Factors That Affect Shopping Behaviours between Different Ccustomers - Research Paper Example

Investigation of the factors that affect shopping behaviours between different s in supermarkets in Pontypridd Introduction The concept ofsupermarket is becoming increasingly popular among the urban areas as well as semi-rural towns. Supermarkets attract a fair share of shoppers having contrasting demographic trends and life style attributes. Over the time, supermarkets have become integral part of individuals’ lives and subconsciously it has a strong impact on the buying behaviour of the shoppers (Loves, 2006). The research paper focuses on understanding factors that affect buying behaviours of various customers in supermarkets in Pontypridd. Pontypridd is one of the small towns in Wales, the United Kingdom. According to statistics, the town had population of 79,900 in 2010. The supermarket culture is growing and has been widely in the town and currently, a number of supermarkets are present in Pontypridd (National Assembly of Wales, 2010; Promote local limited, 2014). 1.1 Aim of the study The paper aims at investigating and analysing the factors that influence consumers to make purchases from the supermarkets. Moreover, the study will also help in assessing the aspects that persuade the consumers’ choice of supermarkets. As a part of the paper, through this study the factors that attract consumers to super market will also be reflected. 1.2 Rationales The research was undertaken to develop insight about the factors that impact consumers’ perception regarding selection of supermarkets for the purpose of shopping. The paper will prove beneficial for consumers who are frequent purchasers at supermarkets as well as the management of various supermarkets operating in Pontypridd. The supermarket management will be able to understand the factors that attract consumers towards a particular supermarket and they can work towards improving the weak areas of their respective supermarkets. 1.3 Research Objective and questions As the supermarket culture is growing at a fast pace in developed nations such as the United States and the United Kingdom, Pontypridd has observed growth of certain well-known supermarkets in the town, namely, Tesco, Lidl, Costcutter, Somerfield and Sainsbury’s (Promote local limited, 2014). In this context the research questions that are required to be answered are: What factors that influence shopping behaviour of customers in the Pontypridd? Which factor is the most important to customers when selection the supermarket? Which supermarket is most popular to customers? 1.4 Target audience Every research serves the ultimate purpose of informing its target audience about the on-going developments identified through the research related to subject. The main target audience in this paper are the residents of Pontypridd who are frequent shoppers at supermarkets and the management of various supermarkets. The research paper will inform the buyers about the supermarket that is most preferred by shoppers in the town and the management of supermarket will be able to know the existing deficiencies in their market that is prevent consumers from approaching. The identification of problem will help them to formulate better business strategy. 2. Literature review With growing globalisation, the markets are integrating to form one common market that is accessible to all kind of consumers. The concept of supermarket has been proved profitable for marketers as well as a convenient shopping point for consumers, thus, it creates a win-win situation for both sellers and buyers (Springer, 2013). Different supermarkets have diverse approach of selling and aspects that catch the attention of consumers. Although most supermarkets sell all kind of products ranging from food products and vegetables to personal care and hygiene goods, there are many supermarkets that sell certain specific products (Pegler, 2002). Under this section, five main issues will be discussed to have a better understanding of the consumer preference. 2.1 Gender Authors such as Richbell and Kite (2007) examined and observed that certain demographic traits such as gender have a strong influence on the choice of supermarkets. Donegan (1986) noticed that the store loyalty is higher among men while women prefer visiting different stores to have the best cost. Williams (2002) added that men are more inclined towards stores that sell fresh produces and meat while polegato and Zaichowshy (1994) observed that the service quality of the supermarket appeal more to women such as supportive assistance, friendly operators and parking facilities. In addition, observation by Beynom, Moutinho and Veloutsou (2010) suggest that females are more inclined towards visits those supermarkets that they are familiar with and are close to their residences while men does not encounter any such considerations. 2.2 Food shopping The aspect has been mainly analysed in context of student and those individuals who live in rented apartments. It was uncovered by certain researchers that the accommodation expenses have an indirect impact on the food shopping (Newman, 2013). Studies suggest that inexpensive accommodations increase the disposable income of individuals which they can further spend on purchasing food items. Ness, Gorton and Kuznesof (2002) further suggested that food shopping is also influenced by the quality of food available at a particular store. 