Store format choice and shopping trip types

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to identify store format attributes that impact on store format choice when consumers conduct fill-in or major trips to buy groceries. By doing so, we take into consideration that consumers patronise multiple (store-based) formats depending on the shopping situation operationalised by the type of shopping trip.Design/methodology/approach: The paper adopts the conceptual framework of random utility theory via application of a multinomial logit modelling framework. The analysis is based on a survey of 408 consumers representing households in a clearly defined central European retail area. Findings:The results reveal a considerable moderating effect of the shopping situation on the relationship between perceived store format attributes and store format choice.Consumers' utilities are significantly higher for discount stores and hypermarkets when conducting major trips. To the contrary, supermarkets are preferred for fill-in trips in the focused retail market. Merchandise-related attributes of store formats have a higher impact on the utility formation regarding major-trips, whereas service-and convenience-related attributes do so regarding fill-in trips. Research limitations:The findings can only be generalised to retail markets having similar characteristics like the one under study. It is highly concentrated, contains considerable share of small size retail stores, it is urban and has clear cut boundaries due to its geographical location.Originality/value: This paper considers the fact that consumers patronise multiple store formats and investigates the moderating effect of the shopping situation -operationalised by different types of shopping trips -on store format choice.

The relevance of shopper logistics for consumers of store-based retail formats

“…This is particularly true for consumers of a higher age and those who shop at grocery stores more often. We thus identify the relevance of shopper logistics in a grocery retail setting for elderly and frequent shoppers and thereby confirm work by Keillor et al (1996), Meneely et al (2009), Reutterer and Teller (2009) and Teller and Gittenberger (2011).…”

“…Particular temporal and spatial aspects of shopping in terms of distance or accessibility have received considerable attention since seminal work from Reilly (1931) and Huff (1964), for example Fotheringham (1988), Grace and O'Cass (2005), Pan and Zinkhan (2006) and Reutterer and Teller (2009). Some other authors have focussed on convenience by providing infrastructural services (e.g.…”

Does Shopping Preparation influence Consumer Buying Decisions?

“…It has been demonstrated that shoppers prefer to visit hypermarket to conduct major trips while supermarkets are preferred for fill-in trips (Reutterer & Teller, 2009). At the same time,…”

Urban place marketing and retail agglomeration customers

“…The attribute retail tenant mix as consequence of the application of the 'macro marketing mix' on an agglomeration level is influenced by attributes resulting out of the application of the 'micro marketing mix' on a store level (Hart, 2009). According to the store patronage literature such (store) attributes are accessibilityincluding manoeuvrability/orientation, parking conditions -merchandise value, the product range and sales personnel (e.g., Reutterer & Teller, 2009;Severin et al, 2001). Furthermore, the non retail element can be seen as a complement and a positive driver of the perception of the retail element of an agglomeration (Dennis et al, 2005;Whyatt, 2004;Wakefield and Baker, 1998).…”