Abstract:
1. Introduction
The supermarket industry in Sri Lanka, particularly in the Western
Province, has experienced notable growth due to urbanisation, rising
disposable incomes, and evolving consumer lifestyles. Despite this
expansion, supermarket penetration remains uneven, with only 15% of Sri
Lankans regularly shopping at supermarkets. Thus, this study addresses
this gap by examining the impact of multi-sensory marketing on customer
pleasure within the supermarket sector in the Western Province. Multi-
sensory marketing leverages sensory stimuli such as sight, sound, smell,
touch, and taste to enhance the pleasurable shopping experience.
2. Research Methodology
Drawing on the deductive research approach, this study employed a
quantitative survey methodology, 369 usable responses were collected
through a self-administered questionnaire from individuals over 18 years
old who shopped at supermarkets in the Western Province, following
purposive sampling technique. Regression analysis was used to analyse
data.
3. Findings and Discussion
The analysis revealed that sight, smell, touch, and taste have significant
positive impacts on customer pleasure in the supermarket industry,
whereas sight reported the most substantial impact. In contrast, the effect
of sound was found to be statistically insignificant.
4. Conclusion and Implications
This study concludes that multi-sensory marketing plays a significant role
in enhancing customer pleasure within the supermarket industry,
particularly through visual, olfactory, tactile, and gustatory aspects. These
findings provide valuable insights for supermarket managers seeking to
implement effective sensory marketing strategies. Additionally, this
contributes to the existing literature on consumer behavior by empirically
validating the influence of multi-sensory marketing on customer pleasure
in the Sri Lankan supermarket context.
