Consumer Behavior: Building Marketing Strategy 13th Edition by Delbert Hawkins, David Mothersbaugh

Exercise 25

Need Sets of Mall and Factory Outlet Shoppers
What do you look for in a retail experience Entertainment Branded merchandise Convenient parking It turns out that all of these are important, but not all of them are important to every consumer. Thus, retailers must know what need sets exist and what segments exist around those need sets. One research study that gives some insight into this found four basic need sets for traditional malls and factory outlets: 8
1. Mall Essentials - basic requirements including
•Cleanliness
•Décor
•Employee service and friendliness
•Safety and security
•Parking
2. Entertainment - fun extras such as
•Fast food
•Movie theatres
•Other services such as banks and hair specialists
•Friends who shop the retailer
3. Convenience - factors that make shopping easier including
•Close to work and\or home
•Accessible to home and\or work
4. Brand-name Merchandise - brand availability as follows:
•Brand-name stores
•Current fashions
•New products
•More stores
As you can see, each need set represents a related cluster of characteristics. In addition, however, consumers can be grouped (segmented) in terms of their similarity regarding the importance they place on the different need sets. For example, there is the "Basic" shopper segment that only cares about mall essentials; an "Enthusiast" shopper segment that cares about all the need sets, with a particularly high emphasis on entertainment; a "serious shopper" who cares about brand-name merchandise and convenience; a "Destination" shopper who cares about mall essentials and brand-name merchandise; and a "Brand" shopper who only cares about brand-name merchandise. Clearly all shoppers are not the same, and retailers must work hard to adapt to the differing need sets of different shopper segments.
Can you characterize the different shopper segments in terms of various demographic traits such as age, gender, income, family role, and so on