Hedonic Shopping Motivations, Supermarket Attributes, and Shopper Loyalty in

Transitional Markets – Evidence from Vietnam

Trang TM. Nguyen, Tho D. Nguyen, and Nigel J. Barrett

Corresponding author
Tho Nguyen, School of Marketing, University of Technology, Sydney.
PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia.
E-mail: [email protected],
Tel: +61-2-9514 3260, Fax: +61-2-9514 3535.

Trang TM. Nguyen (PhD, UTS) is lecturer in marketing, Faculty of Economics, Vietnam
National University, Ho Chi Minh City. Her current research interests include relationship
marketing, services marketing and the impact of culture on business.

Tho D. Nguyen (PhD, UTS) is research fellow, School of Marketing, University of Technology,
Sydney, and University of Economics, HCM City. His current research interests include
branding, services marketing, and the impact of the Internet on internationalization of firms in
transitional markets.

Nigel J. Barrett (PhD, UNSW) is associate professor and head, School of Marketing, University
of Technology, Sydney. His current research interests include global branding,
internationalization of firms, networks and inter-firm relationships, services marketing, and the
impact of culture on business.

1
 Hedonic Shopping Motivations, Supermarket Attributes, and Shopper Loyalty in
Transitional Markets – Evidence from Vietnam

Abstract

Purpose - This study explores the impact of hedonic shopping motivations and supermarket

attributes on shopper loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach - A sample of 608 supermarket shoppers in Ho Chi Minh City,

Vietnam was surveyed to test the model. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the

data.

Findings - We found that supermarket attributes and hedonic shopping motivations had positive

effects on shopper loyalty. We also found that the impact of hedonic motivations on shopper

loyalty was different between the young and older, as well as low and higher income groups of

customers. However, no such difference was found between female and male shoppers.

Research limitations/implications - A major limitation of this study is the use of a sample

drawn from one transitional market. Cross-national samples will be a direction for further

research. Also, the study focuses on attitudinal loyalty. Behavioral loyalty should be taken into

account in future research.

Practical implications - The findings suggest that supermarket managers concentrate their

positioning strategies not only on the utilitarian dimension but also on the hedonic motivations to

stimulate shopper loyalty, especially for older and higher income segments of customers.

Originality/value - The major contribution of the study is to empirically examine the role of

hedonic motivations in shopper loyalty in Vietnam, a transitional market.

Paper type Research paper

Key words Hedonic shopping motivations, supermarket attributes, loyalty, transitional markets,

Vietnam.

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 Hedonic Shopping Motivations, Supermarket Attributes, and Shopper Loyalty in
Transitional Markets – Evidence from Vietnam

Introduction

The new economic reform in Vietnam has dramatically changed the retailing industry in the

country, leading to the emergence of several supermarkets, local as well as international, in recent

years. Supermarkets currently account for just 10 percent of the US$ 20 billion sales of the retail

industry, however, they are growing rapidly, attracting shoppers away from traditional outdoor

markets (Vietnam Investment Review, 2004). This trend is in line with the support from the

Vietnamese government who is keen to develop modern retailing networks throughout the

country. Currently, there are about 160 supermarkets and 32 shopping centres, which are mostly

located around heavily populated areas, such as Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, where the

relatively affluent consumers with increasing purchasing power for goods (Vietnam Investment

Review, 2004). A recent survey shows that up to 85 percent of urban dwellers in the South of

Vietnam are fond of shopping at supermarkets because they believe that supermarkets offer them

a convenient shopping environment as well as high quality products (Thanh Nien, 2004).

With a population of 80 million and an economic growth rate of about seven percent

annually, Vietnam is considered as a promising retail market, resulting in the presence of several

supermarkets, local as well as international, such as Coopmart, Maximark, Citimart, Metro, Big

C, and Seiyu. This has made the market severely competitive, and many supermarkets have

launched several marketing programs to attract new customers and to maintain existing

customers. In addition, Vietnamese consumers are becoming more sophisticated in recent years,

particularly in urban areas of the country. They are not only concerned with the quality and price

of products but also the quality of supermarkets. They often visit several retail outlets before

making purchase decisions. A recent survey conducted by Saigon Tiepthi reveals that shoppers,

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especially the young ones are not loyal to any specific supermarkets (Saigon Tiepthi 2006).

