ARTICLE IN PRESSTourism Management 25 (2004) 751–759 Shopping experience evaluation: a case of domestic and international visitors Atila Yuksel* School of Tourism Administration and Hotel Management, Adnan Menderes University, Candan Tarhan Bulvari No. 6 Kusadasi-Aydin 09400, Turkey Received 26 October 2002; accepted 25 July 2003 Abstract Understanding domestic and international visitors and delivering service quality that meets the expectations and needs of these markets should be among the key objectives of retail and commercial sector in tourist resorts. Shopping is an important tourist activity and its contribution to the economy is significant. For many visitors no trip is complete without having spent time shopping and tourists often feel they cannot return home without buying ‘something’. Shopping on vacation goes beyond functional utility and task orientation and provides other experiential benefits. This research examined domestic and international visitors’ perceptions of service provided in shops and attempted to understand whether domestic and international visitors differed in their service evaluation and shopping item preferences. The analysis was based on Kusadasi Chamber of Commerce database. Mann–Whitney U-tests indicated significant differences between domestic and international visitors’ evaluation of service delivered in shops. Domestic visitors were more negative in their service evaluations than their international counterparts. Chi-square tests revealed that these two groups also differed significantly in their shopping preferences. Management implications of the study are discussed and recommendations are provided. r 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Shopping experience; Service perceptions; Domestic tourism 1. Introduction Shopping is seldom mentioned as the primary motive for undertaking a trip. It is however an important leisure and tourist activity and also a significant contributor to an economy (Cook, 1995; Di Matteo & Di Matteo, 1996; Jansen-Verbeke, 1991; Timothy & Butler, 1995). For many visitors no trip is complete without having spent time shopping (Kent, Schock, & Snow, 1983 cited in Turner & Reisinger, 2000; Heung & Qu, 1997). Previous studies reported that travellers often spend more money on shopping than on food, lodging or other entertainment (Turner & Reisinger, 2001). In some regions of the world shopping ranks number one in terms of tourist expenditure (Turner & Reisinger, 2001). Shopping may constitute a major attraction drawing tourists to many less developed countries where prices of goods are generally low (Jansen-Verbeke, 1991; Ryan, 1991; Timothy & Butler, 1995). Hence, other than *Tel.: +90-256-612-5503; fax: +90-256-612-9842. E-mail address:
[email protected] (A. Yuksel). 0261-5177/$ - see front matter r 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2003.09.012 simply accounting for the largest portion of total tourist spending, shopping actually offers a real attraction for tourists (Law & Au, 2000). Although the retail sector makes a significant contribution to the tourism industry and forms a major tourist activity, little information has been collected on how domestic and international visitors perceive the services provided in shops and other retail outlets. The limited research focusing on domestic tourism is surprising considering the annual growth rate of domestic tourism worldwide (3 percent), its share in total tourism (75 percent) and its economic impact (Turner & Reisinger, 2001). Focusing on shopping experience, the present study sought to assess domestic and international visitors’ evaluation of service provided by the retail sector. Mann–Whitney U-tests indicated significant differences between domestic and international visitors’ perceptions of services in shops and chisquare tests revealed that these two groups differed in shopping items purchased. Compared to their international counterparts, domestic visitors were more negative in their service evaluations. Tourist shopping behaviour may be different from that of an ordinary shopping and there may be several shopping motives when on holiday. 2001). had dissimilarity in their expectations for hotel services. many tourists may seek to experience a specific habitat (i. the tourist sheds the culture of his/her home environment and assumes a tourist culture. etc. self-gratification. The physical attributes of a store can also significantly raise or lower a store’s evaluation (Peritz. it develops an attractive tourist product. Mok and Armstrong (1998) showed that tourists from different countries.ARTICLE IN PRESS 752 A. 1994). Tourist shoppers may seek unique products and souvenirs and are concerned about the brand names and logos. McCleary. the subject of shopping as a tourist activity has been relatively under researched. Wang and Ryan (1999. talking with other shoppers and shop assistants. Adopting a tourist culture may be quicker for international visitors. It includes items such as clothes. ‘‘it creates an attractive and inviting environment and incentive to travel. 