Behavioral Characteristics of

the Recreational Shopper and

Implications for Retail
Management
Terrell Williams
and
Mark Slama
Utah State Universi~
John Rogers
Montana State University

INTRODUCTION
An important aspect of retail strategy involves attracting consumers by
communicating a store image to relevant target markets.A successful retail
image is dependent upon the firm's ability to appropriately match store
attributes and benefits with target market characteristics. Thus, the char-
acteristics of consumer are an important consideration in developing retail
images and retail strategies. Because the characteristics of consumers are
important to retailing, considerable attention has been given to developing
classifications of consumers which may be useful to retail managers. One
well known general typology for retail shoppers identifies economic, per-
sonalizing, apathetic, and ethical shoppers (Stone, 1965). A later typology
developed specifically for grocery shoppers includes: apathetic, quality,
demanding, fastidious, stamp preferring, convenient location seeking, and
stamp hating groups. (Darden and Ashton, 1975).
In recent years attention has been focused on a more simple shopper
typology which has proven to be meaningfully related to shopping behavior

~'~1985, Academy of Marketing Science Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science

Summer, 1985, Vol. 13, No. 3,307-316
0092-0703/85/1303-0307 $2.00

307
308 BEHAVIORALCHARACTERISTICSOF THE RECREATIONAL
SHOPPERAND IMPLICATIONSFOR RETAILMANAGEMENT

in a variety of situations. This is the recreational/economic shopper classi-

fication (Bellenger, Robertson and Greenberg 1977). The notion underlying
this classification is that some consumers view shopping as strictly a means
to an end, something to be endured, while others actually enjoy shopping
and treat it as a recreation form. Those who do not enjoy shopping may be
referred to as economic or convenience shoppers. The title "economic
shopper" may be misleading in that economic shoppers are not necessarily
interested in obtaining the best values; they simply dislike shopping. Those
who enjoy shopping as a leisure activity are called recreational shoppers.
(Bellenger and Korgaonkar, 1980). Shopping and consumption behaviors
potentially have many recreational overtones embodied in such concepts as
symbolic product meanings, hedonic responses, variety and novelty seek-
ing, aesthetics, creativity, and play (Holbrook and Hirschman 1982, Raju
1980). Recreational shoppers may shop for a variety of non-economic rea-
sons, including role playing, diversion, self gratification, learning about
new trends, physical activity, sensor stimulation, social experience, com-
munication with others having similar interests, reference group attraction,
status and authority, and the pleasure of bargaining (Tauber 1972).
Selected characteristics of recreational shoppers have been identified in
several studies. The recreational shopper tends to be a woman who is high
in social class (Gillette 1970) and who is more interested in the character-
istics of the store and the purchase than in convenience (Hansen and
Deutcher 1977; Bellenger and Korgaonkar 1980). Furthermore, the recre-
ational shopper tends to be active information-seeking and fashion oriented
(Bellenger and Korgagnkar 1980; Gutman and Mills 1982). The most com-
prehensive examination to date of the recreational shopper's characteristics
was made by Bellenger and Korgaonkar (1980). In addition to the afore-
mentioned characteristics they also found that recreational shoppers, as
compared with economic shoppers, have a greater tendency to buy what
they want regardless of need, to spend more time in non-planned shopping
activities, and are to be likely to have a clear idea of what they will purchase
before visiting the store.
The current research extends these earlier studies by exploring the rela-
tionships between a number of strategically important shopping character-
istics and the tendency to be a recreational shopper as opposed to an
economic shopper. Those characteristics examined include the tendencies
to give and receive personal advice regarding purchases, price sensitivity
and deal proneness, attitudes toward advertising, attitudes toward generic,
store and national brands, attitudes toward different types of retail outlets,
orientation toward fashion, attitudes about credit, tendency to seek variety,
 WILLIAMS, SLAMAAND ROGERS 309

and tendency to be brand loyal. The results of this research should be useful
in developing a more comprehensive picture of the recreational shopper for
the purpose of retails strategy development.