Consequently, a thorough understanding of the determinants of shopper loyalty would be

beneficial to supermarket managers in the market.

Several researchers have focused their interest on the determinants of store loyalty such as

store atmosphere, store images, store satisfaction, service quality, perceived value, and attitudes

toward a store (e.g., Bloemer and Odekerken-Schroder, 2002; Koo, 2003). They discover that

people go shopping for both hedonic and utilitarian outcomes. Hedonic shopping motivations are

primarily based on the quality of shopping experience rather than information gathering or

product purchasing (Boedeker, 1995). Consumers also view a store as a place not only for

shopping but also for other activities such as socializing with friends or browsing without buying

products (Bloch, Ridgway, and Dawson, 1994). The multiple motives in a single shopping trip

indicate the entertaining capabilities of shopping (Ibrahim and Ng, 2002). Therefore, the

entertainment aspect of retailing is viewed as a key competitive tool (Arnold and Reynolds,

2003), and retailers have shifted their focus on improving the entertainment dimension of their

outlets. Despite this trend, little attention has paid to the hedonic shopping motivations of

consumers (e.g., Arnold and Reynolds, 2003; Jin and Kim, 2003). In addition, research on

shopping motives and their relationships with retail outcome is mostly undertaken in the USA or

European countries (Jin and Kim, 2003; Li et al., 2004). Little attention has been paid to

transitional markets like Vietnam, where supermarkets are still a new retailing system, appealing

primarily to the upper class of people in urban areas of the country. Compared to traditional

outdoor markets, supermarkets provide shoppers with a wide range of goods, from food to

consumer durables. More importantly, shoppers can search for trends and fashions in the markets.

Supermarkets also offer shoppers several other entertainment services such as coffee shops,

restaurants, and games for children (Nguyen and Nguyen, 2003). However, the shopping

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motivations of Vietnamese customers, particularly the hedonic shopping aspect, are largely

unexplored (McDonald, Darbyshire, and Jevons, 2000), although a shopping pattern of

Vietnamese is “to shop often, to buy little” (McDonald, Darbyshire, and Jervons, 2000). This

study attempts to bridge this gap by examining the impacts of hedonic shopping motivations and

supermarket attributes on supermarket loyalty of Vietnamese shoppers. The paper is organised

around four key points: literature review and hypotheses; method; results; and, discussion and

conclusions.

Literature review and hypotheses

We suggest that hedonic shopping motivations and supermarket attributes play important roles in

shopper loyalty. Also, supermarket attributes underlie hedonic shopping motivations. Figure 1

presents these relationships and hypotheses graphically.

***************

Take in Figure 1

***************

Shopper loyalty

It has been widely agreed that loyalty is an “essential asset” in service industries (e.g., Keaveney,

1995; Bloemer and Ruyter, 1998). Three different perspectives, i.e., attitudinal, behavioral, and

reasoned action, have been found in the literature (Gounaris and Stathakopoulous, 2004). The

attitudinal approach conceives loyalty based on psychological commitment, purchase intention,

and word-of-mouth recommendations. It is expected that an increase in attitudinal loyalty should

lead to an increase in behavioral loyalty (Gounaris and Stathakopoulous, 2004). The behavioral

approach conceptualizes loyalty in terms of repeated purchases (e.g., Huddleston, Whipple, and

van Auken, 2004). Finally, the reasoned action approach derived from the theory of reasoned

action (Fishbein, 1980). According to this view, one may have a favorable attitude towards a

5
brand but does not purchase it because of not being able to afford it, i.e., loyalty is based merely

on brand belief, not on brand experience (Oliver, 1999). Although such an individual never

purchases the brand, s/he promotes it in the public and recommends it to others (Gounaris and

Stathakopoulous, 2004). In this study, shopper loyalty refers to the willingness of shoppers to

repeat their shopping trips in the same supermarket and to recommend it to others (e.g., Baker et

al., 2002; Sirohi, McLaughlin, and Wittink, 1998; Zeithaml, Berry, and Parasuraman, 1996).

Hedonic shopping motivations

Several studies have attempted to identify shoppers’ underlying motives and the relationship

between these motives with shoppers’ behavior (e.g., Jin and Kim, 2003; Tauber, 1972;

Westbrook and Black, 1985). Shopping motivations can be defined as “the drivers of behavior

that bring consumers to the marketplace to satisfy their internal needs” (Jin and Kim, 2003, p.

399). Based on the premise that people go shopping motivated by a variety of psychological

needs, Tauber (1972) develops a number of shopping motivations. These motivations can be

categorized into personal (i.e., role playing, diversion, self-gratification, learning about new

trends, physical activity, and sensory stimulation), and social (i.e., social experiences outside the

home, communication with others having similar interest, peer group attractions, status and

authority, and pleasure of bargaining). Westbrook and Black (1985) note that shopping behavior

evolves from three reasons: to acquire a product; to acquire both a desired product and

satisfaction with non-product related needs; and, to primarily attain goals not related to product

acquisition. They propose seven dimensions of shopping motivations: anticipated utility; role

enactment; negotiation; choice optimization; affiliation; power/authority; and, stimulation.

Generally, shopping motivations have been categorized into two key aspects: utilitarian and

hedonic. The utilitarian shopping behavior is characterized by task-related, product-oriented,

rational, and extrinsic motivations (Babin, Darden, and Griffin, 1994). The hedonic shopping

6
behavior refers to recreational, pleasurable, intrinsic, and stimulation-oriented motivations. This

study focuses on the hedonic aspect of shopping motives by examining various hedonic reasons

that people go shopping. Hedonic shopping motivations can be conceptualized to have six

dimensions, i.e., adventure, social, gratification, idea, role, and value (Arnold and Reynolds,

2003).

Adventure shopping, grounded in stimulation and expressive theories of human motivation,

refers to “shopping for stimulation, adventure, and the feeling of being in another world” (Arnold

and Reynolds, 2003, p. 80). The adventure aspect of shopping can provide hedonic value for

shoppers (Babin, Darden, and Griffin, 1994). Social shopping, grounded in affiliation theories of

human motivation, reflects socializing aims of shoppers while shopping (Reynolds and Beaty,

1999). Gratification shopping, grounded in tension-reduction theories of human motivation,

involves shopping for relieving stress (Lee, Moschis, and Marthur, 2001). Idea shopping,

grounded in categorization theories and objectification theories, refers to shopping with the

purpose of learning about new trends and fashion, styling, or innovations (Arnould and Reynolds,

2003; Tauber, 1972). Role shopping, grounded from identification theories of human

motivations, reflects the enjoyment that shoppers derive from shopping for others (Arnould and

Reynolds, 2003). Finally, value shopping, grounded in assertion theories of human motivation,

reflects the enjoyment of shoppers in bargaining, looking for sales, and finding discounts

(Arnould and Reynolds, 2003). These components of hedonic shopping motivations are

conceptually related but distinct concepts (Arnould and Reynolds, 2003; Westbrook and Black,

1985).

Research has suggested that shopping motivations bring the shoppers to the marketplace

and shopping motivations have direct links with outcomes such as shopper satisfaction and

loyalty (e.g., Babin, Darden, and Griffin, 1994). Shoppers who are strongly motivated by hedonic

7
aspects are more likely to be satisfied with a supermarket that is able to provide them the hedonic

value of their shopping trips. Therefore, they are more likely to be loyal to the supermarket

(Dawson, Bloch, and Ridgway, 1990). Such customers in transitional markets like Vietnam, who

have been experienced with traditional outdoor markets, will find supermarkets to be convenient,

modern, and attractive places for shopping (Thanh Nien, 2004). Therefore, it is expected that

shoppers with a greater level hedonic shopping motivations may be more loyal to supermarkets.

H1: There is a positive relationship between hedonic shopping motivations and shopper

loyalty.

