Shopping values of clothing retailers perceived by consumers of different social classes

With the advent of diverse forms of retailing, competition among retailers is becoming more intense. Due to this phenomenon, retailers now require marketing strategies that can differentiate themselves from other retailers. However, there is a lack of research on what kind of shopping values consumers perceive from the retailers they visit. This paper analyzes dimensions of shopping values consumers perceive and variations in perceived shopping values according to the types of clothing retailers, be it a department store, discount store, or internet shopping mall. More specifically, the paper analyzes the moderating effect of consumers’ different social class in perceiving the shopping values of each retailer. The results show that shopping value consists of five major constructs: experiential, diversional, reliable, efficient, and self-expressive shopping values. We also found that consumers perceive more experiential, diversional, and reliable shopping values in department stores and internet shopping malls than in discount stores, and self-expressive shopping value is highly perceived in department stores. However, consumers’ social class can moderate the perception of shopping values for department stores and internet shopping malls, but not for discount stores. Discount store shopping is likely to provide consistent shopping values to consumers of all classes. Based on these findings, managerial implications are then presented.     

Influence of demographics,psychographics, shopping orientation,mall shopping attitude and purchase patterns on mall patronage in India

Retail boom in India is generating considerable interest from within the country as well as abroad. This growth in retail has been fueled by the mushrooming of shopping malls across the country. Despite this very little is known about the characteristics of the Indian mall shoppers. Also of special interest is the behavior of heavy shoppers because regardless of the footfalls at the mall, if the money spent is low, the mall does not benefit. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to profile Indian mall consumers, identify characteristics differentiating the high rupee volume purchasers at the mall and to evolve a model that can help predict heavy rupee volume purchasers in a catchment.The results of this study, spanning eight cities of India and 3026 mall consumers, indicate that the heavy shoppers are significantly different from the other groups along multiple demographic and socio-economic variables, behavioral variables, attitude and shopping orientation. Additionally, the study contributes to literature by evolving a typology of shoppers. The model evolved using Discriminant Analysis was used to predict potential heavy and low rupee volume purchasers for a city of interest, where currently there are no malls.     

Do men and women really shop differently? An exploration of gender differences in mall shopping in India

‘Men Buy and Women Shop’ proclaims a new Wharton Research on shopping habits of the American consumer (2007). There is found to be considerable difference in the way men and women shop in the West. Is this true across cultures? Indian retailing is generating considerable interest within the country and abroad. India has been rated as the fifth most attractive emerging retail market and was ranked first in a Global Retail Development Index of 30 developing countries drawn up by A T Kearney. Organized retail, best represented by the mushrooming malls, has come to play a defining role in building and supporting this veritable base of retail consumers. Therefore, it is of utmost interest to retailers and academia alike to understand the consumer dynamics behind the newly evolving consumption culture. This study explores mall‐shopping habits in India and attempts to identify and contrast possible differences between genders using a sample of 2721 mall consumers across seven cities. While the findings suggest that in India there are significant differences in shopping behaviour that can be ascribed to gender, there are fundamental questions about stereotyping of shopping as a feminine activity. To do this, discriminant analysis has been used to study whether shopping orientation and mall‐shopping attitudes can discriminate between male and female shoppers.     

Shopping mall retailing: A bibliometric analysis and systematic assessment of Chebat's contributions

Shopping malls are unique retail environments offering individual consumption experiences within a holistic retail ecosystem. Drawing on a bibliometric analysis and a systematic review of 31 articles, this research synthetizes Jean-Charles Chebat's contributions to the shopping mall literature. Findings highlight four core clusters of the shopping mall literature, namely spatial wayfinding, atmospherics, consumer differences across shopping mall experiences, and shopping mall consequences. The newly developed Shopping Mall Experience Framework extends Chebat's research proposing additional elements of interest for current mall retailing research. Managerial implications offer practical guidance on successfully designing and maneuvering shopping malls of the future.     