2.3 Organisation/structure Product assortment and counter arrangement have sufficient influence on the perception of consumer while selecting a particular supermarket for shopping purpose. Apart from price of product and store location, the third most important aspect that influences choice of store for consumers is the product assortment and store arrangement (Levy and Weitz, 2004). According to Hansen (2011), consumers are more attracted to those supermarkets that have proper counter arrangement and innovative structure as they find it convenient to locate the products. 2.4 Odd shopping hours Night shopping or visiting stores at late hours are a common trend among university students. Alongside, such trend is observed among individuals who have long working hours. These consumers want that supermarkets should be open till late hours so that their requirements are fulfilled (Richbell and Kite, 2007). The authors observed that the concept of ‘24 hour open store’ is gaining importance keeping in view requirements of the consumers who find it difficult to visit stores at conventional hours. 2.5 Quality of produce Product quality has a profound impact on Consumer loyalty and consumers prefer shopping from the stores that have variety of quality products ranging from organic products to processed products. Narhinen, Nissinen and Puska (2000) found that store hygiene, in-store atmosphere and quality of product influence the extent to which consumers prefer a particular supermarket. 3. Research methodology 3.1 Research Design In this paper, the researcher has utilised exploratory research design with the intention to analyse the preference of students towards supermarkets and develop insight regarding the same. As a part of this research design, the researcher has employed questionnaire and interview method for data collection and random sampling as sampling technique. 3.2 Research setting The research setting defines the environment within which the research is being conducted. The research related to this paper was conducted mainly in the campus of University of South Wales. However, the researcher took personal effort to reach the residential areas where most of the university students reside. 3.3 Sampling method Since the literature review is not sufficient to answer the research questions, the researcher required collecting primary data for analysing and answering the relevant questions from consumers’ perspectives. Sampling plays an important role in data collection. For achieving the research objectives, the information regarding consumers’ purchasing activities was required to be recorded. The research sample that has been selected comprised students from the campus of University of South Wales in Pontypridd. Simple random sampling was considered most appropriate for maintaining randomisation principle in the paper. 3.4 Data collection tool The researcher collected data through questionnaire method for accomplishment of the research. Alongside, face to face interviews were conducted where the consumers or the students were provided with close ended questionnaire that they needed to answer. As it was not mandatory to limit the interview subject matter to the questions mentioned in the questionnaire, the researcher had opportunity to ask additional questions for complementing the collected data. For conducting the interview process, the researcher adhered to principles of experimentation, which are, randomisation, replication and local control. These principles were necessary for ensuring biasness in information sharing is reduced. 3.5 Pilot study A pilot study is a kind of feasibility study that is conducted on a small scale by researchers to check the validity and reliability of the project. Since data collection and information analysis on a large scale in a research project is time and resource consuming, a pilot study helps in understanding the parameters and improving the quality of research. In addition, pilot study helps in revealing the shortcomings in the project which the researcher can address within a given time. In context of the given research, the researcher has conducted pilot study using 10 participants anonymously where the observed outcome is positive. 3.6 Ethical considerations in the research: Confidentiality The researcher maintained confidentiality regarding vulnerable information of the participants. This information included private details such as name and address. Confidentiality in the paper was maintained so as to avoid issues that may arise due to participation in the research survey. The researcher maintained the ethics through randomization which consequently removed further biasness in the study. In this context, it is important to mention that for minimising extra paperwork related to agreement document, the confidentiality agreement was verbal between researcher and participants. 4. Data Analysis 4.1 Demographic trends Figure 1 (Source: Author’s creation) Figure 2 (Source: Author’s creation) The demographic trend in the survey included male and female and students as well as non-students. The data gathered has been represented through pie chart and bar graph. It was observed during the study that out of 50 respondents, 30 were female participants while rest were male. The distribution of student and non-student was found to be asymmetrical in nature as about 84% of participants were students from University of South Wales and 16% were non-students. 4.2 Shopping preferences Table 1 Preference of Store Or Online Shopping     Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Store 23 46.0 46.0 46.0 Online 27 54.0 54.0 100.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0   (Source: Author’s creation) Figure 3 (Source: Author’s creation) As a part of the survey, it was observed that most of the participants preferred online shopping over purchasing from stores. Out of 50 respondents, at least 27 favoured the choice of online shopping, making it 54% of the total responses. 