Beyond Transactions: Affordances, Emotions, and Place Attachment in Retail Spaces

Spanjaard, D; Richards, J; Freeman, L; Rohanek, L

Beyond Transactions: Affordances, Emotions, and Place Attachment in Retail Spaces

Spanjaard, D

Richards, J Freeman, L Rohanek, L

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Publisher:: SAGE Publications
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ)

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Spanjaard, D https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4021-368X
dc.contributor.author	Richards, J
dc.contributor.author	Freeman, L
dc.contributor.author	Rohanek, L
dc.date.accessioned	2026-05-06T00:59:44Z
dc.date.available	2026-05-06T00:59:44Z
dc.identifier.citation	Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ)
dc.identifier.issn	1441-3582
dc.identifier.issn	1839-3349
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/194882
dc.description.abstract	Supermarkets are among the most frequently visited retail environments, yet they are commonly understood as transactional spaces defined by price, convenience, and efficiency. This study examines how routine shopping practices can, over time, generate meaningful consumer-place relationships. Drawing on affordance theory and place attachment literature, we conceptualise supermarkets as accumulated storescapes: environments in which significance develops through familiarity, habit, and repeated engagement rather than isolated encounters or curated experiences. Using mobile ethnography with shoppers in Australia and the United Kingdom, the study traces how ongoing interaction with store environments gives rise to two distinct relational outcomes. Place affinity reflects instrumental reliance and alignment with personal identity without emotional attachment, while place attachment involves emotional investment, a sense of ownership, and resistance to change. The findings demonstrate that even ordinary retail settings can create enduring forms of attachment, not through spectacle or premium branding, but through stable routines, predictable layouts, and everyday use. By emphasising temporality as a central process rather than background context, this research extends servicescape and retail attachment theory and clarifies how place meanings accumulate through practice. It also offers practical insight for managers seeking to cultivate resilient customer relationships that extend beyond price competition or convenience alone.
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	SAGE Publications
dc.relation.ispartof	Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ)
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1177/14413582261442611
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	15 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services
dc.subject.classification	3506 Marketing
dc.title	Beyond Transactions: Affordances, Emotions, and Place Attachment in Retail Spaces
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.for	15 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Business School
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Business School/Marketing Discipline
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Centre for Sports, Business and Society (CSBS)
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2026-05-06T00:59:42Z
pubs.publication-status	Published online

Abstract:

Supermarkets are among the most frequently visited retail environments, yet they are commonly understood as transactional spaces defined by price, convenience, and efficiency. This study examines how routine shopping practices can, over time, generate meaningful consumer-place relationships. Drawing on affordance theory and place attachment literature, we conceptualise supermarkets as accumulated storescapes: environments in which significance develops through familiarity, habit, and repeated engagement rather than isolated encounters or curated experiences. Using mobile ethnography with shoppers in Australia and the United Kingdom, the study traces how ongoing interaction with store environments gives rise to two distinct relational outcomes. Place affinity reflects instrumental reliance and alignment with personal identity without emotional attachment, while place attachment involves emotional investment, a sense of ownership, and resistance to change. The findings demonstrate that even ordinary retail settings can create enduring forms of attachment, not through spectacle or premium branding, but through stable routines, predictable layouts, and everyday use. By emphasising temporality as a central process rather than background context, this research extends servicescape and retail attachment theory and clarifies how place meanings accumulate through practice. It also offers practical insight for managers seeking to cultivate resilient customer relationships that extend beyond price competition or convenience alone.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/194882