Author(s): Shashank Mehra, Bharath Supra and Meru Gupta
Purpose: This article examines the perspectives of consumers about two retail purchasing destinations: flea markets and shopping malls.This research examines, contrasts, and compares the shopping attributes of utilitarian value, hedonic value, facility convenience, playfulness, and efficiency value to establish which elements, have the most impact on store satisfaction for each shopping destination. Design/methodology/approach: Data was collected from 302 consumers: with experience in both the markets. Factor analysis measured consumers’ perception for Malls and Flea market with respect to a number of variables mapped similarly for both the markets. Stepwise regression analysis and paired t test were employed to investigate the nature and significance of the observed differences. Findings: Customer perception of satisfaction on various attributes varies across the market type. For both the market type Utilitarian value, facility convenience, playfulness and efficiency value significantly influenced satisfaction; however, hedonic value is insignificant for flea market and significant for mall market. Stepwise regression indicated that each market attribute contributed differently to market satisfaction for mall and flea market. A paired t-test reveals a statistically significant difference between malls and flea markets on all criteria. Originality/value: The patronage of retail marketplaces is contingent on customer satisfaction; both malls and flea markets compete to attract customers, Both the markets co-exist but comparison of mall versus flea market is scarce and unique and very limited work has been done in this area.