Supermarket attributes

Store attributes has been viewed as a part of the overall image of a store (Bloemer and Ruyter,

1998). Store attributes can be defined as the “summation of all attributes of a store as perceived

by the shoppers through their experience of that store” (Omar, 1999, p. 103). There are a number

of conceptualizations of store attributes. For example, Lindquist (1974-1975) suggests nine key

attributes: merchandise; services; clientele; physical facilities; convenience; promotion; store

ambience; institutional factors; and, post transaction satisfaction. Ghosh (1990) introduces eight

elements: locations; merchandise; store atmosphere; customer services; price; advertising;

personal selling; and, sales incentive programs. Koo (2003) proposes seven components: store

atmosphere; location; convenient facilities; value; employee services; after sale services; and,

merchandising. The results of a recent study of supermarkets in Vietnam indicate that

supermarket atmosphere, locations, and convenient facilities were conceptually distinct but

empirically unidimensional (Nguyen and Nguyen, 2003). Therefore, we propose four

components of supermarket attributes: facilities; employee services; after sale services; and,

merchandise. Facilities comprise the physical facilities available in a supermarket such as

architecture, layout, and display (Lindquist, 1974-1975). This category also includes

8
convenience, such as locational convenience and parking. Employee services refer to the quality

of services provided by a supermarket’s employees (Koo, 2003; Lindquist, 1974-1975). After

sale services involve good exchange and refund policies, and merchandise refers to product and

brand variety and availability (Koo, 2003).

A number of studies have found a direct relationship between store attributes and store

loyalty (e.g., Koo, 2003; Sirgy, Grewal, and Mangleburg, 2000; Wakefield and Baker, 1998). In

addition, shoppers driven by hedonic shopping motivations tend to pay more attention to store

attributes (Dawson, Bloch, and Ridway, 1990; Arnold and Reynolds, 2003). Therefore,

supermarkets with higher quality of attributes will more likely stimulate the hedonic aspect of

shoppers. Therefore, it is expected that supermarket attributes underlie the hedonic motivations of

supermarket shoppers. This leads to:

H2: There is a positive relationship between supermarket attributes and shopper loyalty.

H3: There is a positive relationship between supermarket attributes and hedonic shopping

motivations.

Moderating effects of customer demographics

Several researchers have posited that demographic characteristics of customers will affect their

purchasing behavior (e.g., Raju, 1980; Wood, 1998), although the relationship is not so clear, i.e.,

research findings are still in controversy (e.g., Jin and Kim, 2001; Mai and Zhao, 2004; Mitchell

and Walsh, 2004). With an aim of verifying the moderating role of customer demographics in a

transitional market, we examine the difference between some key demographic variables: gender;

age; and, income levels of consumers. Thus, we propose:

H4: The impacts of supermarket attributes on hedonic shopping motivations and

supermarket loyalty will be affected by customers’ gender, age, and income levels.

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 H5: The impacts of hedonic shopping motivations on supermarket loyalty will be affected

by customers’ gender, age, and income levels.

Methods

Sample

A sample of 608 in-service training students of three universities – University of Economics,

HCM City, Vietnam National University - HCM City, and HCM City Open University – in Ho

Chi Minh City, Vietnam, was surveyed to test the measurement and theoretical models. In-

service training students were used as study subjects because research has shown that they can be

used as a surrogate for consumers (James and Sonners, 2001). In addition, they represent a wide

range of socioeconomic and age groups. There were four supermarkets under investigation:

Coopmart; Maximark; Big C; and, Citimart. All of them were located in Ho Chi Minh City, the

major business centre of Vietnam. The sample included 385 (63.3%) female and 223 (36.7%)

male shoppers. In terms of age, there were 478 (78.6%) shoppers aged from 20 to 30 years, and

130 (21.4%) shoppers with more than 30 years of age. Finally, there were 444 (73%) shoppers

who had a monthly income of $US 300 or less, and 164 (27%) shoppers had a monthly income

more than US$ 300.

Measurement

Supermarket attributes (SMA) comprised four components: facilities (FAC); employee services

(EMS); after sale services (AFS); and, merchandise (MER). The items used to measure the SMA

components were based on Koo (2003). Hedonic shopping motivations (HSM) consisted of six

components: adventure shopping (ADV); gratification shopping (GRA); role shopping (ROL);

value shopping (VAL); social shopping (SOC); and, idea shopping (IDE). The items measuring

the HSM components were based on Arnold and Reynolds (2003). Finally, the scale used to

measure shopper loyalty (SLO) was based on Sirohi, McLaughlin, and Wittink (1998) and

10
Zeithaml, Berry, and Parasuraman (1996). All items were measured by a seven-point Likert scale,

anchored by 1: strongly disagree and 7: strongly agree (see Appendix 1 for the sale items).

