ENTERTAINING SHOPPING EXPERIENCE IN CHINATOWN: A CONFIRMATORY ANALYSIS

Abstract

Previous research has focused on identifying the existence of entertaining shopping experiences. However, to date only Jones (1999) and Ibrahim and Ng (2002) have attempted to explore the factors affecting entertaining shopping experiences. Even then, no studies has been done on a confirmatory analysis of the factors affecting entertaining shopping experience. Moreover, most of the retailing studies have been done on mall research with few done on other consumption sites, such as swap meets an flea markets. Using structural equation modeling via Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS), this research has confirmed the factors influencing entertaining shopping experience in an ethnic shopping district, Chinatown. The results suggest that beside retailer factors, customer factors and travel factors to Chinatown, travel factors within Chinatown also contribute to entertaining shopping experience in a shopping district. Furthermore, this research reveals that entertaining shopping experience has a role to play in influencing the frequency of shoppers' visits. Retailer factors include "shopping district features", "product features", and "value added features", while Customer factors are "utilitarian oriented" and "hedonic oriented". Travel factors to Chinatown incorporate "comfort", "effort", "enjoyment" and "tension", and finally travel factors within Chinatown include "comfort" and "effort". Together, these factors impact on entertaining shopping experience, which has a direct relationship with frequency of shopping visits.