International Journal of Advances in Scientific Research and Engineering (ijasre) E-ISSN : 2454-8006 DOI: 10.31695/IJASRE.2020.33945 Volume 6, Issue 12 December - 2020 www.ijasre.net Page 159 Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY-NC Analysis of the Description of Experiential Marketing, Store Atmosphere and Local Retail Customer Satisfaction of Gorontalo City, Indonesia Umin Kango 1 , Widji Astuti 2 , Achmad Firdiansjah 3 1-3 University of Merdeka Malang, Indonesia _______________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT The trend of economic growth in Gorontalo City, surpassing national economic growth, is one reason why retail businesses develop here. This study aims to describe experiential marketing, the atmosphere of a local modern retail satisfaction store in Gorontalo City. The research was conducted on the local retail type of Gorontalo City, Indonesia. The population of this study was local minimarket retail customers in Gorontalo City. The sample size used was 190 respondents. The average value of the Experiential Marketing indicator is 4.05, which means that respondents tend to agree that retailers have good relationships with consumers directly. The sales assistant communicates well with consumers to maintain relationships, thus establishing good relationships with consumers directly.Moreover, the sales assistant to communicate well with consumers to maintain relationships has contributed to the Relate indicator. The description of the shop atmosphere's average value is reflected through four indicators, namely the Store Exterior, General Interior, Store Layout, Interior Display, and Store Layout indicators, which have the highest rating compared to other indicators with an average value of 4.34. Customer Satisfaction's average value is 3.99, meaning that the respondent feels satisfied shopping at local modern retail. This is reflected in the respondent's statement who has the highest average value, namely, Saying positive things about retail to others. In the following statements, the respondent tends to agree to service exceeded expectations. Customer Satisfaction is formed by indicators of saying positive things about retail to others, in the aftermath of the service exceeding expectations, then intending to shop again. Keywords: Customer Satisfaction , Experiential Marketing, National economic growth. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. INTRODUCTION The economic growth trend of Gorontalo City, surpassing the national economic growth, is one reason why retail businesses develop here. The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of Gorontalo City noted that economic growth in 2018 was 7.88% compared to 2012, which was only 7.43% (Gorontalo City in Numbers, 2018). In the context of the retail market, slow market growth, and intense competitive pressures require retail owners to retain existing or existing customers. Customers' tendency to be willing to make the first purchase and then to make the next purchase over and over again can occur if the performance of the promotion matches their wishes. In Kotler's opinion: fulfilling and satisfying the needs and desires of target consumers better than competitors will make consumers loyal [1]. Customer satisfaction is a reference for the success of the retail business. It is creating offers that genuinely reach the capabilities and needs of consumers. Customer satisfaction is manifested in the expression of a person's happy or disappointed feelings from a comparison between his impression of the performance (or results) of a product and his expectations. The satisfaction obtained by customers can bind them to buyback. At that point, the customer becomes loyal to the shop. About customer satisfaction can be caused by several scenarios that are interrelated and affect customer loyalty. The first is the image of the shop. This is related to excellence and the creation of new things to meet consumer needs. Shop image can be shown through facilities, shop services, and convenience. According to Oloughlin, O. Christina [1] research, store image is an impression that consumers and the public have of a shopping center as a reflection of the evaluation of the shopping center concerned. According to [2] , store image is also related to perceptions and attitudes based on stimuli received through the consumer's five senses. The stimulus is the form of stimulation received through the senses that can be seen, heard, smell, touch, and taste that can affect the response. Second, customer satisfaction can also be created because of experiential marketing prepared by retail marketing. This relates to how customers' emotional elements are stimulated to produce various experiences for consumers when shopping.