A consumer definition of store convenience (finally)
International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management
ISSN: 0959-0552
Article publication date: 8 April 2014
Abstract
Purpose
Despite an increasingly convenience-oriented society, very few empirical studies have identified convenience as a salient determinant of store patronage. Such atypical findings could be due to the way in which academics have defined store convenience. The purpose of this study is to empirically develop an alternative definition of store convenience.
Design/methodology/approach
A household mail-out survey was used to identify the attributes consumers associate with store convenience.
Findings
Empirical analysis provides strong support for the alternative definition, with respondents indicating that 25 of the test attributes serve as convenience attributes in the context of a department store.
Practical implications
In spite of the many things a store manager can do to make their store more convenient, academic studies have recognised very few of these as convenience attributes. This study provides store managers with a list of 25 tools they have at their disposal to help save their customers' time and effort and help combat the internet threat.
Originality/value
Comprising 25 attributes, the alternative definition represents a significant increase over any existing definition. The failure of existing definitions to incorporate so many of these attributes may explain why academic research has suggested that, in an era of convenience, convenience itself is a less-than-salient determinant of store patronage.
Keywords
Citation
Reimers, V. (2014), "A consumer definition of store convenience (finally)", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 42 No. 4, pp. 315-333. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-03-2013-0060
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited