Department - Author 1

Communication Studies Department

Degree Name - Author 1

BA in Communication Studies

Date

6-2015

Primary Advisor

Richard Besel

Abstract/Summary

Although there have been many changes in the way Americans shop, particularly the increase in eCommerce, studies have shown that 90% of all United States retail sales still happen in stores. This statistic highlights the continued importance of the in-store experience for the customer. Retail stores constantly rely on atmospherics to try and persuade the customers to make purchases and this study focuses on the use of mirrors to see if they can influence a customer’s attitude when a customer has encountered an unsettling situation.Specifically, this study was designed to investigate the possibility of using mirrors to aid in the diffusion of hostility. In this study, there were 2 conditions assessed. The control condition, where participants were asked to respond to a survey after reading a retail scenario without a mirror present. The second condition asked participants to respond to a survey after reading a retail scenario with a mirror present. Prior studies show that mirrors can aid in self-awareness so the purpose of the mirror in the study was to see if a mirror can increase customer self-awareness and influence the customer’s attitude in a retail setting.

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