SALES PROMOTIONS AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON SHOPPING BEHAVIOUR OF WORKING WOMEN

Abstract

As little emphasis has been placed on identifying the typologies of working female shoppers and their responsiveness to sales promotions, this study aims to gain insights on the perceptions and realities of working female shoppers, their general shopping orientations and their behavioural changes during sales promotions. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were adopted. Projective techniques comprising of word association test and sentence completion test as well as in-depth interviews were employed. Quantitative analytical tools, namely, factor analysis and frequency tests were also used. Five prevalent stereotypes of working women were uncovered in the qualitative analysis. Generally, shoppers were perceived as 'Extravagant and Spendthrift', 'Demanding and Knowledgeable' and 'Indecisive and Hesitant'. However, during sales promotions, they were widely observed as being involved in 'Fanatical and Compulsive Shopping' and 'Bargain Hunting and Impulse Purchasing'. The divergence between perceptions and realities were studied and pertinent issues were addressed. Three types of shoppers: 'recreational shoppers', 'apathetic shoppers' and 'demand shoppers' were identified via factor analysis. The study found that working women still regard the shopping activity as a leisure activity since most of them would spend a few hours to shop during the weekends every week. Changes in shopping behaviour during sales promotions were also uncovered. The results suggest that working female shoppers maintain high expectations during sales promotions. The magnitude of the discounts is fundamental to influencing working female shopping orientations, purchase intentions as well as brand loyalty. An in-depth understanding of contemporary working female shopping orientations serves as a powerful tool for retail management in marketing strategy formulation.