While consumers are shifting towards online clothing purchases globally, South Africa, a developing economy with well-developed infrastructure, is lagging in this regard. This research highlights significant drawbacks that may jeopardise the growth of online shopping despite the multiple advantages that consumers and retailers could benefit from. The key to the issue is that a consumer is not physically present in the store, and that online consumers’ experiences are limited to the technological capabilities of existing digital platforms. Inevitably, consumers’ online experiences would be framed in terms of what they are accustomed to in physical stores, therefore, sensory-rich, captivating environments. Creating well-designed mobile phone applications, which incorporate multiple sensory cues, is consequently crucial to capture online shoppers’ attention, and to ensure online retailers’ success. Millennials, the largest generational consumer group presently worldwide, is particularly important to online clothing retailers due to their potential buying power, interest in clothing as a product category, as well as their extensive use of mobile technologies. This study was conducted in the context of an emerging economy and aimed to examine the real-time influence of visual and auditory cues - that could viably be incorporated with available technology into a custom-designed mobile phone application for a fictitious clothing retailer - on millennials’ sensory experience and purchase intentions when purchasing clothing online. Clothing is a rather complex product category where sensory cues in combination with a range of extrinsic and intrinsic product characteristics are highly relevant during product evaluation. To accommodate the realities of physical store experience, three moderating influences were examined within the chosen stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theoretical framework, namely, the effects of telepresence, customisation, and available clothing product information. A positivistic, quantitative, descripto-explanatory, cross-sectional study was designed, presenting a two-phase electronic survey. It presented a vignette design that exposed respondents to the capabilities of the custom-designed mobile phone application before completing a questionnaire. Convenient, online snowball sampling through social media produced a sample size of 842 millennial respondents, from the Gauteng province in South Africa. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, covariance-based structural equation modelling, moderation analyses, and multivariate analyses of variance. The findings confirmed the significant influence of visual and auditory cues on millennials’ online sensory experience, as well as the significant positive moderating role of telepresence and customisation respectively, in facilitating millennials’ purchase intentions when shopping online. Failure to affirm the moderating influence of product information on consumers' purchase intentions, may be ascribed to the absence of intrinsic product characteristics such as fit, feel, and comfort, which are highly relevant but can not yet be incorporated into an online platform. This elevates the importance of how existing sensory cues are presented, and how they could counteract shortcomings of online shopping encounters. Considering what has been achieved by the gaming industry, in terms of visuals and sound when playing online, retail store mobile phone applications have not yet optimised their potential. Gender differences in online shoppers’ sensory experience, purchase intention and use of product information suggest that millennial men's purchase decisions may be more rational inclined compared to their female counterparts. The study indicates how millennials’ online clothing purchase endeavours could be enhanced in developing countries like South Africa, where online shopping has not yet reached first-world levels. Empirical evidence is also provided on how online sensory experiences and effective mobile phone app designs could enhance clothing retailers’ online apps to boost online sales. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / PhD / Unrestricted

Kan man känna, smaka, lukta, höra ett starkt varumärke? Eller kan man bara se det? Vi ville veta och bestämde oss för att ta reda på det, och det är resultatet du nu har i din hand. Vi har genom intervjuer med tre stora butikskedjor och dess butikschefer försökt få en klarare bild om hur de arbetar med det relativt nya sättet att marknadsföra sig på, genom sinnesmarknadsföring. Vi har genomfört flera observationer i och runtomkring de valda butikerna och bildat oss en bra uppfattning om hur respektive butik använder sig av sinnesmarknadsföring-medvetet eller omedvetet. I takt med att konsumenternas krav på upplevelser ökar och fler butiker etablerar sig på marknaden blir det alltmer viktigt att skapa ett varumärke som kunden hela tiden har i sitt medvetande, det finns bara ett sätt och det är att vara kundens första val. För att nå dagens kräsna konsumenter gäller det att butikerna marknadsför sina varumärken, och det har man sett inte helt räcker till, vilket har medfört att nya grenar inom marknadsföringen