Assessing Grocery Store Attraction via Cross-Shopping Linkages

Abstract

The present study is unique in its approach to assessing the value of cross-shopping by categorizing stores as either a customer attraction or a customer sharing store. Previous research has used consumer perceptions of store qualities (i.e., service quality, price, store brands) to develop consumer profiles of cross-shoppers. These profiles are subsequently linked to specific retail formats. In the current study results from a mail survey of grocery shoppers located in Charlotte, NC are used to measure a store’s attraction/sharing ratio. The study found that infrequent shoppers perceive attraction stores to have greater service quality, but these perceptions change as shopping frequency increases. The findings imply that a grocery store owner should focus on reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy to attract cross-shoppers away from the competition.