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Conceptualization and operationalization of retail store image: A case of rival middle-level theories

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Abstract

This article presents the case that inconsistencies between retail store image conceptualization and operationalization signal a critical separation between theory and measurement within the paradigm. The authors attribute the separation to the influence of two rival, middle-level information processing theories. The first, piecemeal-based processing theory, has historically dominated retail store image operationalization and measurement within the area. The authors argue, however, that the time has come for a new information processing theory—category-based information processing—to challenge piecemeal processing as the positive heuristic within the store image paradigm. The advantages of adopting category-based processing over piecemeal processing are discussed both from a positive and normative perspective. Recommendations for managers and propositions for future research are offered.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Colorado, Denver

    Susan M. Keaveney & Kenneth A. Hunt

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  1. Susan M. Keaveney
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  2. Kenneth A. Hunt
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Keaveney, S.M., Hunt, K.A. Conceptualization and operationalization of retail store image: A case of rival middle-level theories. JAMS 20, 165–175 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02723456

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