Hedonic Factors and Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role of Hedonic Emotion in Experiential Retail Settings

Abstract

Purpose:    The current study aims to investigate the impact of hedonic factors, specifically sensory experience, entertainment, and social factors, on purchase intention among Gen Z consumers in Sri Lankan shopping malls, with a mediating role of hedonic emotion. As consumer purchasing behavior evolves toward experience-driven consumption, physical retail environments must adapt to meet these shifting expectations. Despite global retail trends favoring immersive and emotionally engaging shopping environments, Sri Lankan malls remain primarily utilitarian, with limited focus on hedonic design. This study addresses this performance gap by examining how experiential elements influence consumer decision-making.

Design/methodology/approach:  A quantitative, deductive research approach was employed, with data collected through structured questionnaires distributed among 410 Gen Z shoppers in Colombo’s leading shopping malls. Data analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings:    The findings support all proposed hypotheses, confirming that sensory experiences, entertainment, and social interactions significantly influence purchase intentions. Moreover, hedonic emotion partially mediates these relationships, emphasizing the emotional foundation of experiential shopping. The current study contributes to retail strategy by highlighting the need for emotionally enriching, multi-sensory mall environments to attract and retain Gen Z consumers in the post-pandemic retail landscape.

Originality:   This research contributes to extending knowledge of consumer behavior towards experiential marketing. The present study is grounded in the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) theoretical model identifies sensory, entertainment, and social stimuli as external factors (stimuli), hedonic emotion as the internal response (organism), and purchase intention as the behavioral outcome (response). Thus, it empirically contributes to broadening the understanding of comprehensive consumer behaviour on experiential marketing practices in large retails that has been paid little attention.

Implications:   This study enhances SOR model by validating hedonic emotion as a key mediator in purchase decisions and offers practical insights for mall managers. By designing sensory-rich, socially engaging, and culturally relevant environments, marketers can emotionally connect with Gen Z shoppers in Sri Lanka, boosting engagement and purchase intentions.