4.3 Cooking Preferences Table 2 Cooking Preferences   Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid A 26 52.0 52.0 52.0 B 24 48.0 48.0 100.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0 (Source: Author’s creation) Figure 4 (Source: Author’s creation) In the survey, it was found that 26 respondents, that is, 52% of the participants preferred cooking for themselves and this was the reason for them to visit supermarkets for purchasing groceries. On the other hand, the respondents who do not cook at home indicated that their reason for visiting supermarket was for purchasing processed food. 4.4 Purchasing frequency from supermarkets Table 3 Frequency Of Supermarket Shopping     Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Everyday 12 24.0 24.0 24.0 Every week 15 30.0 30.0 54.0 Twice a week 6 12.0 12.0 66.0 When fit 17 34.0 34.0 100.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0   (Source: Author’s creation) Figure 5 (Source: Author’s creation) The survey result was observed to be in favour of preference for supermarkets. Data in table 3 represents the frequency of visits individuals make to supermarkets. Out the total number of participants, 66% were observed to visit supermarkets at least once in a week. More elaborately, at least 24% visited supermarkets regularly. However, about 34% of respondents indicated that they visited supermarkets only when it was necessary. 4.5 Most preferred supermarket in Pontypridd Table 4 Favorite Supermarket   Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Tesco 13 26.0 26.0 26.0 Iceland 17 34.0 34.0 60.0 Sainsbury 11 22.0 22.0 82.0 ASDA 7 14.0 14.0 96.0 Others 2 4.0 4.0 100.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0 (Source: Author’s creation) Figure 6 (Source: Author’s creation) The study shows that most of the consumers in the town preffered Iceland closely followed by Tesco and Sainsbury. From the sample itself, 34% participants preferred Iceland while 26 percent and 22 percent preffered Tesco and Sainsbury respectively. 4.6 Factors affecting choice of supermarket Table 5 Most Important Factor In Choosing a Supermarket     Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Distance 15 30.0 30.0 30.0 Price 12 24.0 24.0 54.0 Quality 14 28.0 28.0 82.0 Variety 9 18.0 18.0 100.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0 (Source: Author’s creation) Figure 7 (Source: Author’s creation) Among all the respondents, about 15 individuals supported that distance is the most important factor closely followed by quality of products. However, different individuals had different opinion as 14 individuals supported quality of product and 12 participants considered inexpensive cost as an important factor while 9 individuals voiced in favour of product variety. 4.7 Comparative data In the following section, the earlier mentioned supermarkets have been ranked based on price of product, quality of food, variety among commodities and service delivery. 4.7.1 Product Price Table 6 Most Reasonably Priced Supermarket     Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Tesco 12 24.0 24.0 24.0 Iceland 11 22.0 22.0 46.0 Sainsbury 13 26.0 26.0 72.0 ASDA 12 24.0 24.0 96.0 Others 2 4.0 4.0 100.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0   (Source: Author’s creation) Figure 8 (Source: Author’s creation) The research findings show that around 26 percent of participants support Sainsbury as the most reasonably priced supermarkets while 24 percent of respondents preferred Tesco being the most reasonable supermarket. 4.7.2 Quality of food Figure 9 Best Quality Food Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Tesco 11 22.0 22.0 22.0 Iceland 15 30.0 30.0 52.0 Sainsbury 10 20.0 20.0 72.0 ASDA 12 24.0 24.0 96.0 Others 2 4.0 4.0 100.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0 (Source: Author’s creation) Figure 10 (Source: Author’s creation) According to the participants, Iceland was indicated as the preferred supermarket for the quality of food. Tesco was considered by 11 respondents while Sainsbury was considered by 10 respondents. 4.7.3 Product variety Table 7 Greatest Variety     Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Tesco 8 16.0 16.0 16.0 Iceland 15 30.0 30.0 46.0 Sainsbury 14 28.0 28.0 74.0 ASDA 11 22.0 22.0 96.0 Others 2 4.0 4.0 100.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0   (Source: Author’s creation) Figure 11 (Source: Author’s creation) From variety point of view, the most preferred supermarkets were Iceland, Sainsbury and ASDA according to the research survey. It was observed that Tesco was not highly preferred by participants from Pontypridd. 4.7.4 Best Service Delivery Table 8 Best Service Delivery     Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Tesco 11 22.0 22.0 22.0 Iceland 11 22.0 22.0 44.0 Sainsbury 12 24.0 24.0 68.0 ASDA 14 28.0 28.0 96.0 Others 2 4.0 4.0 100.