Accessing healthy food: availability and price of a healthy food basket in Scotland

Access to healthy food and its marketing have been asserted as limitations on changing behaviour to improve diet. A retailer survey in Scotland is reported that considered availability and affordability of a basket of indicator healthy food items, termed the Healthy Eating Indicator Shopping Basket (HEISB). It comprised 35 items drawn from 5 major food groups. A census of HEISB availability in 466 stores was undertaken in a sample of locations that varied on dimensions of urban-rural and affluent-deprived. Around half of the supermarkets surveyed stocked all the items. Availability of healthy food items was generally seen to be adequate but there were notable variations in availability for specific items. There were large variations in price for the HEISB items across the stores and the survey areas. The total HEISB median price varied by store type. Basket price tended to rise with deprivation with a caveat of the lowest prices in the most deprived areas. Accessibility to a range of healthy food depends more on the presence of medium and large stores than being in a deprived or affluent area.     

An empirical examination of clustering and dispersion within Canadian shopping centers

In this paper, data on the internal compositions of 90 planned regional shopping centers in the five westernmost provinces in Canada are used to examine the locational pattern of stores in shopping centers, to see whether these locations are consistent with exploiting demand externalities and the physical features of the mall. The empirical relevance of so-called “rules of thumb” for locating stores in shopping centers is also assessed. We find that there is clustering of service stores near mall entrances, and clustering of comparison shopping stores near corridor intersections and on the second floor of two-story malls. Clustering tends to occur in the ladies' wear, jewellery/fashion accessory, and unisex clothing store categories, facilitating comparison shopping. Clustering of stores in the service category facilitates multipurpose shopping. A regression analysis indicates that clustering may depend upon the size, age, and type of mall in question. Overall, results are consistent with consumer transportation/shopping costs and demand externalities driving the internal store location strategy of planned regional shopping centers.     

Consumer Acceptance of Item Price Removal: A Survey Study of Milwaukee Shoppers

A survey was conducted of 193 Milwaukee food shoppers to determine their experiences and opinions relating to item price removal (IPR) in supermarkets. The principal findings were that opinions of IPR were related to experiences with shopping in IPR environments, extent of price comparison behaviors, and certain demographic variables. Most of the respondents thought retailers should supply a price-marking instrument to shoppers. A majority of the respondents who had not shopped in an IPR store said they would switch stores if their current store removed prices. However, only one-quarter of the respondents who had shopped in an IPR store changed stores and price removal was of secondary importance in this decision. Overall, respondents were evenly split on the need for legal controls in IPR, but respondents who had not shopped in an IPR store and who were from disadvantaged households (with regard to age, income and/or education) were more likely to see a need for legal controls. The findings of this study and ones conducted in other cities suggest that the primary public policy issue is not whether or not item prices should be removed. Rather, the issue is what is the best method of providing shoppers with price comparison information.     

Elderly consumers and their food store experiences

The population of the world is ageing and the number of people aged 60+years in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland is increasing. Advancing age brings about changes in consumers needs, wants and ability. One need which is continuous, regardless of age is the need for food. For some consumers age-associated changes can limit their access to food, thus compromising their nutrition and health. As a consequence there is a real need to provide older consumers with a more supportive environment by providing adequate opportunities to access a range of affordable food products. Access to food involves a process which includes the provision of adequate retail facilities within easy access to home, the selection and opportunity to purchase products, having the financial means to cover all the costs incurred and be able to prepare and consume the food. It is when access is restricted or limited that food provision becomes an issue of consumer disadvantage and warrants investigation. This is not the case for all consumer segments of the population, but one group proven to be affected are older consumers. The aim of this research was to determine the behaviour and experience of older consumers in Northern Ireland (aged 60+) during the food procurement process and to make some recommendations to minimise older consumer detriment.Data collection involved four focus groups with older consumers aged over 60. Each focus group consisted of eight to ten adults and was carried out in a familiar social setting. The qualitative findings are supported by preliminary results from a consumer questionnaire (n=791), which documents and explores quantitatively the experiences described in the focus groups. The consumer questionnaire was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 15.Both the qualitative and quantitative results have identified shopping patterns and motivations fuelling purchase decisions among this age group, and show that older people face a range of positive and negative experiences when accessing food. The majority of older consumers in Northern Ireland shop on a weekly basis in one of the UK multiple food retailers. Negative factors identified by this age group include a dependence on others in order to physically access food shops (35%) and also 35% face in-store difficulties such as store size and changing layout. Positive factors associated with food shopping include friendly and helpful staff and the provision of additional facilities; e.g. a post office or chemist. Whilst it is recognised that older consumers are not a homogeneous grouping, for the purpose of this paper they are considered as one group and recommendations are made to improve the food shopping experience of older consumers. Practical guidance has been proposed for food retailers and Government policy makers in an attempt to overcome the problems and limitations that restrict food access for this consumer group, e.g. by proving additional in-store assistance, minimising multi-purchase promotions and improving product labelling.     

