Shopper typologies have been developed on these dimensions:
Shopping value.
Information research.
Purchasing behaviour.
SHOPPER TYPES AND VALUE ORIENTATIONS:
One of the earliest and most widely used typologies was developed by stone 1954 on the values emphasized in shopping. After interviewing 150 women in chicago. Stone identified four types of shoppers:
THE ECONOMIC SHOPPER: this is the type of shop our regards shopping as buying and is oriented to shopping efficiency just shoppers judge store by objective standards such as price policy, and they are storm ends of merchandise. rather than buy store personalization or convenience.
THE PERSONALIZING SHOPPER: this type of shopper once the opportunity for social contact and forms strong personal attachment with store employees. Stores that are more intimate are preferred.
THE ETHICAL SHOPPER: this type of shopper is motivated by normative criteria of what should be done to help out local store merchants, particularly those whose business seem to be small.
THE APATHETIC SHOPPER: this individual does not like shopping and finds little satisfaction in establishing personal relations with store personnel. Convenience is very highly valued by this type of shopper . in order to minimise time and trouble of shopping.
SHOPPER TYPES BY LEVEL OF INFORMATION SEARCH:
Chopin types can also be identify by level of information search in shopping. A study of new automobile buyers identified four types of shoppers namely:
Constructive Shoppers: this type of shoppers spend an average of six hours searching for information on new cars compared to the average of about 20 hours for other shopper groups. They make an average 12 visit to dealer showrooms compared to an average of less than five visit for others. This group is more likely to read consumer oriented magazines.
Surrogate Shoppers: people in this category give it to others in the household to shop for cars. Even though total hours spent in shopping are above average.
Preparatory Shoppers: this refers to those who are more likely to engage and out of store information research reading magazines, talking to friends than install information acquisition dealers salespeople.
Routinised Shoppers: this type of shoppers know in advance the manufacturer and dealers from whom the car will be purchased and are more likely to be satisfied with the previous car. Well as constructive shoppers spend an average of 6 to 7 hours in information search routinised shoppers spend only 6 hours.
The implication of the above categorisation are that advertising a car characteristics will have the greatest effect on constructive and preparatory shoppers. Advertising a car in a family or social setting will be most effective for the sorrugate shoppers information from dealers And to a lesser degree. Surrogate and preparatory shoppers.
Moschis 1976 provides another statistics dimension to shopper profiles by relating shopping orientation to purchase behaviour. He defines six types of shoppers who purchase cosmetic products namely:
special sales shoppers.
Brand loyal.
Store royal.
problem solving Find it hard to decide on cosmetic products.
socializing because messages that friends used. And name conscious judge cosmetics by stores that sells them.
Advertising is used as a source of information by cosmetics mainly by brand loyal and name conscious shoppers. Socializing stoppers rely on friends enables for information. Problem solvers spend the most time watching tv. Special cells shoppers rely on free samples more than others. And have more of a need for objective price and product information.
Such a profile of shopper types provides retail management with guidelines for determining the information demanded by these segments and for teaching them. These processes consumer should I've given price information on alternative products and can best be reached by home oriented magazines. And should be told the blind alternatives that are carried by various stores.
