The Effect of Retail Store Image Dimensions on Consumer's Purchase Intention of Private Label Brands

Private label brands, considered a store differentiator is a rising phenomenon in the growing Indian organised retail market. Building strong private labels while managing store image differentiation has become a marketing priority for many retailing companies to attract and retain the Indian shopper. Consumers use store image as an evaluative criterion in the decision-making process concerning purchase of private labels at department stores. The primary purpose of this study is to examine the influence of store image on Indian consumer purchase intention of private label brands. Using the structured questionnaire, data was collected from department store customers of varied socio-economic background. While examining the store image constructs, six factors of store image were extracted through factor analysis. The findings demonstrated that the identified store image dimensions ‘Sales Personnel and Store Association'; ‘Promotion and Institutional'; and ‘Merchandise ’have significant impact on PLB-Purchase Intention. However, store image dimensions ‘Atmosphere'; ‘Service'; and ‘Convenience ’does not have any significant impact on PLB-Purchase Intention. The results of this study provide valuable information to department store retail professionals, entrepreneurs and academicians so as to better understand the role of store image in formulating appropriate private label strategies. Findings and various managerial and marketing implications are extensively discussed.