tillkommit, sinnesmarknadsföring. Begreppet är relativt nytt i Sverige och syftar till att skapa ett emotionellt band mellan konsument och varumärke. Genom att stimulera konsumentens alla fem sinnen, smak, känsel, syn, hörsel och doftsinnet bidrar det till att kunden skapar det emotionella band till varumärket som eftersträvas. Studiens resultat bygger på en kvalitativ ansats där vi använt oss av två olika metoder, intervjuer med butikschefer och observationer i de butiker vi valt att studera. Butikerna vi har valt att arbeta med är Lindex, KappAhl och Byoung vilka alla ligger i centrumkärnan av Katrineholm. Vi har under vår studie kommit fram till att människans fem sinnen tycks mer betydande än vad man många gånger tidigare trott. Även att inte enbart förlita sig på synen som många butiker gör idag tycks vara en viktig del att komma ihåg i sitt varumärkesbyggande. Genom att använda så många sinnen som möjligt kan man få kunden att förknippa vissa känslor och tidigare upplevelser med varumärket. På så vis stärker man också därmed det emotionella bandet mellan kund och varumärke. / Is it possible to feel, taste, smell and hear a strong brand? Or are you only able to spot it with your eyes? In this report our main purpose was to answer these questions. The result and conclusion from this study are what you now hold in your hands. We have through interviews with three major retail chains and its store managers tried to get a clearer picture of how they work with the relatively new way to advertise on, through sensory marketing. We have made several observations and formed us a good indication of how each store uses sensory marketing- either conscious or unconscious. As consumer demand for experience grows and as more retailers enter the market, it becomes increasingly important to create a brand that customers always have in their consciousness. The only way to do this is to be the natural first choice. To reach today's discerning consumers in stores, it is important to market its brand. Because this has not seemed to be enough, new ways of marketing has been discovered, what we call sensory marketing. The concept is relatively new in Sweden and aims to create an emotional bond between consumer and brand. By stimulating consumer's five senses, taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell, it contributes to create the type of emotional bond that marketers endeavor to obtain. The findings of this study are based on qualitative approach and to do this we have used two different methods, both interviews with store managers and through observation of the stores itself. This study includes studies of three stores which are all located in the city heart of Katrineholm. These stores, Lindex, KappAhl and Byoung, have all helped to make this study possible. We have in our study concluded that man's five senses seem more significant than was often thought before. To not only rely on the sense of vision that many people seem to do, has also shown to be important when building a brand. By covering as many senses as possible, you can get the customer to associate certain feelings and past experiences with the brand. Hopefully, this also enhances the relationship between customer and brand.

Submitted by Johnny Rodrigues (johnnyrodrigues@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-04-04T21:48:36Z No. of bitstreams: 1 EUGÊNIO DE CARVALHO SARAIVA - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGCC 2014..pdf: 2813039 bytes, checksum: 9b76f48c8df4aee95923a8ce5f0385ce (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-04T21:48:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 EUGÊNIO DE CARVALHO SARAIVA - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGCC 2014..pdf: 2813039 bytes, checksum: 9b76f48c8df4aee95923a8ce5f0385ce (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-07-30 / Há um número crescente de tecnologias que fazem uso de algoritmos de classificação para a automação de tarefas. Em particular, em Neurociências, algoritmos de classificação foram usados para testar hipóteses sobre o funcionamento do sistema nervoso central. No entanto, a relação entre as classes de padrões de ativação neuronal de áreas específicas do cérebro, como resultado de experiências sensoriais tem recebido pouca atenção. No contexto da Neurociência Computacional, este trabalho apresenta uma análise do nível de similaridade entre classes de padrões de ativação neuronal, com o uso das abordagens de aprendizagem não supervisionada e semi-supervisionada, em áreas específicas do cérebro de ratos em contato com objetos, obtidos durante um experimento envolvendo exploração livre de objetos pelos animais. As classes foram definidas de acordo com determinados tratamentos construídos com níveis específicos de um conjunto de 8 fatores (Animal, Região do Cérebro, Objeto ou Par de Objeto, Algoritmo de Agrupamento, Métrica, Bin, Janela e Intervalo de Contato). No total foram analisados 327.680 tratamentos. Foram definidas hipóteses quanto à relação de cada um dos fatores para com o nível de similaridade existente entre os tratamentos. As hipóteses foram verificadas por meio de testes estatísticos entre as distribuições que representavam cada uma das classes. Foram realizados