CO-SHOPPING WITH CHILDREN: STUDIES ON SHOPPING PREFERENCES OF MARRIED COUPLES

Abstract

In Singapore, co-shopping with children by married couples is commonly observed in shopping malls. This group of shoppers is the one with higher propensity to shop and possesses stronger purchasing power, so it should be an important niche market for operators of shopping centers. On the other hand, making shopping malls more family friendly and creating a better environment for social bonding by family members may just be a mechanism to promote child rearing and marriage, a recent objective by the Singapore government. This research quantitatively analyzes shopping preferences of married couples by relating their shopping decisions with five types of factors, namely, shopping motivation, mall facilities, accessibility and layout, tenant mix, and organized events & promotions. Inferences and predictions were made from a survey of 300 married respondents. ANOVA, Chi-square tests and multiple regressions are employed in identifying and describing the relationships between individual preferences and shopping behaviors, along with several other mall characteristics. My analysis indicates that there is little change in shopping expenditures when people co-shop with their children. However, a host of mall attributes significantly influence coshoppers’ preferences. The age of children and the gender of co-shoppers also affect individuals’ evaluations of mall attributes. These results should be useful to developers and mall management when they develop strategies to attract this niche of shoppers to their properties.