Data analysis and results

A two-step approach in structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data

(Anderson and Gerbing, 1988). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to validate the

measures and SEM was used to test the theoretical model.

Measurement validation

The CFA results indicate that these scales were satisfactory with the requirement for scale

reliability and validity. Firstly, the saturated model (the model in which SLO and the components

of HSM and SMA were freely correlated with each other) received a good fit to the data: χ2(505) =

1074.07 (p = .000); IFI = .932; CFI = .931; GFI = .906; and, RMSEA = .043. It is also noted that

two items in the SMA scale were deleted due to their low factor loadings (< .50). Appendix 1

presents the standardized factor loadings, composite reliability, and average variance extracted of

the scale items (Fornell and Larcker, 1981). A closer inspection of item loadings and correlations

among components of each construct revealed that all factor loadings were substantial (≥ .51) and

significant (p < .001), and all factor correlations were significantly below unity (p < .001). These

results indicate that the convergent validity and within-construct discriminant validity were

achieved (Appendix 2). Further, the final measurement model also received an acceptable fit to

the data: χ2(547) = 1285.33 (p = .000); IFI = .911; CFI = .911; GFI = .883; and, RMSEA = .047.

The correlations (r) between the constructs, together with their standard errors (se) (rSMA-HSM =

.62, se = .089; rSMA-SLO = .69, se = .074; rHSM-SLO = .56, se = .080) were also significantly different

from unity (p < .001), supporting the across-construct discriminant validity (Steenkamp and van

Trijp, 1991).

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Structural results: hypothesis testing

The SEM results show that the theoretical model received an acceptable fit to the data: χ2(547) =

1285.33 (p = .000); IFI = .911; CFI = .911; GFI = .883; and, RMSEA = .047. Table I presents the

unstandardized structural coefficients, and Figure 2 shows the standardized ones. Consistent with

H1, hedonic shopping motivations were found to be positively associated with shopper loyalty (β

= .21, p < .01). H2 posits a positive relationship between supermarket attributes and shopper

loyalty. This hypothesis was supported (γ = .56, p < .001). Finally, H3, which proposes a positive

relationship between supermarket attributes and hedonic shopping motivations, was also

supported (γ = .62, p < .001).

***************

Take in Table I

***************

***************

Take in Figure 2

***************

Multi-group analysis: testing the moderating effects of demographic variables

To test the moderating effects of consumer demographic characteristics (age, gender, and

income), the multi-group analysis in SEM was employed. There were two groups for each

moderating variable, i.e., gender (female and male), age (young and older), and income levels

(low and higher). The invariance was applied for both factor loadings and regression weights

between constructs (Bollen, 1989). For this test, with the purpose of reducing parameters

estimated, summated items were used as indicators. These summated items were formed by

summing all items measuring each component of the two second-order constructs: SMA and

12
HSM. This procedure was employed because the measures of each component of HSM and SMA

were unidimensional (Bagozzi and Edwards, 1998).

The results show that no difference was found in terms of gender of shoppers: ∆χ2 = 13.20;

∆df = 15; p > .58. However, difference between the young and older groups was found to be

significant: ∆χ2 = 36.47; ∆df = 15; p < .005. The difference between the low and higher income

groups was also significant: ∆χ2 = 33.01; ∆df = 15; p < .005. Consequently, hypotheses H4 and

H5 were partly supported. A closer inspection of the structural paths reveals that the key

difference was the impact of hedonic shopping motivations on shopper loyalty. In terms of age

groups, this relationship found in the young group was much lower (βyoung = .07, p < .05)

compared to the older group (βolder = .20, p < .001). In terms of income levels, the impact of

hedonic shopping motivations on shopper loyalty was statistically significant in the higher

income group (βhigher income = .24, p < .01). However, it was not significant in the low income

group (βlow income = .06, p > .06). Table II presents the unstandardized estimates of the model

based on the multi-group analysis. It is also noted that no improper solution was found in any

analysis: Heywood cases were absent; all error term variances were significant; and, all

standardized residuals were less than |2.58|.

