Decoding the environmental information pathway

Wayfinding, crowding, and customer loyalty in transit-oriented shopping malls

Bibliographic Data

ID6455626
AuthorsChin-Tsu Chen (0000-0003-4376-3908, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume10
Pages101088-101088
Publication date2025-08-02
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSustainable Futures (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2666-1888
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.sftr.2025.101088
OpenAlexW4412853336
LanguageEN
References cited51

Transit-Oriented Shopping Mall Development (TOSMD) is a growing retail trend, drawing increasing customer traffic. Despite its rise, research on consumer behavior in this setting remains limited. This study applies the stimulus-organism-response model, integrating perspectives from urban planning, environmental psychology, consumer behavior, and retailing to examine how environmental information shapes customer outcomes in TOSMDs. Analyses are performed based on data from 500 participants across eight major TOSMDs in Taiwan. Results show that mystery (0.943) is the most influential element, followed by legibility (0.910), coherence (0.893), and complexity (0.863). Environmental information positively affects customer satisfaction (β = 0.572) and experience (β = 0.339), with wayfinding significantly mediating the effect on experience and showing a marginal mediating effect on satisfaction (p = 0.052). Customer satisfaction (β = 0.481) has a stronger impact on loyalty than customer experience (β = 0.398). While crowding significantly moderates the wayfinding-experience relationship, it does not moderate the wayfinding-satisfaction relationship. The study highlights that, although complexity is significant, it is less important than other environmental elements in shaping customer outcomes. It also confirms that customer satisfaction and experience are distinct variables, with both wayfinding and crowding functioning beyond mere predictors. Several contributions are made with this research. These insights offer valuable implications for designing more navigable, user-centered, and sustainable urban retail environments

Business · Cognitive psychology · Crowding · Decoding methods · Loyalty · Telecommunications · Computer Science · Consumer Retail Behavior Studies · Customer Service Quality and Loyalty · Psychology · Urban and Freight Transport Logistics · Marketing

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