Shopping for pleasure? Shopping experiences of Hungarian consumers

Abstract

PurposeTo examine shopping motives and behaviour in shopping centres in Hungary, which has seen rapid and recent development in its retail structure. To explore whether the level of hedonic shopping value derived by consumers is less pronounced than in more developed market economies, and to develop a taxonomy of patterns of shopping behaviour which may establish a baseline for future research in the country.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected through a mall intercept survey of 355 shoppers at seven large shopping centres in five major cities in Hungary.FindingsHungarian consumers tend to approach shopping as work, despite the rapid development of the retail industry in the country. Four shoppers' segments are identified using cluster analysis: relaxed utilitarians, strict utilitarians, committed shoppers and browsers.Practical implicationsGiven the emphasis of Hungarian consumers on product‐related shopping motives and that they make most of their purchase decisions prior to their mall visit, marketing campaigns should be focused on providing information about retailers' offers beforehand. Social and recreational appeals for attracting consumers to the mall may not work well.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the growing body of cross national research on shopping behaviour by shedding light on the shopping motives and experiences of Hungarian consumers. The consumer segments uncovered are of value to both local and international retailers.