Mobile phones and the practice of shopping: A study of how young adults use smartphones to shop

The aim of this paper is to explore, illustrate and conceptualise how the introduction of mobile phones transforms the practice of shopping. Drawing on a focus group study of young adults and making use of Practice Theory, this paper shows that the introduction of mobile phones reconfigures the practice of shopping subsequently transforming the agency of consumers. Mobile phones enable consumers to access, store, and process information in new ways; supporting new modes of social shopping, enabling consumers to change the experience of shopping, and making them better equipped economic actors with more access to financial systems and new calculative capacities. While this new agency is beneficial to consumers, it also causes them stress and anxiety.     

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.     

Do the Poor Pay More for Food? An Analysis of Grocery Store Availability and Food Price Disparities

Do the poor pay more for food? To answer this question, this study was conducted to provide an empirical analysis of grocery store access and prices across inner city and suburban communities within the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area. The comparison among different types of grocers and geographic areas is drawn from a survey of approximately fifty grocery items for fifty-five stores. Results indicate that the poor pay only slightly more in the Twin Cities grocery market. More significantly, those who shop in non-chain stores pay a significant premium, and the poor have less access to chain stores. This study reveals that the biggest factor contributing to higher grocery costs in poor neighborhoods is that large chain stores, where prices tend to be lower, are not located in these neighborhoods.     

Do Farmers' Market and Specialty Food Store Customers Differ in the Effects of Perceived Utilitarian and Hedonic Shopping Values?

This study explored differences in the effects of perceived utilitarian and hedonic shopping values on customer satisfaction for the two separate groups of the agricultural product marketing channel: farmers' markets and specialty food stores. Empirical data were collected from customers of agricultural product retailers located in Taiwan (N = 412). The results show that different agricultural product marketing channels provide different values to their customers. Farmers' market customers experience a greater hedonic value, and specialty food store customers experience a greater utilitarian value. In addition, the perceived utilitarian and hedonic shopping values of farmers' market customers are more highly positively associated with customer satisfaction than are those of specialty food store customers.     

Effects of store loyalty on shopping mall loyalty

The key purpose of this paper is to bridge a research gap in shopping mall literature by investigating the relationship between store loyalty and shopping mall loyalty. The paper also examines the effects of perceived store value and store relationship commitment on store loyalty en-route to loyalty towards the shopping mall hosting the stores. The study shows that store loyalty influences shopping mall loyalty under certain conditions and that such an influence is moderated by the geographic distance between the consumer and the shopping mall. Further, the study found that distance has a moderating effect on the relationship between perceived store value and store loyalty, but not on the association between relationship commitment and store loyalty. The insights provided by this study offer academics, retailers and shopping mall managers a richer understanding of the relationships between store loyalty and its antecedents, customers' distance from the mall, and shopping mall loyalty.     

Consumer orientations of secondhand fashion shoppers: The role of shopping frequency and store type

As demand for secondhand fashion grows, the objective of this study is to examine consumer orientations of secondhand shoppers to determine whether they differ by shopping frequency, and store type. Hypotheses were developed for orientations of frugality, ecological-consciousness, materialism, nostalgia-proneness, style-consciousness and fashion-consciousness. A quantitative online survey of female-identifying participants (N = 515) was administered. All consumer orientations, except materialism, varied according to secondhand shopping frequency and store type. Orientations generally increased with shopping frequency. Nostalgia-proneness was associated with shopping at thrift stores, ecological-consciousness was associated with consignment stores and markets, and style-consciousness was consistent across shoppers for all store types.     