Examining shopping mall consumer decision-making styles,satisfaction and purchase intention

Understanding consumer decision-making (CDM) styles is essential for market segmentation, positioning and crafting marketing strategies within a market. Few studies have examined the structural relationship among decision-making styles that consumers exhibit during mall shopping, level of satisfaction and purchase intention. The purpose of this study was to examine CDM styles as the antecedents and predictors of level of satisfaction and purchase intention. Based on the Consumer Styles Inventory, eight CDM styles that individual exhibit during shopping mall activities are proposed in terms of utilitarian and hedonic perspectives. We hypothesize these eight CDM styles as a set of predictors of customer satisfaction and purchase intention. A total of 327 valid paper-and-pencil questionnaires were collected from several shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Partial least squares (PLS) path modelling approach, a structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was performed to test the proposed structural relationships. The empirical assessment supports that hedonic shopping styles consumers that exhibit high level of habitual, brand consciousness, fashion consciosness, recreational conscious style have lower levels of satisfaction and purchase intention during mall shopping while novelty and fashion conscious style consumers have lower level of satisfaction but do not unveil lower purchase intention. Utilitarian shopping styles consumers that exhibit high level of price conscious, confused by overchoice and high-quality conscious style have higher levels of satisfaction while impulsive/careless shoppers do not; and while price conscious, impulsive/careless, confused by overchoice consumers have higher levels of purchase intention but the high-quality conscious consumers do not unveil higher purchase intention. Further, there is a positive relationship between satisfaction and purchase intention. The practical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Older consumers' Tv home shopping: Loneliness,parasocial interaction,and perceived convenience

This study examined factors that affect consumer satisfaction with TV shopping by investigating both convenience‐ and emotion‐related variables. Data were obtained from 295 online surveys with TV home shoppers who were 60 years and older. The structural model revealed (1) a positive effect of lack of shopping mobility on loneliness and perceived convenience of TV shopping, (2) a positive effect of loneliness on parasocial interaction, and (3) positive effects of parasocial interaction and perceived convenience on satisfaction with TV shopping. Results provide implications for TV shopping networks and producers. Parasocial interaction can be utilized to enhance the consumer experience by alleviating older consumers' loneliness, which ultimately leads to their satisfaction. Furthermore, convenience benefits of TV shopping can be emphasized to attract older consumers who have limited shopping mobility. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Marketplace icons: shopping malls

ABSTRACT

This article considers shopping malls as marketplace icons. We suggest that shopping malls can be regarded as a significant symbol of consumption in an age of late modernity, and highlight key aspects of their development. The role of the shopping mall as an agent of creative destruction, influencing the nature of the retail landscape (especially with regard to the implications of – stereotypically suburban – malls for traditional urban retail provision), is discussed. We also consider the implications for notions of “place” (in terms of authenticity and meaning, etc.) arising from the fundamental characteristics of shopping malls, and end by suggesting that the shopping mall, as a marketplace icon, continues to dynamically and iteratively define and refine the ongoing interactions between consumers, the act of consumption, and place and space     

The effects of mall renovation on shopping values,satisfaction and spending behaviour

Managers renovate malls to keep up with newer shopping centres and retail formats that erode traffic. This paper investigates shoppers׳ psychological processes that trigger changes in spending behaviour in the renovated mall. Renovation has a direct impact on the perception of the mall atmosphere and an indirect one on shoppers׳ hedonic and utilitarian values, satisfaction, and spending. Renovation affects shoppers׳ spending through the perception of utilitarian shopping benefits.This study is the first of its kind to explore the effects of mall renovation on shoppers׳ spending. It focuses on the effect of renovations on shoppers׳ holistic perception of the mall atmosphere. The hedonic benefit contributes more to shoppers׳ satisfaction than does the utilitarian value. However, the utilitarian value affects shoppers׳ spending while the hedonic value does not.     

Pricing of mall services in the presence of sales leakage

For a shopping mall, sales leakage occurs when consumer purchases facilitated by the mall are finalized outside it. These sales include, for example, catalog orders filled at the leased premises in a physical mall; For an Internet mall, they include the ones consumers make on an on-line store’s website after learning about the store from an Internet mall website. While these sales are difficult to track in the physical mall, Internet malls like Yahoo can track them by placing cookies on consumers when they visit the mall. The challenge for a mall owner then is to design an appropriate pricing model which takes sales leakage into account. In fact, Yahoo currently uses an All-Revenue-Share Fee with Yahoo collecting from on-line stores a share of all sales revenue, regardless of whether the purchase was made through the mall or directly from the store’s own URL. We explore this new All-Revenue-Share Fee model, compare it with the commonly used Fixed Fee model and the two-part tariff model, and identify the model with the highest profits for the mall under different conditions. We suggest that although an All-Revenue-Share Fee is appealing for Internet malls due to its ability to capture sales leakage directly, it may cause the stores to refrain from joining the mall in certain circumstances. Thus, in certain situations charging a fixed monthly fee can actually be more profitable for the mall versus the All-Revenue-Share Fee model. We also examine how mall and product category characteristics as well as market expansion affect the optimal pricing strategy. We show that a mall should price discriminate across product categories, not just by charging different amounts of fees, but by using different pricing models. Our research provides many managerial implications on how to price over time.     