METHODS AND RESULTS

To classify respondents as either recreational or economic shoppers, a
modification of the Bellenger and Korgaonkar (1980) method was em-
ployed. Their method involved the use of a five point Likert scale to measure
respondents' enjoyment of shopping. Responses ranged from "Enjoy very
much" to "Strongly dislike." Recreational shoppers were classified as
those who enjoy shopping or enjoy shopping very much. Those who were
neutral toward, disliked or strongly disliked shopping were classified as
economic shoppers.
Since the use of single item scales for measuring major variables in
marketing studies has come under criticism (Churchill 1979), a multiple
item summative scale was developed for the current research. Ten questions
were originally generated for the scale employed here. The questions re-
ferred to respondents' enjoyment of shopping activities and their desire to
spend time shopping. Through an iterative process of eliminating questions
with low item to total correlations, those questions yielding the highest
Cronbach's alpha were found and designated as the final scale. The ques-
tions were measured on a five point Likert scale ranging from "Strongly
Agree" to "Strongly Disagree." The final five item scale obtained an alpha
of .83 for the current sample, indicating acceptable internal consistency for
the relatively short scale. Consistent with the Bellenger and Korgaonkar
(1980) operationalization of the recreational shopper, respondents in the
current study were classified as recreational shoppers if they obtained a
score on the summative scale indicating that on the average they "Agree"
or "Strongly Agree" with the statements referring to their enjoyment of
shopping. Lower scores indicated enjoyment of shopping, and recreational
shoppers were considered to be those with scores of less than ten on the
scale ranging from zero to twenty.
The questionnaire used in the study included the scale and several ques-
tions relating to each of the shopping behaviors to be investigated as pos-
sible with a recreational shopping orientation (Table 1). All of the questions
were rated on five point Likert-type scales ranging from "Strongly-Agree"
to "Strongly-Disagree." The questionnaire was administered to 218 under-
graduate business students at a major western university. While this sample
cannot be taken as strictly representative of the adult population, it had a
310 BEHAVIORALCHARACTERISTICSOF THE RECREATIONAL
SHOPPERAND IMPLICATIONSFOR RETAILMANAGEMENT

proportion of recreational shoppers similar to that of the Bellenger and

Korgaonkar (1980) study in which a shopping center sampling technique
was used. In addition many of the behavioral tendencies shown by recrea-
tional shoppers in previous studies were demonstrated in this study. 1
The data were analyzed by comparing the responses of recreational and
economic shoppers on the Likert scale measuring the dependent variables.
Since one-item Likert scales do not necessarily yield interval scaled data,
it has been argued that nonparametric statistics should be employed in
analyzing data resulting from their administration (Adams 1'~)76). In the
current situation the responses to the Likert-scales are considered as ordinal
data, and the Mann-Whitney U test is employed to determine whether there
are statistically significant differences between recreational and economic
shoppers. The Mann-Whitney U test is chosen for the analysis since it is
more powerful than Chi-square analysis of contigency tables which assumes
only categorical data.
The results indicate differences between the recreational and economic
shoppers for many of the shopping behaviors investigated (Table 1). The
recreational shopper tends to be sociable as evidenced by their liking to
take friends shopping and giving advice about shopping decisions although
not necessarily seeking such advice. Recreational shoppers also like to look
for sales, and they use coupons more than economic shoppers. The recre-
ational shopper tends to find advertising more helpful in making buying
decisions than does the economical shopper. With respect to brands, rec-
reational shoppers seem to buy national brands, although their experiences
and attitudes regarding generic and store brands do not differ from those of
economic shoppers. Recreational shoppers have greater tendencies than
economic shoppers to go to prestige department stores. They are also much
more fashion oriented as shown by their tendencies to dress in the latest
styles. Their attitudes toward credit are more positive than those of eco-
nomic shoppers. Finally, although recreational shopping is associated with
liking to try "new and different things" and variety seeking for brands of
products, the recreational shopper has a greater tendency to be brand loyal
after developing a favorite brand than does the economic shopper.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

The notion that people shop for other than economic reasons is supported
by this research. Over 50% of the sample fell into the recreational shopper
category. The study's findings with respect to fashion orientation, infor-
mation seeking and preference for prestige department stores provide a
 WILLIAMS, SLAMA AND ROGERS 311

TABLE I

MANN WHITNEY U TESTS ON DIFFERENCES IN PREDISPOSITION

TOWARD

SHOPPING BETWEEN RECREATIONAL AND ECONOMIC SHOPPERS

Personal Advice

I like to shop with friends,**

When I go shopping I usually take one or more friends along.*

I often ask my friends for advice on what I buy.

My friends often ask me to go shopping with them.**

My friends often ask my opinion on which stores are best.**

My friends often ask my advice on which brand or product to buy.**

My friends often ask me where to find the best prices.

I often ask friends where to get the best prices.

I like to be considered a leader.

I spend a lot of time talkin~ with my friends about products

and brands.**

Price Sensitivity and Deal Proneness

I frequently use coupons in buylng.**

I shop a lot for "specials."

I find myself checking the prices in the ~rocery store even

for small items.

I usually watch the advertisements for announcements of sales.*

A person can save a lot of money by shopping around for bargains.

When I buy in a grocery store I look for products with cents-off

offers.
312 BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RECREATIONAL
SHOPPER AND IMPLICATIONS FOR RETAIL MANAGEMENT

Fashion

I usually have one or more outfits that are of the very latest
style.**

When I must choose between the two, I usually dress for fashion,
not for comfort.**

Dressing well is an important part of my life.**

I often try the lastest hair styles when they change.**

Credit

It is good to have change accounts.**

I regularly use department store credit cards.**

Variety Seeking

When I see a new brand on the shelf I often buy it just to see
what it's like.*

I often try new brands before my friends and neighbors do.*

I like to try new and different things.**

Brand Loyalty

Once I get a favorite brand, I seldom switch to other brands.*

* Significant at the .lO level

** Significant at the .05 level

 WILLIAMS, SLAMA AND ROGERS 313

Advertising

I rely on advertising to learn about product features.*

I think advertised brands are of generally better quality than

unadvertised brands.**

I depend on retail store ads to learn of product price and

availability.