***************

Take in Table II

***************

Discussion and implications

The aim of this study is to examine the roles of hedonic shopping motivations and supermarket

attributes in the loyalty of supermarket shoppers in Vietnam. In so doing, the study contributes to

our understanding of hedonic shopping motivations of shopper loyalty in a transitional market.

13
The support of the hypotheses indicates that both hedonic shopping motivations and supermarket

attributes play their roles in explaining shopper loyalty (explains 50 percent of the variance of

loyalty). However, supermarket attributes are still a key factor that underlies the loyalty of

shoppers (β = .56), compared to that of hedonic shopping motivations (γ = .21). In addition,

supermarket attributes have not only a direct impact but an indirect one, through hedonic

shopping motivations, on shopper loyalty. The results of this study provide evidence of the role

of the hedonic aspect of shopping in shopper loyalty in the context of a transitional market,

although this role is moderate compared to that of supermarket attributes. Shoppers driven by

hedonic motivations pay more attention to the quality of supermarket attributes, and thereby, are

more loyal customers. The results further verify the findings found in advanced economies (e.g.,

Arnold and Reynolds, 2003; Babin, Darden, and Griffin, 1994). Not only do utilitarian

motivations but also hedonic motivations (Voss, Spangenberg, and Grohmann, 2003) enhance the

loyalty of Vietnamese shoppers. It is also noted that the role of hedonic shopping motivations in

supermarket loyalty is different between young and older shoppers as well as between low and

higher income groups of shoppers.

These findings suggest a number of implications for supermarket managers in Vietnam.

Firstly, supermarket managers should improve supermarket attributes such as facilities, employee

services, and merchandise to attract shoppers, i.e., to create a good shopping environment in

order to increase the frequency of customer visits. The hedonic aspect makes Vietnamese

consumers to be impulse buyers who are susceptible to the influence of marketing

communications at the point of purchase (Li et al., 2004). Therefore, supermarket managers

should stimulate hedonic shopping motivations in stores to keep shoppers stay longer and buy

more in supermarkets. This requires positioning strategies to centre not only on the utilitarian

14
aspects but also on hedonic motivations of shoppers such as excitement, entertainment, fantasy,

and fun. Effectively delivering such benefits to customers will produce important outcomes such

as customer loyalty, word-of-mouth communication, and profit (e.g., Carpenter and Fairhurst,

2005; Sirohi, Mclaughlin, and Wittink, 1998).

Furthermore, the role of hedonic shopping motivations in supermarket loyalty is of

importance primarily for higher income groups and older shoppers. These findings suggest that

supermarket managers should focus on factors that are important to their target markets. For

example, concentrating on the hedonic aspect of higher income and older customers will

stimulate them to be more loyal to their supermarkets, which, in turn, may lead to a dramatic

increase in profits. Therefore, supermarket managers should investigate the entertaining shopping

experiences for their target audiences.

Limitations and directions for further research

This study has a number of limitations. Firstly, the empirical investigation was undertaken in one

transitional market using a student sample. Although research has shown that part-time students

can be used as a surrogate for consumers (James and Sonners, 2001), a more representative

sample is required for future research. Future research should also explore other transitional

markets to compare and contrast the findings, which will give a broader picture of hedonic

shopping motivations to supermarket managers in such markets. Furthermore, this study

investigated supermarket shoppers in general. However, the role of hedonic shopping motivations

and supermarket attributes in shopper loyalty may vary with regards to the degree of product

involvement. This requires further exploration in future research. In addition, this study focused

on the hedonic aspect of shopping motivations. A comparison between the role of hedonic

shopping motivations and utilitarian shopping motivations will be needed in future research in

order to fully understand shoppers in the market. Finally, this study only explored the attitudinal

15
perspective of loyalty. Behavioral loyalty should be taken into account in future research in order

to develop a composite index of shopper loyalty.

