ShareThisBy SHARON EBERSON
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Five hours of shopping vs. five hours on a golf course: Who's having more fun?
This is one of those debates that usually draw sides along gender lines, although a do-it-yourselfer left on his own at Home Depot may have other ideas.
Stereotypes aside, that the vast majority of recreational shoppers are women isn't up to debate. The real question is: What do recreational shoppers get out of those five hours that keeps them coming back for more?
Suzy Gershman, who writes Frommer's "Born to Shop" travel guides about places such as London, Paris, Italy and Hong Kong, has a theory.
When shopping, "I'm looking for the same thing the guy gets from golfing _ energy, excitement, drama, entertainment," says Gershman, who spoke by phone last month as she was preparing for her first trip to Sydney. "It isn't about 'I need something.' Or even, 'I want.' ... It's just that some people like playing golf, some people like to go shopping."
"Why people buy things they don't need" is a good question for Pam Danziger, an author and recreational shopper who wrote a book titled just that.
"There isn't a one-size-fits-all about why we shop for fun," says Danziger, who studies consumer behavior and recently took on the shop-for-fun set for her upcoming book, "Shopping: Why We Love It and How Retailers Can Create the Ultimate Shopping Experience" (Kaplan Business, October 2006).
"The reasons are as different as there are different personalities."
Based on surveys and focus groups involving shoppers earning $50,000 or more (disposable income was a must), Danziger divides recreational shoppers into five categories that explain motivations _ for instance, the therapeutic shopper, who likes to browse at least as much as she likes to buy. Her book examines the consumer mind-set, "shops that pop" and how retailers can focus in "on the pleasure and enjoyment of the shopper."
Her goal, like ours, was to discover "why people shop for fun and what their thrills are."
She found that recreational shoppers embrace the total experience. "They love a store because it touches them personally and emotionally," Danziger writes in her new book.
"This shift toward the shopping experience marks the biggest change to occur in the retailing landscape over the past century."
There's a lot that goes into the shopping experience, and it starts with that mind-set Danziger writes about.
Recreational shopping is all about fitness and fun, not competition. The latter implies eyes on a prize, whether it's an item or bargain _ so if you come home empty-handed, you've lost. For the recreational shopper, the goal is shopping itself.
Shopping for its own sake has no threat of rainouts. It's also an ageless activity filled with bonding opportunities, as much for parents and children as it is for teen mallrats. It's also a way for the money-strapped to observe trends without going broke.
Candace Corlett, principal partner at WSL Strategic Retail, the consulting firm that owns the brand "How America Shops," says leisure shopping can be the ideal multitasking activity. Which may be why, when shoppers answer survey questions about favorite stores, they most often pick a mass merchandiser _ a "lifestyle center," is how Corlett put it.
"When asked attributes of their favorite shopping place, at top of the list is, it's a great place to spend time browsing."
She adds that shopping can be a guilt-free activity when you pick up necessities and entertain the family or commune with friends on the same trip. There's no denying the satisfaction in multitasking, she says.
The next generation of shoppers has a big influence on where Mom and Dad shop, for fun or for necessities. Corlett describes a typical Friday night out these days as grabbing pizza, then taking a trip to Target, where everyone goes their separate ways to favorite departments, and finishing up at Starbucks.
"Today, that's family night." And if you have any doubts, "just look at the parking lot at Target on a Friday night or Sunday afternoon."
According to a poll by ACNielsen, American shoppers are much more goal-oriented than their counterparts worldwide.
In the poll released June 15, ACNielsen said that Americans fall below the global average for recreational shopping, with 68 percent shopping when they don't really need anything. In comparison, the Asia-Pacific region has 84 percent polled saying they shop for entertainment.
Corlett, however, believes there's a glitch in the global numbers. Her company's survey of Americans asked respondents to answer the question: I like to spend time browsing; 41 percent of women and 28 percent of men said they do.
"I think it's double that," she said. "That just reflects those who admit it."