testes de normalidade (Shapiro-Wilk, QQ-plot), análise de variância e um teste para diferenças entre tendência central (Kruskal-Wallis). Com base nos resultados encontrados nos estudos utilizando abordagem não supervisionada, foi inferido que os processos de aquisição e de definição dos padrões de ativação por um observador foram sujeitos a uma quantidade não significativa de ruídos causados por motivos não controláveis. Pela abordagem semisupervisionada, foi observado que nem todos os graus de similaridade entre pares de classes de objetos são iguais a um dado tratamento, o que indicou que a similaridade entre classes de padrões de ativação neuronal é sensível a todos os fatores analisados e fornece evidências da complexidade na codificação neuronal. / There are a growing number of technologies that make use of classification algorithms for automating tasks. In particular, in Neuroscience, classification algorithms were used to test hypotheses about the functioning of the central nervous system. However, the relationship between the classes of patterns of neuronal activation in specific brain areas as a result of sensorial experience has received little attention. In the context of Computational Neuroscience , this paper presents an analysis of the level of similarity between classes of patterns of neuronal activation with the use of learning approaches unsupervised and semi - supervised in specific areas of rat brain in contact with objects , obtained during an experiment involving free exploration of objects by animals. The classes were defined according to certain treatments constructed with specific levels with set of 8 factors (Animal, Brain Region, Object or Pair of Objects, Clustering Algorithm, Metric, Bin, Window and Interval Contact). In total 327.680 treatments were analyzed. Hypotheses regarding the relationship of each of the factors with the existing level of similarity between treatments were defined. The hypotheses were tested through between statistical distributions representing each class tests. The tests applied where the tests for normality (Shapiro-Wilk, QQ–plot), analysis of variance and a test for differences in central tendency (Kruskal-Wallis) were performed. Based on the results found in studies using an unsupervised approach, it was inferred that the process of acquisition and definition of patterns of activation by an observer was not subject to a significant amount of noise caused by uncontrollable reasons. For the semi-supervised approach, it was observed that not all degrees of similarity between pairs of classes of objects are equal to a given treatment, which indicated that the similarity between classes of patterns of neuronal activation is sensitive to all the factors analyzed and provides evidence about the complexity of neuronal coding.

The aim of the bachelor’s thesis is to examine whether the atmospheric experience differs between two different stores within the same brand, depending on tangible and intangible elements. The authors have focused on how certain selected elements have been implemented in the store environments, to identify whether these can steer the atmospheric experience in different directions. The research question in the study is: Do the atmospheric experiences differ between stores within the same brand, depending on tangible and intangible elements in the store environment? To investigate the research question, three semi-structured interviews were conducted (one interview for Porsche Center Segeltorp and two interviews for Porsche Center Malmö). The respondents were representatives with experience in the research area, such as the CEO and marketing managers. In addition, participatory observations were performed at Porsche Center Segeltorp and Porsche Center Malmö, with focus on tangible (for instance textiles and furnishings) and intangible elements (for instance colors and scents) within the store environments. The findings from the observations and interviews show that different implemented tangible and intangible elements in a store environment result in different atmospheric experiences. The added scent at Porsche Center Malmö had an impact on the observers’ atmospheric impression, where the scent had a stronger association with the brand rather than the store environment. In addition, the bright colors and light inputs contributed to the observers' perception of the store environment as larger, which gave an intuition of exclusivity. Furthermore, the observers state that the sense of taste does not occur naturally in the atmosphere. Thus, it cannot trigger gastronomic experiences. However, the results do also show that the staff hospitality contributed to an increased level of well-being by offering snacks and beverages, which in turn improved the overall experience of the atmosphere in the store. Intangible elements such as scent and color have been shown to have a major impact on how the atmosphere is experienced by the recipient. Thus, it can be to a company's advantage to take both tangible and intangible elements into consideration, in order to steer the recipient's atmospheric experience in the desired direction. / Kandidatuppsatsen syftar till att undersöka om upplevelsen av