16
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Table I: Unstandardized structural coefficients
Paths Est(se)* t-value
HSM → SLO 0.39(.119) 3.27
SMA → SLO 0.94(.122) 7.77
SMA → HSM 0.57(.076) 7.53
HSM → ADV 1**
HSM → IDE 0.93(.149) 6.24
HSM → SOC 1.24(.159) 7.82
HSM → GRA 1.13(.150) 7.58
HSM → VAL 1.26(.174) 7.22
HSM → ROL 1.23(.163) 7.60
SMA → MER 1**
SMA → FAC 1.17(.107) 10.99
SMA → EMS 1.08(.098) 11.11
SMA → AFS 0.50(.104) 4.78
*estimates with standard errors; **fixed at 1.

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Table II: Unstandardized structural paths: age and income groups of consumers

Young group Older group

Paths Est(se)* t-value p-value Est(se)* t-value p-value
SMA → HSM .37(.045) 8.26 .000 .46(.077) 5.97 .000
SMA → SLO .18(.023) 7.62 .000 .11(.043) 2.58 .010
HSM → SLO .07(.033) 2.00 .045 .20(.069) 2.94 .003
Low income group Higher income group
SMA → HSM .38(.045) 8.55 .000 .42(.079) 5.35 .000
SMA → SLO .17(.023) 7.60 .000 .14(.048) 3.02 .003
HSM → SLO .06(.031) 1.87 .061 .24(.078) 3.08 .002
*Estimates with standard errors.

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Figure 1: Conceptual model

Hedonic shopping motivations

• Adventure shopping Supermarket attributes
• Gratification shopping • Facilities
H3
• Role shopping • Employee services
• Value shopping • After-sales services
• Social shopping • Merchandise
• Idea shopping
H2

Demographics H4
• Gender
• Age H5
• Income H1
Shopper loyalty

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Figure 2: Structural results (standardized estimates)

.76 .63 .61

.51 .80 .78 .74 .61 .57 .82
.73 .86
.85 ADV .80 FAC .79
GRA EMS
.59 .72 MER .78
.56 .67 .71 .87 .65
.70 ROL .74 .80
.60 .38† .63
.62* .35
.46 HSM SMA AFS
.94 VAL .88
.72 .56*
.78 .43 .21**
.66 SOC .50†
.69 IDE SLO
.64
.81 .76
.74 .75 .76 .66 .69

χ2(547) = 1285.33 (p = .000)

IFI = .911; CFI = .911; GFI = .83; RMSEA = .047
*p < .001; **p < .01; †squared multiple correlations

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 Appendix 1: The Item Scales
Scale items Standardized loadings
Hedonic shopping motivations (HSM)
Adventure shopping (ADV): composite reliability ρc = .74; average variance extracted ρvc = .50
To me, shopping is an adventure .78
I find shopping stimulating .80
Shopping makes me feel I am in my own universe .51
Gratification shopping (GRA): ρc = .77; ρvc = .63
When I am in down mood, I go shopping to make me feel better .73
To me, shopping is a way to relieve stress .85
I go shopping when I want to treat myself to something special .59
Role shopping (ROL): ρc = .65; ρvc = .39
I like shopping for others because when they feel good I feel good .56
I enjoy shopping for my friends and family .70
I enjoy shopping around to find the perfect gift for someone .60
Value shopping (VAL): ρc = .85; ρvc = .74
For the most part, I go shopping when there are sales .94
I enjoy looking for discounts when I shop .78
Social shopping (SOC): ρc = .70; ρvc = .44
I go shopping with my friends or family to socialize .66
I enjoy socializing with others when I shop .69
Shopping with others is a bonding experience .64
Idea shopping (IDE): ρc = .77; ρvc = .62
I go shopping to keep up with the trends .81
I go shopping to keep up with the new fashions .76
Supermarket attributes (SMA)
Facilities (FAC): ρc = .77; ρvc = .41
The layout makes it easy to get around .61
It is easy to find what I’m looking for .76
The shelf is not too high to pick up merchandise with hands .63
The merchandise display is very attractive .61
The supermarket is quite conveniently located to meet people deleted item
The motorbike park is very convenient deleted item
Convenient to do one stop shopping .57
Employee services (EMS): ρc = .84; ρvc = .64
Employees are always courteous .82
Employees are very professional .79
Employees are always willing to respond to my request promptly .78
After sale services (AFS): ρc = .73; ρvc = .59
The supermarket’s refund policy is appropriate .63
The supermarket offers easy exchange services for goods I have purchased .88
Merchandise (MER): ρc = .86; ρvc = .61
Several brands are available in this supermarket .74
This supermarket sells a variety of products from different manufacturers .86
All popular products are sold in this supermarket .80
New products are always sold in this supermarket .72
Shopper loyalty (SLO): ρc = .85; ρvc = .52
I consider myself to be loyal to this supermarket .69

