The role of convenience in a recreational shopping trip. Issue 11 (4th November 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Reimers, Vaughan; Chao, Fred
• Is Part Of: European journal of marketing. Volume 48:Issue 11/12(2014)
• Page Start: 2213
• Page End: 2236
• Publication Date: 2014-11-04
• Subjects: Retailing -- Shopping -- Shopping centres -- Convenience -- Hedonic; Marketing -- Periodicals; Consumer behavior -- Periodicals; 658.8
• DOI: 10.1108/EJM-12-2012-0734
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0309-0566

Abstract

Abstract : Purpose: – The purpose of this study is to determine the role of convenience in a recreational shopping trip. In an effort to address the shopping strip's forfeiture of market share to the mall and the Internet, retail planners have utilised a variety of intervention strategies. One such strategy is to differentiate the strip by emphasising its hedonic attributes. An often overlooked alternative is to compete with both of these formats in a key area of competitive disadvantage – convenience. Whereas these two alternatives have traditionally been regarded as separate strategies, this study examines whether convenience actually serves as a source of satisfaction in a hedonic shopping context. Design/methodology/approach: – A recreational shopping trip to a shopping strip (also referred to as Main Street or the High Street) in Melbourne, Australia, served as the context for this study. The study used a quantitative survey approach to collect its data and structural equation modelling to analyse it. Findings: – Surprisingly, the hedonic attributes of a shopping strip do not influence trip satisfaction in the context of a recreational shopping strip. Contrary to a significant body of academic research, it is instead the time-saving and distance-minimising properties of a shopping strip, as well as its overall convenience, which determine satisfaction. Originality/value: – The results have important implications for Town Centre Management schemes because they suggest that responsibility for providing a hedonic shopping experience rests with its individual retailers. Instead, the role of strip planners is to facilitate the other side of the value-equation by minimising the hassles involved in strip shopping. The results of this study also question the traditional belief that hedonic- and convenience-based rejuvenation strategies should be treated as two distinct strategies. Instead, convenience should be regarded as a prerequisite to a satisfying recreational shopping trip.