n Kwalitatiewe ondersoek na die invloed van aspekte van die klerewinkel en die verkoopsdame se voorkoms op die damesklereverbruiker se besluitnemingsproses

The literature and research on consumer behaviour indicate that consumers are not only influenced by individual variables when they make consumer choices, but also by environmental influences and the purchase situation as such. The retail environment is but one aspect of life where one is bombarded with thousands of stimuli. With the underlying viewpoints of symbolic interactionism and a cognitive perspective in mind, one could argue that consumers may use and interpret these stimuli as symbols of some aspects of the buying situation and environment. The central question for this study was the extent to which the exterior of the clothing store and the appearance of the salesladies influence the adult female consumer's decision-making process. A qualitative research style was chosen, with unstructured interviewing, participative observation, analysis of photos and respondents' stories as data-collection techniques. The study supports the viewpoints of the chosen perspectives regarding peoples' use of environmental objects as symbols and with regard to the important role other people and one's self play in one's expectations and social cognition. The exterior of the clothing store and the appearance of the saleslady are two major stimuli that are interpreted by adult female consumers when they visit a clothing store. When an adult female consumer thinks that the exterior image of a clothing store and the appearance of the saleslady fit her self-image, she is likely to enter the store, take advice from the saleslady and return for further purchases.