Experiencing ethical retail ideology in the servicescape

Abstract

Studies of the ideological underpinnings of retail stores have improved our understanding of consumers’ retail experiences in brand and national ideology contexts. In retailing, ideology is manifested in retail spatial settings through tangible and intangible cues in servicescapes. This study expands our knowledge on ethical retail ideology by exploring how servicescapes convey cues that shape consumption experiences and foster ethical consumption. Data from an ethnographic study highlight how consumption experiences in physical retail spaces embedding a particular ethical ideology can be thematised as aesthetics, nostalgia and care. We show that the material and discursive aspects in servicescapes conveying an ethical ideology influence embodied consumption experiences. This study thus contributes to the understanding of retail ideologies and the connections between sustainable consumption and the servicescape.