Store music and customer loyalty to the store: Negative emotion as a mediator

Increasing customer store loyalty is a vital issue for retailers because maintaining an existing customer costs less than attracting a new customer in the service industry. We conducted an empirical study to examine the connections between store music, customers' negative emotion, and store loyalty. Data were collected through a paper-and-pencil survey of 405 customers who were shopping at a supermarket located in a major metropolitan area in China. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. Results showed that store music indirectly affected customers' store loyalty through negative emotion. That is, store music inhibited negative emotion, thereby enhancing store loyalty. The findings will assist managers in understanding the effect of store music on customers' loyalty.