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I am going to do my shopping in this supermarket in the next few weeks .66
Shopping in this supermarket is my first choice .76
I will go shopping in this market in future .75
I will promote this supermarket to my relatives and friends .74

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 Appendix 2: Correlations among components of HSM, SMA and SLO

Correlation r(se) 1-r t-value (1-r) Correlation r(se) 1-r t-value (1-r)
ADV ↔ GRA .67(.087) .33 3.81 GRA ↔ FAC .31(.058) .69 11.80
ADV ↔ FAC .39(.065) .61 9.42 GRA ↔ AFS .05(.053) .95 18.00
MER ↔ FAC .73(.075) .27 3.59 VAL ↔ AFS .12(.051) .88 17.43
MER ↔ EMS .49(.056) .51 9.05 AFS ↔ IDE .26(.059) .74 12.59
EMS ↔ AFS .45(.065) .55 8.38 ROL ↔ IDE .33(.063) .67 10.57
AFS ↔ SLO .31(.059) .69 11.57 ADV ↔ ROL .47(.074) .53 7.11
IDE ↔ SLO .28(.054) .72 13.32 ADV ↔ MER .33(.058) .67 11.46
MER ↔ IDE .12(.050) .88 17.57 SOC ↔ MER .31(.057) .69 12.18
MER ↔ SLO .57(.062) .43 6.88 GRA ↔ SOC .42(.065) .58 8.80
ADV ↔ SLO .42(.063) .58 9.21 AFS ↔ FAC .22(.057) .78 13.61
GRA ↔ ROL .44(.069) .56 8.09 GRA ↔ IDE .15(.053) .85 16.19
ROL ↔ VAL .33(.057) .67 11.78 SOC ↔ EMS .38(.059) .62 10.40
VAL ↔ SOC .38(.056) .62 11.05 ROL ↔ SOC .55(.076) .45 5.93
SOC ↔ IDE .51(.067) .49 7.35 ROL ↔ SLO .47(.066) .53 8.03
VAL ↔ IDE .28(.051) .72 14.20 SLO ↔ FAC .57(.067) .43 6.49
VAL ↔ MER .13(.046) .87 18.90 IDE ↔ FAC .18(.054) .82 15.15
EMS ↔ FAC .55(.064) .45 7.10 ADV ↔ IDE .21(.056) .79 14.13
MER ↔ AFS .23(.055) .77 13.99 ADV ↔ AFS .07(.054) .93 17.15
GRA ↔ MER .29(.054) .71 13.26 ROL ↔ AFS .28(.065) .72 11.12
EMS ↔ SLO .46(.057) .54 9.56 ADV ↔ VAL .29(.054) .71 13.12
ADV ↔ EMS .23(.54) .77 14.38 ADV ↔ SOC .42(.068) .58 8.48
ROL ↔ FAC .50(.072) .50 6.90 GRA ↔ VAL .32(.053) .68 12.87
VAL ↔ FAC .24(.051) .76 14.92 SOC ↔ FAC .48(.068) .52 7.64
VAL ↔ SLO .20(.048) .80 16.89 GRA ↔ EMS .22(.052) .78 14.88
SOC ↔ SLO .41(.061) .59 9.64 GRA ↔ SLO .31(.056) .69 12.33
SOC ↔ AFS .26(.062) .74 11.96 ROL ↔ EMS .37(.061) .63 10.38
VAL ↔ EMS .19(.047) .81 17.23 EMS ↔ IDE .19(.052) .81 15.58
ROL ↔ MER .39(.062) .61 9.75 r(se): correlations with standard errors

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