
- Alternative approaches
- Scenario-based case study research ethics
- Application of method
- Scenario
- Data collection
- Data analysis technique
- Ethical deliberations
- Results
- Thematic analysis
- Themes from the codes
- The influence of smart environment
- Perception of the technology
- Perception of overall atmosphere
- Pleasure, Arousal & Dominance
- Behaviour
- Discussion
- End summary
- Study findings summarized
- Study summarized
- End discussions
- Conclusions
- Originality and significance
- Limitations and future research
- Authors final discussions
- List of references
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This study aims to investigate the impact of a smart environment on consumers from an Environmental Psychology perspective. The research focuses on a retail scenario where consumers interact with a simulated smart environment in a laboratory setting.
- The influence of smart environments on consumer perception, emotion, and behavior
- The role of Environmental Psychology in understanding user experiences in smart environments
- The potential of smart environments as a self-service customer-facing technology
- The application of atmospheric research to create stimulating retail environments
- The impact of smart environments on customer satisfaction and potential sales increases
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction sets the stage for the study by presenting background information on the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart environments. It also defines the research problem and outlines the research question, focusing on the impact of a retail example of a smart environment on consumers. Delimitations are also discussed to clarify the study's scope.
The extended background chapter delves deeper into key concepts like smart technology, Environmental Psychology, and atmospheric effects research. It provides a theoretical foundation for the study by exploring the influence of environmental stimuli on user perception, emotion, and behavior.
The methodology chapter describes the research strategy and methods employed in the study. This includes a detailed explanation of the scenario-based case study approach, the choice of research method (in-depth semi-structured interviews), and the data analysis technique used (thematic analysis).
The results chapter presents the findings of the thematic analysis, revealing key themes and patterns in the data collected. The influence of the smart environment on consumer perception, emotion, and behavior is explored in detail.
The discussion chapter summarizes the study findings and discusses the implications for the future of smart environments in retail settings. It also acknowledges limitations and suggests directions for future research.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The main keywords and focus topics of this study include the Internet of Things (IoT), smart environments, Environmental Psychology, atmospherics, and retail. The research explores the influence of a smart environment on consumer perception, emotion, and behavior using a scenario-based case study approach. Key findings suggest that smart environments have a positive impact on customer satisfaction and can lead to increased sales.
- Quote paper
- Johan Hallen (Author), Kajsa Sörlien (Author), 2016, Smart Digital Signage, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/339419
