Beyond the thermostat: A research agenda for distinguishing consumer thermoregulation from retail temperature interventions across the customer journey

Abstract

As climate variability intensifies, retailers increasingly face the challenge of managing in-store temperature to support consumer comfort. While indoor temperature is a powerful and controllable element of the retail environment, the pathways through which it shapes consumer behavior remain underexamined. Prior research has often assumed that simply cooling or warming a store helps consumers thermoregulate. Yet, thermoregulation is an individual, dynamic process that depends on whether a consumer feels discomfort, engages in regulatory action, and achieves relief. In this paper, we review and reframe existing work on temperature and consumer behavior, highlighting both what has been learned and what has been overlooked.

We clarify the distinction between environmental temperature strategies and actual thermoregulatory processes, and we show how this distinction influences study design, interpretation, and practical implications. Building on this foundation, we propose a consumer journey framework that identifies specific stages where thermoregulation may occur, how it might be measured, and when retailers can effectively intervene. This framework opens new avenues for research on temperature as a strategic design element and thermoregulation as a physiological and psychological mechanism. Together, these contributions provide a roadmap for understanding how, when, and for whom temperature-based interventions support sustainable, consumer-centric retail experiences.