Evidence based-descriptive analysis (only COMPONENT 3)

Online e-commerce businesses received a boost within and post lockdown. Be it in an offline or an online mode, shopping has increasingly become a leisure activity. However, there is a lack of data around what factors propel consumers to indulge more in shopping as a leisure time activity. Through the review of some studies and articles, this paper aims to gather information on the factors that impact leisure shopping and how the meaning of shopping underwent a change over the years from a major utilitarian activity to a leisure and a pastime activity. The recent past has witnessed the emergence of shopping as a social leisure activity. With the growth of cities, downtown areas and the opening of more retail outlets, an outing for shopping and lunch, especially on weekends, have been considered an effective method by many, to drain the exhaustion of the weeklong pressure. It has been noted that there has been a growing interest among retailers and developers of shopping centres to find ways of making shopping a pursuit of leisure (Perara & Sutha, 2018). However, there has been little empirical data in academic research to trace the hedonic reasons why shopping has turned into a leisure activity. Therefore, a gap persists in literature which explains the actual expectations of customers who go for leisure shopping. Based on a study conducted by Perera & Sutha (2018), seven factors influenced the leisure shopping of consumers. Consumers were interested in knowing about the latest trends which operate in the market. Additionally shopping served as a diversion and helped people with social interactions. Shopping has a gratifying impact on consumers since many consumers find pleasure in bargaining and getting products at the bargained price. The results of the research also provided data which suggests that there is a certain emotional bonding of some consumers with shopping which takes place because of certain mental stimulants. It is important to trace how the excitement of shopping plays a motivational role for consumers who invest their time on leisure shopping. A research conducted by Park, reflected that many consumers who engage in leisure shopping are guided by recreational motives, the excitement of shopping drives them to buy things during their leisure (Park, 2018).

Figure 1: Numerator survey of shoppers with confirmed purchases of products (Source: Numerator, 2020)

Time and lucrative sales offers have an influential role for leisure shoppers. Leisure shoppers tend to engage more in shopping in their free time like when their work is over or on public holidays and paid leaves. As opined by Calvo-Porral & Lévy-Mangín (2018), lucrative sales offers, promotional offers are the key determinants to attract customers. Similarly, interpersonal relations between consumers and store owners also play a role in attracting customers. Personal values, expectations and motivation also have their impact on leisure shopping. Consumers in this era have become more demanding and more discerning when it comes to choices of products. Consumers want a reflection of their lifestyle and their personality through their choice of purchases. A study conducted by Elmashhara & Soares (2019), reveals that the entertainment quotient in retails stores have a direct influence on the satisfaction of consumers. Entertainment also has an indirect influence since it causes an emotional state of pleasure among consumers. Entertainment provides pleasure among consumers making them stay longer at malls. Additionally, promotional offers help to persuade and motivate consumers about the product authenticity (Chandra, Mazumdar & Suman, 2018). These offers have worked as a catalyst for leisure shoppers and helped in the development of the retail market. Promotional offers help in motivating consumers to purchase more frequently and purchase a handsome quantity. The traditional strategies for increasing sales involve making changes related to product, price, place and promotions. However, retailers have now come up with new and innovative strategies to attract consumers and boost their market shares.

According to Madushani & Howshigan (2020), retailers are adopting strategies like enhancing display settings, offering more in-store initiatives and experimenting with digital marketing strategies to boost the footfall of customers. Additionally, marketing strategies on social media websites like Instagram, Facebook and through SMS or WhatsApp groups also motivates leisure shoppers. Within malls and supermarkets, the service providers face competition in terms of consumer attraction. Therefore, the owners make conscious choices with respect to the market strategies since it is one of the main factors which attract leisure shoppers. A research conducted by Agarwal & Singh (2018) highlighted the role of relationship, personal interaction with sales associates and their behaviour as one of the key factors influencing shoppers. Shopping areas have undergone huge transformation over the years. From being areas specifically selling all manners of goods, they have now become authentic entertainment spaces stimulating urban population to spend on indulgences. In the digital era products are readily available and shoppers are now able to get things via online stores. However, Covid posed a serious challenge for leisure shoppers with hedonic motivations (Koch, Frommeyer & Schewe, 2020). As noted by Mehta, Saxena & Purohit (2020), economic instabilities have caused a change in market dynamics. Consumers now have become more conscious and are leaning more towards online shopping (Sheth, 2020). At the wake of this humanitarian crisis, habitual and leisure shoppers are becoming more conscious when it comes to buying out of a habit or passion or boredom.

This paper, through an analysis of the peer reviewed articles and journals attempts to trace the factors that motivates leisure shoppers and how the meaning of shopping has changed over the years. However, one limitation of this paper is that the data analysis is constrained to only the recent publications.

Through an analysis of factors like emotional reasons, entertainment, gratification among others, this paper tries to analyse the role they play in driving the leisure shoppers to buy more. The paper also contains an analysis of how Covid has impacted consumer behaviour and the shoppers’ choices post lockdown.

Leisure shopping is considered as one of the major free time activities. However, there are still some constraints there in the business of leisure shopping. For improving the business around the leisure shopping it is important to analyse the factors that are responsible for creating constraints. This research aims to find out the factor and analyse them. For evaluating the major consumer behaviours that regulate leisure shopping among the individuals a survey, “Tourist Shopping Villages Survey”, was conducted with 100 participants. An open ended questionnaire was prepared for the survey which had the following questions. Being asked the reason for being present in the shopping village most participants’ answers were the village atmosphere and somewhere to relax and shop their daily necessities. Moreover, being asked about an ideal place to shop, many of them replied that the place must be clean and safe for them to shop at a place. Therefore, it is evident that people generally shop to content their daily needs and they prefers the places safe for them to shop.

To find the answers of this questions one must first identify the factors such as people increased inclination towards online shopping, their increased expectations from service providers which they are failing to accomplish. After the Covid-19 outbreak this has emerged one of the most used means for consumers to satisfy almost all of their needs as they feel it is safer. Moreover, the e-commerce websites are providing a more efficient service to their consumers where they can order and receive the goods and services staying at home just by one click. For answering this this research questions, one must make proper strategies for enhancing their services to gain competitive advantage against e-commerce and attract customers.

In this report we analyse the motives for tourists to visit shops in villages and also preferred shop features. Shops need to understand what attracts the customers/tourists and ensure that they are aware of the impact their store & surroundings have on leisure shopping. Leisure shopping can be impacted by various variables such as the village atmosphere, prices, special events, physical layout of shops, cleanliness, variety of product, etc. therefore, one must know what are the variables that impact leisure shopping and influence people to shop in villages. This can be accomplished by conducting surveys and finding out what people prefer. In this report we use the questionnaire method to understand people’s opinions. Shops must also keep in mind the latest trends and work according to them so that people visiting the store have the best experience. For answering this research question, that is what impacts leisure shopping, one must make proper strategies for enhancing their services to gain competitive advantage against e-commerce and attract customers from the data collected through surveys.