Comparing shopping experiences in department stores and street markets: a big data analysis of TripAdvisor reviews
International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research
ISSN: 1750-6182
Article publication date: 18 October 2021
Issue publication date: 1 July 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Based on big data analytical and statistical techniques, this study aims to examine tourists’ shopping experiences at department stores and street markets in Phuket.
Design/methodology/approach
A Naïve Bayes machine learning algorithm was used to identify the most frequently used terms in TripAdvisor reviews of both department stores and street markets contributed by the same pool of 729 tourists.
Findings
A total of 18 out of 62 terms used were common in reviews of both shopping settings. However, the study found significant differences in the mean use of the 18 common terms and the likelihood of those terms being used in overall positive reviews.
Practical implications
The study’s findings indicate differences in tourist shopping experiences at department stores and street markets. Several concrete recommendations are made, including a greater focus on the linkage to the national characteristic of street markets, and particularly the quality of local fruit, to enhance the tourist shopping experience.
Originality/value
Understanding the differences between shopping malls and street markets from the tourist’s perspective would further enhance the coexistence of shopping malls and street markets in tourism-led growth cities. As such, using reviews of both shopping malls and street markets from an identical pool of tourists, the present study will analyse and compare tourists’ actual shopping experiences, thereby addressing this gap in the research canon via integrated statistical and big data analysis techniques.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the help of Viriya Taecharungroj and would also like to thank the language support centre and the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism, Prince of Songkla University, for their consistent support.
Citation
Phucharoen, C., Jarumaneerat, T. and Sangkaew, N. (2022), "Comparing shopping experiences in department stores and street markets: a big data analysis of TripAdvisor reviews", International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 259-275. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCTHR-10-2020-0228
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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