butiksatmosfären i två butiker inom samma varumärke, skiljer sig från varandra beroende på materiella och immateriella faktorer i butiksmiljön. I undersökningsprocessen har författarna lagt fokus på om skillnader i utvalda materiella och immateriella faktorer kan styra atmosfärupplevelsen i olika riktningar. Frågeställningen som undersöks är: Kan upplevelsen av butiksatmosfären skilja sig mellan butiker inom samma varumärke beroende på materiella och immateriella faktorer i butiksmiljön? För att undersöka detta har tre semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts (en intervju för Segeltorp och två intervjuer för Malmö). Respondenterna är väl insatta inom ämnet, såsom verkställande direktör och marknadsansvariga. Dessutom har en deltagande observationer utförts på Porsche Center Segeltorp och Porsche Center Malmö, där författarna till studien har observerat butiksatmosfären i syfte att analysera valda materiella (till exempel textilier och inredning) och immateriella faktorer (till exempel färger och dofter) i butiksmiljön. Resultatet visar att skillnad i materiella och immateriella faktorer inom en butiksmiljö resulterar i olika upplevelser av atmosfären. Den tillsatta doften på Porsche Center Malmö hade en inverkan på mottagarens upplevelse av atmosfären, där doften fick en starkare association till varumärket än till butiksmiljön. Dessutom bidrog den ljusa kulören och stora ljusinsläppet i butiken till att observatörerna upplevde atmosfären som större, vilket gav en intuition av exklusivitet. Vidare konstaterar observatörerna att smaksinnet inte förekommer naturligt i atmosfären, och kan därmed inte utlösa gastronomiska upplevelser. Resultatet visar dock att personalens gästvänlighet mot observatörerna, i form av att erbjuda dem något att dricka och äta, bidrog till ett ökat välbefinnande som i sin tur bidrog till en förbättrad helhetsupplevelse av atmosfären. Immateriella faktorer såsom doft och kulör har visat sig ha stor inverkan på huruvida atmosfären upplevs av mottagaren. Därmed kan det vara till ett företags fördel att fästa anseende vid samtliga faktorer i syfte att styra mottagarens atmosfärupplevelse i önskad riktning.

This study delves into the intricacies of the language used in wine reviews, focusing on the adoption of standardised wine vocabularies, specifically the original Wine Aroma Wheel (Noble A. C. et al., 1984) and the Wine Lexicon of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET Level 4 Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine®, 2023). It investigates the extent to which professional wine reviewers adhere to these standard lexicons or opt for individualistic expression. An essential component of the research identifies and analyses emerging terms in wine reviews, shedding light on the evolving nature of wine discourse. The study's findings indicate that while standardised vocabularies are influential and foundational, there remains room for individualised expression in conveying the nuanced sensory experience of wine tasting. Additionally, the research highlights the importance of these emergent terms and their potential to enrich existing wine vocabularies. Given the global nature of the wine industry, the study underscores the need for a more inclusive and adaptive linguistic approach. To this end, the research suggests the potential benefits of a controlled vocabulary system tailored for the wine sector. Despite its inherent challenges, such a system could streamline wine descriptions, promoting a more consistent understanding across diverse audiences along with better communication among professionals. / Questo studio approfondisce la complessità del linguaggio utilizzato nelle recensioni di vino, focalizzando sull'adozione di linguaggi standardizzati e in particolare su "The Wine Aroma Wheel" (Noble A. C. et al., 1984) e su "The Wine Lexicon of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust" (WSET Level 4 Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine®, 2023). La ricerca intende concentrarsi nella misura in cui i recensori professionisti di vino aderiscono a questi linguaggi controllati, o preferiscono optare per un'espressione individuale. Una parte sostanziale della ricerca che identifica ed analizza i termini emergenti nelle recensioni di vino, rivela l'evoluzione del discorso sul vino. I risultati dello studio indicano che, sebbene i linguaggi standardizzati siano influenti e fondamentali, lasciano ancora spazio all'espressione personale a descrivere l'esperienza sensoriale della degustazione del vino. Inoltre, i risultati sottolineano l'importanza dei termini emergenti e la loro potenzialità di arricchire i linguaggi inerenti al discorso di vino. Considerando la visione olistica dell'industria vinicola, questo studio mette in rilievo la necessità di un approccio linguistico più inclusivo e flessibile. In tal senso, si propongono i benefici impliciti di un sistema di linguaggio controllato su misura per il settore vinicolo. Nonostante le complessità che possano insorgere, un sistema di questo tipo potrebbe semplificare la descrizione del vino, promuovendo sia l'intesa reciproca tra gruppi di persone diversi, che una migliore comunicazione tra i professionisti nel mondo del vino.