Family life in grocery stores – a study of interaction between adults and children

Today the family is seen as a unit for food choice and consumption. The influence of family members on food choice comprises several stages that can be carried out both in the private home and in the public sphere, such as the grocery store. This makes the grocery store a context in which ordinary family life can be observed. The aim was to study families and the interaction between children and adults in the grocery store, focusing on young people's involvement in food shopping. Hidden observation and family interview methods were used. A total of 338 people were observed in seven different grocery stores in Stockholm during the summer and autumn of 2003. Seven family interviews, involving a total of 29 persons, were conducted in Uppsala in the spring of 2003. In the interviews, parents reported avoiding shopping for food together with children as they experienced it as stressful and exhausting. The observations showed that family life in the grocery store comprises not only the food purchase, but also bringing up children and consumer education. Young people's involvement in the food purchase varied depending on their age and the specific product. The different behaviour observed may be interpreted as reflecting the variation in ways of bringing up children at home. Another conclusion is that a public place such the grocery store facilitates pedagogical situations and can work as a tool for informal education.     

The effects of acquisition and transaction shopping value perceptions on retail format usage intentions: an illustration from discount stores

Although it becomes increasingly important for food retailers to understand what motivates consumers to use one retail format rather than another, research on retail format choice is sparse compared to store choice. This study examines the extent to which perceived acquisition value of shopping at a retail format and perceived transaction value of shopping at one particular retail format outlet in a specific situation have an impact on retail format usage intentions. In addition, we study the influence of different situation-specific factors on perceived transaction value of shopping at one particular retail format outlet. Taking discount stores as an example, the developed conceptual model is empirically tested using a structural equation approach. The results show that perceived acquisition value of shopping at the retail format plays a dominant role in explaining retail format usage intentions, while perceived transaction value of shopping at one particular retail format outlet, which depends on certain situation-specific factors, is of lesser importance.     

Customer loyalty to food retailers in Northern Ireland: ‘devoted loyals’ or ‘promiscuous switchers’?

Store loyalty is a major challenge for food retailers, and the food retail market in Northern Ireland has been subject to considerable change in the past decade. Although shoppers will often patronize many stores, they typically have a primary affiliation to a ‘main’ food store that captures the majority of their food purchases. This study uses a unique approach to segmenting customers into groups based on loyalty in terms of both the type of data used to generate a loyalty score and the data collection techniques used. Innovative projective techniques have been used alongside traditional questioning techniques to reveal ‘behavioural’ and ‘emotional’ loyalty indicators, and in doing so create a holistic measure of customer loyalty to a main food store, allowing customers to be segmented into groups based on loyalty. A paper‐based questionnaire was administered to 152 food shoppers from throughout Northern Ireland. Responses to traditional questioning formats and projective techniques (cartoon friends and mini case studies) were analysed and used to generate a loyalty score for each respondent. The first group of customers nearly always visit the same store, are willing to recommend the store to others and are less likely to switch to a competitor, even when offered an incentive to do so. They also rate the ‘hard’ attributes of this store highly. As a result of these characteristics, customers in this segment were termed ‘devoted loyals’. The second group of customers may occasionally use a different supermarket for food shopping, some would consider switching to a competitor if offered an incentive, and they rate ‘hard’ store attributes at a slightly lower level than the ‘devoted loyals’. Based on their group profile, these customers were assigned the title of ‘susceptibles’. The third group of customers are less willing to actively encourage friends and family to shop at a specific store. Many in this group did not consider their current store as their number one choice in the next few years. An incentive to switch to a competitor store is more likely to trigger a transfer of loyalty by this group. These customers were termed ‘promiscuous switchers’.     

Consumer reactions to the availability of organic food in discount supermarkets

The market for organic food products in industrial countries has changed significantly. Conventional grocery stores have entered this market in recent years and now present an alternative point of purchase to farmers’ markets and specialized health food shops. In Germany, the main newcomers in this field are the discount supermarkets. The question is whether the increased supply of organic food products leads to sustained effects on consumer behaviour. In other words, can a first‐time purchase of organic products at a discounter act as an ‘icebreaker’ and induce further purchases? This question is addressed here. A consumer survey (n = 231) indicates that an initial purchase of organic food in a discount store is indeed very likely to lead to follow‐up purchases. The link shown is statistically significant. Furthermore, customers are very interested in the availability of locally grown products, reliable information and easy comparison with non‐organic products. Important recommendations concerning organic product range, display and information, especially for retailers, can be deducted.     