1999). the UK. direct and unambiguous) (Mattila. spatial change and length of holiday. Domestic visitors. particularly in the manner of negotiating the purchase. price. The reverse however could also be true. The literature on shopping is replete with studies indicating that consumers may view shopping experiences as entertainment or recreation (Jones. product and package size. Mok. more tolerant of mistakes and may even find some failures amusing. Go and Chan (1997) reached a similar conclusion that customer expectations for hotels might be culture-bound rather than culture-free. 1994 cited in Jones. The service providers’ ability to speak the customer’s language is thought important. escaping from the mundane and accepting a challenge that is associated with shopping (Law & Au. which latter can be characterized by intrinsic satisfaction. USA. Armstrong. Choi and Weaver (1998) identified many significant differences between Korean and US business travellers in the importance placed on specific hotel characteristics. In other words. 2001. being in their own country. learning about local traditions and new trends. duty-free goods and electronic goods (Turner & Reisinger.. among other things. recreation and shopping activities. the home of ordinary life culture assumes a backdrop or residual position (Jafari. product attributes and location of stores (Gee. Literature review A considerable percentage of a tourist’s time and money is spent on shopping. Turning shopping into an enjoyable experience has become a frequent strategy of many retailers in tourist destinations. The range of goods purchased by tourists is large and it does not just consist of souvenirs and necessary personal items. socializing with friends. Japan and Taiwan.e. jewellery. In addition to acquiring goods. The tourist departs from his relatively constant ordinary world and temporarily exists in a non-ordinary world at the destination (Jafari. 1995). The purchase of a product may or may not be an important element of enjoyable shopping experiences. previous travel experience. art and craft. including the motives of diversion. This argument is based on the elements of relaxation. 2001). & Dawson. Emotions characteristic of these shopping experiences have been linked to several important outcomes such as increased time spent in the store. These reflect the capabilities of shopping to entertain and include looking at exhibits. 1993). cited in Turner & Reisinger. distance travelled. 17). Turner and Reisinger (2001. may not shed their home culture to the extent that international . and browsing with no intentions of buying (Jones. most Asian cultures (arguably including the Turkish culture) prefer high-context communication (non-verbal mode of communication). as this will be an indication of the hosts’ welcoming and caring attitudes (Reisinger & Waryszak. 1999). 1999). and it is a source of pleasure and excitement’’. For example. Jansen-Verbeke (1991) emphasises that the development of shopping sectors is instrumental in tourism promotion. In the hospitality literature. As a result. whereas most Western cultures prefer low-context communication (explicit. 1972 cited in Jones. the traveller may become less critical. 2001) and the items bought may differ from culture to culture and also between young and senior travellers (Kim & Littrell. Once the individual has arrived at the destination. and sensory stimulation (Tauber. Tourists from different countries have shown evidence of differences in destination behaviour patterns such as trip arrangement. p. 2000). tourists may have an extremely fun filled and entertaining shopping experience without making a purchase. 1999). 1993). Ridgway. increased spending. 1999). 1987). p. Different cultures may value different aspects in a service experience. The desire and necessity for shopping could motivate a tourist to travel (Timothy & Butler. expenditure. as they are in a different country. The extent of submersion into a tourist culture may differ between domestic and international travellers due to. Shopping behaviour may change within the exciting and non-home atmosphere of travel (Turner & Reisinger. Tourists may seek utilitarian or pleasurable shopping experiences. Yuksel / Tourism Management 25 (2004) 751–759 2. books. In other words. 1987). 1999). perceived freedom and involvement. 2001) suggest that cultural differences between international tourists shoppers are significant. however. increased unplanned purchasing and increased liking of the store (Jones. It should be noted that tourists may have multiple motives for a single shopping trip. 16) enumerate several reasons for including shopping as a tourist activity. Australia. the shopping street) in different ways (Bloch. 