Shopping Satisfaction at Airport Duty-Free Stores: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Abstract

Shopping is an essential tourist activity and often can act as an attraction, per se, but little research has studied this topic at the airport. This article analyzes shoppers' satisfaction at airport duty-free stores in three dimensions: product, service, and shopping environment. A total of 2,000 questionnaires were collected in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, and ridit analysis was used to analyze shopping expenditure, behaviors, preferences, and satisfaction among Taiwanese, foreigners other than the Japanese, and the Japanese. It was found that the Taiwanese reported the least income, but actually outspent the other two groups. The Japanese were found to have less service expectation and lower satisfaction. Foreigners and the Japanese preferred to buy Taiwanese souvenirs and packaged food, while the Taiwanese favored cigarettes and alcohol. The Taiwanese and the Japanese both regarded “staff cares about customers' interests” and “answering of questions” as important service qualities, and they both developed a similar taste in purchasing certain luxury products. However, all three groups expressed their dissatisfaction with the staff having inadequate professional product knowledge. Managerial implications are discussed and provided.