0In an age of self-service stores, saturated markets and ever more demanding customers, the careful and science-driven design of the point of sale has become a crucial success factor for both retailers and service businesses. In this book, the interested reader will find a variety of hands-on suggestions on how to optimize the design of retail stores and service environments to increase customer satisfaction and sales. While the focus is on the practical applicability of the concepts discussed, the book is nevertheless firmly grounded in consumer and psychological research. In this respect it is uniquely positioned vis'-'-vis books written by artists, architects and interior designers which lack a solid research foundation and academic journals articles, which are often inaccessible to the educated yet non-specialized reader. In writing this book, the author draws on both the recent research literature and his own experience as a marketing consultant and consumer researcher. The intended audiences are marketing managers, small business owners and MBA students. Topics covered in the book include: goals and relevance of store design; design tips derived from environmental psychology; cognitive and affective approaches to store design and visual merchandising; use of ambient factors such as music, colors and scents; creation of emotional experiences and theming.