Phytophilia and Service Atmospherics: The Effect of Indoor Plants on Consumers

The atmospherics of a store can affect the emotions and perceptions of consumers, and even their shopping behaviors. Despite a large body of literature on store atmospherics, only a few studies have specifically examined natural elements in this context. Following evolutionary logic, we hypothesized that introducing a potted plant to a service delivery environment would boost consumer perceptions and advance marketing objectives. Participants rated photographs of service delivery settings through an experiment on Amazon Mechanical Turk. The results showed that the stimulus (no stimulus, a plant, or a vase) affected participant ratings of the service setting. The plant was superior to both no stimulus and the vase in increasing perceived service quality and customer satisfaction. The phytophilic effect on perceptions was mediated by pleasure and moderated by exposure to greenery in daily life. The study implements evolutionary theory in store atmospherics, contributing to the theoretical foundation of the field.