Image transfer from malls to stores and its influence on shopping values and mall patronage: The role of self-congruity

Little research attention has been paid to the image transference from a shopping mall to its stores. The study reported in this article proposes an integrative model dealing with the image transference phenomenon from malls to stores and its implications in terms of creating value for shoppers and enticing mall patronage. Structural equation modeling is applied to data collected from shoppers in two urban North-Amercian shopping malls. The findings are broadly supportive of the proposed model. Mall image spills over the image of the stores located in the mall, and this occurs through a shopper's self-congruity mechanism. Furthermore, the mall's image dimensions influence hedonic shopping value through self-congruity. The stores’ image dimensions differentially influence utilitarian and hedonic shopping values assessments. Both types of shopping values are strong drivers of mall patronage. The study also discusses the implications of the findings as well as its limitations and directions for future research.     

Satisfaction of mall shoppers: A study on perceived utilitarian and hedonic shopping values

Declining consumer footfall and diminishing sales in Indian metro cities have guided the expansion of malls in cities of central India. Shoppers of these cities are unfamiliar with the mall concept and have limited exposure of shopping values in the past. The present research focused on the influence of utilitarian and hedonic shopping values on satisfaction of mall shoppers of central India Bhopal by establishing a proposed research framework based on 288 responses from two shopping malls, using utilitarian and hedonic dimensions of shopping values. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) are used to analyze and validate the proposed research framework. The result supports the relationship between shopping values and customer satisfaction, where both the shopping values show positive significant influences on customer satisfaction. Therefore this research paper would help mall owners to focus on these shopping values effectively and efficiently while planning malls in central India for gaining competitive advantage, attracting new customer and hold their profitable customers by enhancing customer satisfaction with shopping values in the current retail scenario.     

How does shopper-based mall equity generate mall loyalty? A conceptual model and empirical evidence

Understanding the antecedents of shopper mall loyalty remains one of the crucial issues for both mall managers and retailing researchers. We propose a conceptual model that explains the psychological process by which shopper-based mall equity (e.g., the perceived mall value) generates mall loyalty. We collected data from shoppers in two urban North-American shopping malls (N=905). The empirical results were generally supportive of the model: Mall loyalty was significantly predicted by the commitment that shoppers held toward the mall; and that commitment, in turn, was significantly predicted by shopper's positive awareness of the mall's characteristics, and shopper's self-congruity. The latter construct, in turn, was significantly predicted by mall image dimensions such as the mall's environment and the quality of the products and services found in the mall. We also found the model to be invariant between female and male shoppers. Theoretical and managerial implications of the model and the findings were also discussed.     

Gender-related wayfinding time of mall shoppers

The relative superiority of males over females with respect to wayfinding performance in real life is not clearly established in the literature. The present study aims at clarifying the issue in the specific case of wayfinding in shopping malls environment. An experimental study using actual shoppers in a mall showed that the relationship between gender and time necessary to find a store within a mall is mediated by both shopping values and the use of information sources. Compared to male shoppers, female shoppers were found to be more hedonist and use people as a source of information, which in turn was instrumental in reducing wayfinding time.     

Four generations of mall visitors in Israel: A study of mall activities,visiting patterns,and products purchased

The goal of the present project is to establish a division between generations as a basis for segmentation of mall visitors. Data were collected through a phone survey of 1120 respondents comprising a representative sample of the Israeli population. The study participants were asked about their mall visiting patterns, activities, and products purchased. Among the 1120 respondents, 725 reported having visited a shopping mall at least once during the last month. The study sample was divided into four generations: Veterans, Baby Boomers, Xers and Millennials. Significant differences were found between the four age cohorts: The Veterans appear to be the least-engaged mall shoppers, while the Millennials are the most enthusiastic about shopping malls, with Baby Boomers and Xers falling somewhere between these two cohorts. It is suggested that these differences derive from differences among members of these generations, born in different eras, and not only from their chronological ages. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

The death and life of shopping malls: an empirical investigation on the dead malls in Greater Lisbon

At a moment when new retail formats are emerging and consumers are changing their preferences, it is vital to reflect on the existing shopping malls, which are being challenged in European cities. With their vitality endangered, many become dead malls, a phenomenon that has increased over recent years. With this in mind, the objective of this study is to explain the factors behind the proliferation of dead malls through an empirical analysis of the evolution of shopping malls in Greater Lisbon, Portugal. We combine three sets of retail change theories (cyclic, conflict and environmental) with current perspectives on the resilience of urban retail. We expect that our study will contribute toward current debates on the resilience of shopping malls. The methodology of our study comprises two stages. First, we updated the Greater Lisbon shopping mall database and analysed the growth and decline of each shopping mall type over the last 44 years. In a second phase, we conducted a fieldwork survey on 150 shopping malls, which allowed us to identify and profile the dead malls of Greater Lisbon. Our results show that dead malls match declining shopping mall types, and we discuss four factors affecting the resilience of shopping malls.     