Food retailers' perceptions of older consumers in Northern Ireland

Demographic changes' occurring in developed countries has meant that older consumers are becoming an increasingly important consumer segment that retailers need to pay particular attention to. It is essential that their specific needs within the food and other service sectors are met, as food plays an important role in their social well‐being. Very little research has focused upon the extent to which retailers meet their demands and particular needs. The aim of this study, as part of a wider study on older consumers, is to address this lack of information by examining the level of awareness held by food retail management as to the needs of older consumers (60+ years old) and the problems that they encounter while shopping. Qualitative data were collected using face‐to‐face interviews with retail managers (n = 5) from food retailers in Northern Ireland. These were analysed according to Gillham's content analysis guide. Food retailers stated they were aware of the issues older consumers face and recognize their importance as a growing consumer segment; however, there would appear to be relatively little actual consideration/evidence of them meeting their needs. All interviewees expressed an interest in improving the food shopping experiences of older consumers, and were keen to make an increased effort towards this segment of the population, but these were often not put into practice. In order to overcome the problems faced by older consumers and strengthen the food shopping experience for this age group, it is suggested that retail management make practical changes to improve in‐store facilities, increase affordability of food products and home delivery services, and enhance customer communication.     

MEASUREMENT OF GROCERY PRICES: SOME METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS AND EMPIRICAL RESULTS

This paper examines some methodological issues in the design and execution of food price surveys, and presents findings from a recent survey of fifty-eight grocery stores in the Cardiffarea. The methodology discussed includes the design of samples of goods to be surveyed (the ‘shopping basket’), of shops in which grocery prices are to be measured, and derivation of the shop-price matrices to be used in analyses of grocery pricing strategies. The empirical results show, as expected, significantly cheaper prices in multiple and co-operative stores compared with independent and affiliated. No significant difference is found between the latter categories of store. There is limited support for the hypothesis that the larger the store the lower the prices. Prices measured in the Cardiff area are also compared with average ‘shopping basket’prices derived from a national survey carried out concurrently by the Consumers' Association. Finally, the value to the researcher of ‘one-off’ price surveys is assessed.     

Diversity in deprivation: exploring the grocery shopping behaviour of disadvantaged consumers

Social exclusion has received much attention in recent years among governments and policy makers. While there are many aspects of social exclusion, of particular interest to marketing and consumer behaviour is the issue of the accessibility of consumer goods and services to socially excluded groups. The purpose of the research reported in this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the grocery shopping behaviour of disadvantaged consumers. The research was conducted with a sample of consumers living in a deprived residential area in Scotland. While the participants were mainly characterized as 'economic shoppers', they were heavily dependent on the local convenience stores, due, mainly, to the financial and mobility restrictions they faced. The experience of 'social exclusion' was not homogeneous within the sample, varying with other aspects of disadvantage, including social support networks, illness, age, family situation and mobility. The implications of this research are discussed and potential research directions highlighted.     

Smartphones and the reconfiguration of retailscapes: Stores,shopping, and digitalization

The aim of this paper is to examine and conceptualize how the integration of smartphones is reconfiguring the retailscapes of stores and the implications that this has for retailers and consumers. Departing from an understanding of retailscapes as socio-material assemblages and drawing on an ethnographic study of mobile shopping, this paper shows how the integration of smartphones into the activities of in-store shopping is reconfiguring how store space is enacted. The integration of this digital device reorganizes the activities of shopping, and new informationscapes, socialscapes, and experiencescapes unfold as a result. In the process, stores are reconfigured, agencies change, and the relationship between consumers and retailers is remade.     

In the city: The John Lewis partnership and planned shopping centres

A defining feature of large-scale retailing during the period 1950–1980 was the emergence and evolution of planned shopping centres. During the 1950s, department stores in the United States were in the vanguard of this phenomenon. In contrast, British department stores continued operating from traditional high street sites, and had limited opportunities for expansion within planned shopping centres until the 1970s. This paper addresses the connection between department store retailing and the development of the planned shopping centre in Britain from the perspective of one enterprise: the John Lewis Partnership. The article demonstrates that the Partnership was willing to operate department stores within centrally located shopping centres, but was circumspect about operating stores in non-centrally located shopping centres.     

Shopping trip value: Do stores and products matter?

Previous research indicates the importance of shopping trip value but recognises that consumers do not shop independent of the environment; both products and stores contribute to overall shopping trip value. This study identifies the impact of product and store value on overall shopping trip value and investigates the interrelationship among their utilitarian and hedonic components. In addition, it proposes a store value scale. The authors find empirically that utilitarian store value and performance-related product value have significant effects on utilitarian shopping trip value, whereas hedonic shopping trip value is influenced most by hedonic store value and emotional product value. In addition, women appear more prone to hedonic shopping trip value yet also utilitarian store value, while men were more attentive to utilitarian product value.