Associations among in-store music, and a store's brand equity, brand engagement, and brand relationship

Retailers are increasingly looking to strengthen the relationship with their customers by building a store's brand equity and brand engagement. One solution is to leverage in-store music to create a captivating store atmosphere. I explored the role of customer attitudes toward in-store music in enhancing a store's brand equity and brand engagement and subsequently, brand relationship in the context of a shopping mall outlet. I obtained 256 valid responses using a questionnaire survey. The results of structural equation modeling revealed that customers' favorable attitudes toward in-store music is positively related to both a store's brand equity and brand engagement, which, in turn, are positively related to brand relationship. This current study enhances the understanding of in-store music by empirically verifying its relevance in building the store–customer relationship.