Exploring Similarities and Differences Of Mall Shopping Motives and Patterns Among Chinese and Thai Shoppers.

Abstract

Prior cross-cultural studies have shown few investigations of mall shopping behavior in non-western contexts.  In order to bridge this gap, this study explored shopping motives and patterns in two Eastern cultures – Thailand and China, in a mall setting.  Our results indicate that while both Chinese and Thai shoppers are driven to shop at malls for purchase-related reasons, Thai shoppers are more likely to visit shopping malls for fulfilling hedonic needs. In addition, similarities and differences were found in the shopping patterns of the shoppers across two countries. The findings contribute to the existing mall literature by showing that within a larger framework of Asian culture, there do appear to be cultural differences between the two countries, affecting consumer behavior in ways that mall retailers should be aware of. The results are expected to provide practical guidance for international mall retailers.