I find television advertising helpful in making my buying decisions.*

find magazine advertising helpful in making my buying decisions.**

I consider radio advertising useful in making my buying decisions.

I consider newspaper advertising helpful in m a k i n g my buying decisions.**

I think direct mail advertising is useful in making any buying decisions.

Generic, Store and National Brands

I think generic branded items are as good as national brands.

I think retail store brands are as good as national brands.

I think generic brands are as good as store brands.

When generic brands are available, I usually buy them.

I have had generally good experiences with generic brands.

I have had generally good experiences with store brands.

When store brands are available, I usually buy them.

I usually buy well-known national brands.**

Retail Outlets

I prefer to shop in discount stores versus full service retail stores.

I regularly shop in "no-frills" grocery stores.

I like to shop in prestige department stores.**

314 BEHAVIORALCHARACTERISTICSOF THE RECREATIONAL
SHOPPERAND IMPLICATIONSFOR RETAILMANAGEMENT

reassuring replication of previous research. The study also extends our

knowledge of the recreational shopper with respect to personal advice giv-
ing, deal proneness, attitude toward advertising, types of brands preferred,
attitude toward credit, variety seeking and brand loyalty.
The finding that recreational shoppers tend to give advice to other persons
with respect to purchase decisions implies their importance to retailing. In
addition to being a substantial portion of retail shoppers, recreational shop-
pers are more likely to extend their influence by word of mouth than are
economic shoppers.
The fact that the recreational shopper is more deal prone and has more
favorable attitudes toward advertising than the economic shopper should
encourage the use of well advertised sales and promotional events by re-
tailers. Coupon offers on national brands are likely to be effective in attract-
ing recreational shoppers since they tend to buy national brands and take
advantage of coupons. A wide variety of national brands should be carried
in order to take advantage of recreational shoppers' tendencies to seek
variety. Carrying a wide variety of national brands would also improve the
probability of having the recreational shopper's favorite brand. Finally the
extension of credit, when possible, may be a desirable feature in attracting
the recreational shopper.
Although recreational shoppers seem to differentially prefer things ordi-
narily associated with high prices such as national brands, prestige depart-
ment stores, and credit, it would be a mistake to assume that the recreational
shopper is not value oriented. Recreational shoppers show their value ori-
entation by being more likely than other shoppers to use coupons and by
being more likely to use advertising for finding sales and making buying
decisions.
The image of the recreational shopper which emerges is of someone who
is willing to put effort into shopping by seeking information, using coupons,
and trying new brands. However, the recreational shopper is not a discount
shopper and wants the atmosphere and services associated with prestige
stores. This concept supports a retail image associated with full service,
well known brands, and exciting atmosphere, but not excessively high
prices. A value orientation supported by the use of promotional efforts,
service and exciting atmosphere should be most effective in attracting rec-
reational shoppers.
 WILLIAMS, SLAMA AND ROGERS 315

FOOTNOTE
~The proportion of recreational shoppers found using the Bellenger and Korgaonkar method
of classification (those who strongly agree or agree on a five point Likert scale indicating they
enjoy shopping) was 58%. In the Bellenger and Korgaonkar (1980) study it was 69%. Bellen-
ger and Korgaonkar state that their estimate is probably inflated because their sample was
drawn in shopping centers. Psychographic items relating to traits such as information seeking,
fashion orientation, and social orientation which have been associated with recreational shop-
ping in previous studies are also found to correlate with recreational shopping for the current
sample

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49

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

TERRELL WILLIAMS (Ph.D., University of Arizona) is currently Pro-
gram Director and Associate Professor of Marketing at Utah State Univer-
316 BEHAVIORALCHARACTERISTICSOF THE RECREATIONAL
SHOPPERAND IMPLICATIONSFOR RETAILMANAGEMENT

sity. Dr. Williams has published a book, Consumer Behavior, as well as

numerous scholarly papers.
MARK SLAMA (Ph.D., Florida State University) is currently Assistant
Professor of Marketing at Utah State University. Dr. Slama has published
over fifteen scholarly papers in the areas of Retailing, Consumer Behavior
and Marketing Research.
JOHN ROGERS (Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute) is currently De-
partment Head of Management, Marketing and Finance, and Associate
Professor of Marketing at Montana State University. Dr. Rogers has pub-
lished articles in the California Management Review, The Journal of Busi-
ness Logistics, Journal of The Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of
Management Information Systems, and other journals.