The effects of mall personality and fashion orientation on shopping value and mall patronage intension

It is imperative for mall operators in China to gain insights into consumer shopping behaviours that will allow them to further develop their mall personalities, in order to better differentiate themselves from the competition. The overarching objective of the present study was two-fold: to increase our understanding about contemporary Chinese shoppers; and to examine the relationships among mall personality, fashion orientation, shopping value and mall patronage intention. This study presents the results of a research survey conducted in Wuhan, China. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS SEM) was used to analyze the survey responses from 324 shopping mall patrons. The findings indicate that consumers' fashion orientation has a significant influence based on their perception of the shopping mall personality. The path model analysis revealed that consumers' perception of shopping value had the strongest effect on their shopping intentions at the mall.     

Drivers of agglomeration effects in retailing: The shopping mall tenant's perspective

Abstract

Retail and service enterprises seek benefits and synergies from locating their stores within retail agglomerations, such as shopping streets and malls. The aim of this paper is to identify the main drivers of such synergetic or ‘agglomeration effects’ for tenants. A literature review reveals four sets of drivers that are related to the location, the tenant mix, the marketing, and the management of an agglomeration. Based on a survey of 217 managers representing stores that are located in five regional and four supra-regional shopping malls, we demonstrate that location-related drivers including geographical location, accessibility, and parking conditions have a the highest impact on agglomeration effects in terms of the economic success of tenants. The results were consistent amongst different types of tenants differentiated by store size, customer footfall, industry affiliation, and perceived role within the respective mall (as footfall taker or generator within the network).     

Developing and validating a psychometric shopper-based mall equity measure

This paper introduces a new retailing concept called shopper-based mall equity (SBME). SBME is the differential effect of mall knowledge on shoppers' responses to a mall's marketing activities. The results of a study in two Canadian shopping malls consisting of 905 shoppers who were administered a questionnaire suggest that SBME is a bi-dimensional construct, composing two sub-scales, namely mall awareness and mall image. Further psychometric tests show a parsimonious SBME measure with support for convergent, discriminant and predictive validities. Multi-group latent mean structures show that the SBME measure is able to discriminate shoppers that globally attribute high-mall scores from those who globally attribute low-mall scores. The article includes theoretical and managerial implications.     

Shopping Orientation and Mindsets: How Motivation Influences Consumer Information Processing During Shopping

This research examines the cognitive procedures that underlie experiential versus task‐focused shopping orientations. The authors propose that consumers with a task‐focused shopping orientation and consumers with an experiential shopping orientation apply different cognitive procedures during shopping. Studies 1, 2, and 3 show that consumers with a task‐focused shopping orientation are more likely to activate the cognitive procedures of an implemental mindset, whereas consumers with an experiential shopping orientation are more likely to activate the cognitive procedures of a deliberative mindset. Study 4 demonstrates a fit effect between activated cognitive procedures and shopping orientation. Activating a mindset that matches the shopping orientation increases the monetary value that consumers assign to a product. The studies extend previous research by linking shopping orientations to mindsets and by providing evidence for mindset fit. The findings suggest that marketers and retailers will benefit from addressing experiential and task‐focused shoppers via the mindsets that underlie their shopping orientation.     

Retail Centres: Location and Consumer's Satisfaction

Analysts rarely consider that commercial malls offer a global service to the consumer. It is commonly assumed that the consumers' decision concerning the place they choose usually for shopping depends essentially on the distance to the mall. This paper shows that, for such decisions, the consumer's satisfaction (an indicator widely used for evaluating the quality of a service) plays at least an equally important role in metropolitan areas where commercial zones are numerous enough to lead consumers to choice decisions. How the consumer builds up his/her satisfaction is the second point of this article. Different aspects (perception of shopping possibilities, expected pricing practices, general global environment) of each commercial zone do combine in the consumer's mind producing satisfaction or dissatisfaction. In these combinations, access conditions appear clearly to play a secondary role. It confirms that the two variables (access and satisfaction) are independently assessed by consumers. The city centre pedestrian streets are generally evaluated by the consumers with the same criteria as the outer commercial malls but they differ on some important aspects. These differences distinctly arise from specific consumers expectations towards the two kinds of commercial zones.