Retail centres: it's time to make them convenient
International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management
ISSN: 0959-0552
Article publication date: 5 June 2009
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of time convenience on shopping behaviour in the light of a time scarcity phenomenon that is reported to have reached epidemic proportions in many markets.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper begins with a survey of consumer households, examining the importance shoppers assign to time convenience. This is followed by a supply‐side comparison of malls and shopping strips against the attributes of time convenience.
Findings
The results indicate that time convenience has a salient influence on consumers' patronage behaviour, and that malls and strips differ in their provision of this key attribute.
Practical implications
Retail planners must give serious thought to creating retail environments that allow shoppers to “buy” time. Providing time convenience via one‐stop shopping, extended trading hours, proximity to home or work and enclosure offers one such strategy for the shopping mall and shopping strip.
Originality/value
The focus on convenience provides practitioners with a strategic alternative to hedonic strategies. It is also one of the first studies to investigate retail centre patronage from both a demand‐and supply‐side perspective.
Keywords
Citation
Reimers, V. and Clulow, V. (2009), "Retail centres: it's time to make them convenient", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 37 No. 7, pp. 541-562. https://doi.org/10.1108/09590550910964594
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited