Market segmentation and customer knowledge for shopping centers

Shopping centers represent a substantial slice of the UK economy and have rightly attracted considerable research. Despite interest from academics and practitioners, little research attention has been paid to the market segmentation of shoppers. Proactive marketing management is a feature of only a minority of UK shopping centers. The marketing communications of most would appear to be aimed mainly at a homogenised consumer population, rather than attempting to target specific groups. It is based on an empirical investigation of six UK shopping centers, ranging in size from a small in-town subregional center to a large out-of-town regional center, the total number of respondents being 287. Earlier studies have described the 'attractiveness' and 'distance' aspects of shopping center choice. Here, we explore the differences in behaviour between shoppers and draw attention to differences between exemplar segments as to which attributes are critical in shopping center choice. Our post hoc shopper classification based on a psychographic analysis is central to the findings. Two groups identified, 'service' vs. 'shops' importance motivation, were more effective than conventional a priori segmentation bases in modelling spending behaviour. Implications are drawn for center managements and researchers. We conclude with a suggestion for a greater degree of data sharing between shopping center owners and retail tenants.