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0   (Source: Author’s creation) Figure 12 (Source: Author’s creation) The survey findings presented through the data table and graph shows that almost all the supermarkets are appreciated from service delivery point of view. However, the most preferred supermarket as per the participants was ASDA. 5. Discussions In the survey, the participants comprises both genders, the distribution was more or less uniform as the proportion of male participants to that of female participants was 60:40. In addition, majority of participants were university students who accounted for 84% of the total participants. The data supported the research objectives of the paper which was to understand the various factors that affected shopping at supermarkets by students at Pontypridd. Around 50 percent of individuals expressed that they prefer cooking and groceries were the main item that they bought from supermarkets. However, it was also observed during the study that a number of students ordered food online such as pizza. Although majority of the individuals shopped from supermarkets, their frequency of visits exhibited great fluctuation. However, most of the supermarket shoppers were found to be regular visitors which further support the increasing demand of supermarket goods. In Pontypridd, the students preferred the Iceland supermarket most. Apart from Iceland, the other supermarkets that were found to be preferred by campus students were Tesco and Sainsbury. According to the participants, the most important factor that they consider while selecting a particular supermarket is distance, that is, nearness to residence. The next important criteria in this regards is the quality of the products. Respondents during the survey interview indicated that they prefer to shop from Iceland, Tesco and Sainsbury, which are close to residential areas of participants and serve quality products. From the affordability point of view, Tesco, Sainsbury and ASDA were considered as the most reasonably priced supermarkets in the town. Respondents rated that the product quality and variety is best in Iceland and is closely followed by Tesco, Sainsbury and ASDA. However, overall preference of the participants showed that ASDA is most preferred supermarket in Pontypridd from service delivery context. It was understood from the observations that nearness to residence, cost, variety and quality are the important aspects that influence selection of a supermarket. 6. Conclusion and Recommendations After conducting the study it can be concluded from the findings that major number of participants considered distance as well as quality of products as the greatest factors that influence their choice of supermarket. Respondents’ opinion shows that the main reason behind selection of Iceland, Tesco and Sainsbury as preferred supermarkets is that these supermarkets are located at convenient areas where shoppers can easily and safely access the store even at odd hours. Variety was found to be a nominal factor which has little influence on the consumers. As a result, consumers prefer buying from Iceland more than ASDA, where the variety of products is comparatively high. Sainsbury and Tesco were one of those supermarkets that were included in the research for survey purpose, that earning average ranking from consumers. These supermarkets exhibited good balance of the all the factors that are influence choice of consumers. The balance is important because it adds competitive edge for the supermarkets compared to its rivals. Post observation, the following recommendations can be made to the supermarkets. They require having their stores placed in convenient areas which are easily accessible by the target consumers, especially students in Pontypridd. These locations can be residential areas and campus area. Another recommendation that can be proposed in this context is that all the supermarkets need to maintain a good balance between the important influencing factors such as location, quality and variety of products and price. 7. Limitations The main limitation of this research paper as realised by the researcher was excessive dependency on descriptive statistics instead of inferential statistics. The reason being inferential data is more useful in drawing empirical conclusion. Another limitation of this research paper is negligence towards incorporation of brand name. Brand name is an essential factor because often individual perception about a supermarket is influenced by brand name. 8. Reflection As a researcher, I had a good experience while conducting the research. I am being one of the regular supermarket shoppers; the research subject was quite appealing and interesting for me. My target audience were mainly those students who live in areas within my approach. I selected those supermarkets that are mostly visited by my fellow classmates, neighbours and friends as it was easy to gather more information from the known circle. The interviewing and survey experience was splendid, however, not highly satisfactory. I believe that I still need to work on my communication skills and abilities to question individuals. While undertaking the research, I had the opportunity to visit supermarkets not at as a consumer but as an investigator to understand the factors that influence individuals’ decision regarding selection of supermarkets. The information I learned from the stores as well as from consumers helped me in realising that the marketing of supermarkets is also a complex process as the positioning is directly related to consumers’ perception. As a researcher, the learning outcome of this research was enlightening and I expect that this experience will help me enhance my communication and presentation skills for future projects. Reference list Beynom, M., Moutinho, L. and Veloutsou, C., 2010. Gender differences in supermarket choice: An expositional analysis in the presence of ignorance using CaRBS. European Journal of Marketing, pp. 267-290. Hansen, T. J., 2011. When supermarket consumers get stocked in the middle. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, pp. 836-850. Loves, J., 2006. Supermarkets. New York: Macmillan Library. Narhinen, M., Nissinen, A. and Puska, P., 2000. Healthier choices in a supermarket: The Municipal Food control can promote health. British Food Journal, pp. 99-108. 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