1987 cited in Turner & Reisinger. Studies have shown that how shoppers are treated at the store figures prominently in the evaluation and price has major bearing on shoppers’ ratings (Peritz. Kusadasi has transformed itself from a resort town visited mainly by domestic visitors into an international destination. drawing international tourists in high volumes. and to strengthen Turkish Chambers’ role as key players in local development. differences between domestic and international visitors behaviour may be explained by their differing degree of assumption of a tourist culture. but also for cruise passengers and day trippers. lack of new investment. not on reality itself (Reisinger & Waryszak. His research revealed that the domestic visitors were more active and less hedonistic than their international counterparts who tended towards passive/hedonistic behaviour. While it is not simple. The following section details the broad objectives of the project and then introduces the research instrument utilised in this study. P2: Domestic and international visitors will differ in their shopping item preferences. An international airport is an hour’s drive away. 2002) (Interested readers are referred to Jafari (1987) for residual and tourist culture). Located in southwest of Turkey. if not all of the characteristics of stagnation (e. they may expect the same level of service and treatment that they were accustomed to in their hometown. Authorities are aware that the decline will accelerate unless corrective and preventive measures are initiated. unfashionable image. historical and cultural richness and enjoys an accessible location. Domestic visitors are in an environment that is similar to that of their place of origin and these similarities may stimulate the tourists’ residual culture and prevent them from adopting a tourist culture and behaving in a hedonistic/ passive manner to the same degree as the international tourists (Carr. environmental quality enhancement or the repositioning of the destination within an overall market (Agarwal. Kusadasi Chamber of Trade’s proposal was short listed as a potential Chamber in the partnership with nine other cities in Turkey. and the relative familiarity of their vacation surroundings.g. This implies that the home culture of domestic visitors may remain dormant during the trip due to similarity of the environment. 1994). 1994). Carr’s (2002) recent research demonstrated that the distance travelled had an influence on tourist behaviour and identified differences between domestic and international young tourists’ holiday behaviour. Representatives of Eurochmabres visited the pre-selected chambers and carried out detailed interviews with the candidate Chambers. surplus bed capacity. the town boasts of a diverse natural. drink or grocery items. the Kusadasi Commercial Action Plan1 has been initiated through the 1 The Turkey Chamber Development Programme has been developed under the European Union’s ‘‘Civil Society Development Programme’’. a motorway connects the town to other major cities. . It should be noted that this paper was based on a database of a continuing restructuring project. Kusadasi Chamber of Commerce and the Valencia Chamber of Commerce. 2002). namely Kusadasi Commercial Action Plan (KCAP). property turnover rates are high. whose broad objective is to reinforce civil society in Turkey. more visitors from East-European countries) and a noticeable decline in tourism income continues. Once developed.g. measuring customer perception of service is important as the customer evaluation of service and future behaviour (e. the town’s visitor profile has changed (e. Recently. The town is located closely to Ephesus—the Mecca of travellers visiting Turkey—and it caters not only for international and domestic holidaymakers. 2002). Consistent with Heung and Qua (1998) in this study shopping is defined as the expenditure on goods purchased in Kusadasi by visitors either for consumption or for export but not including expenditure on food. Laing (1987) suggests that domestic visitors are more able to become involved with the host population and gain local information from them because of the lack of any language barriers. Two objectives of this research were to identify similarities and differences in (a) service evaluation of domestic and international visitors and (b) in their shopping item preferences. Kusadasi Chamber of Commerce was matched with Valencia Chamber of Trade. The preceding discussion leads to the propositions that: P1: Domestic visitors and international visitors will differ in their evaluation of services/products provided in shops. Hence. Spain.ARTICLE IN PRESS A. which is being conducted jointly by Kusadasi Local Government.g. Yuksel / Tourism Management 25 (2004) 751–759 753 visitors could.. It is argued in the literature that what a customer perceives can differ from objective reality (Reisinger & Waryszak. compared to foreign holiday makers. repeat purchase) depends on the perception.) (Cavus. The Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Eurochambres) started this new initiative to establish sustainable linkages between EU and Turkish Chambers. 2002). etc. Kusadasi Commercial Action Plan Coupled with Turkey’s growing emphasis on international tourism during the 1980s. While there is not adequate quantifiable information as to where the town stands in terms of its life cycle. and the town is also accessible by sea. Hence. such as the re-orientation of tourism attractions. 3. decline may be offset if counter-measures are adopted. Representative teams of these two Chambers and stakeholders with an interest in Kusadasi met several times in order to develop a methodology for the formulation and application of the action plan for the pilot project. it is apparent that the image of the town has deteriorated significantly due to lack of planned development (Cavus. The present tourism development stage of Kusadasi exhibits many. this project will be implemented in the following 6-month period. In response to current stagnation.. Therefore. Belgium (8. variety of products on offer. ranging from very good to very poor. The answers were rated on a four-point scale. Kusadasi Chamber of Commerce. with a range of 11–77 years. 729 usable questionnaires returned. While this is a convenience sample. consisting of six major sections. It was difficult to recruit tourists. Of all Turkish visitors. A single-page questionnaire. Out of 3500. England (11%). previous visit.1. commercial offers. The second section sought to understand visitors’ travel motives and places that domestic and international visitors visited during their stay in Kusadasi.1%) and Germany (4. Bulgaria (5. The administration of survey lasted approximately a month and 3500 questionnaires were distributed. signposting. The selection of subjects was made by the method of convenience sampling subject to availability of domestic and international tourists in Kusadasi at the time the survey was conducted. A value of one was assigned to a response rated very good.3. entertainment. quality of services and safety of shopping. age. Yuksel / Tourism Management 25 (2004) 751–759 participation of Local Government. The research instrument The literature on destination image and shopping and a series of consultation with experts from Valencia Chamber of Commerce. lodging type. Association of Kusadasi Retailers and Kusadasi Chamber of Trade. income. Dutch. These included nationality. safety. prices charged for goods. Of the total 139 domestic visitors returned usable questionnaires and 590 of the questionnaires completed by international visitors were suitable for the analysis. It should be noted that only the analysis of . 4. Eighty five percent of the international visitors stated that they would consider coming to Kusadasi in the future. and representatives of public. ability to provide customers with information (knowledge of products). Respondents were required to assess Kusadasi’s performance on the following 12 critical areas. The next section examined visitors shopping intention and items that they have bought. visitors’ perceptions of shopping experience and their shopping item preferences will be discussed here. it does comprise a wide variety of sociodemographic backgrounds of respondents. A series of chi-square tests were 4.5%). image. ease of communication. Ninety percent of the international visitors engaged in shopping during their stay in Kusadasi. 2001. The majority of Turkish visitors were male (65%). Questions included in the fifth section sought the kind of services/facilities that were used by visitors during their stay. Orams & Page. The first stage of the project involves a collection of actionable information about international and domestic visitors and their perceptions of services provided in Kusadasi. Procedure Different locations of the town were selected for the distribution of survey and trained interviewers administered surveys to conveniently selected visitors. The first section sought demographic and visit related information about visitors.2. duration of stay. which represents a response rate of 21 percent. culinary offers. cleanliness. appearance of shops. The greater part of the international visitors was first-time visitors to Kusadasi (79%) and 21 percent were repeat visitors. 4. architectural appearance. Visitors’ perceptions in relation to 12 key areas of service at shops were examined. for working on a relatively lengthy questionnaire (Bowen.7%). 70 percent were repeat visitors. respondents were required to indicate whether they considered extending their stay and whether they would like to come to Kusadasi in the future. recreation facilities. In the final section. expected and actual shopping expenses and total holiday expenses. The mean age for international visitors was 34. beaches.6%). and a value of four assigned to a response that rated very poor. Yugoslavian and Romanian). voluntary and private organisations in Kusadasi provided the basis for developing a questionnaire for this project. Ireland (6. was developed and translated into four other languages (English. mode of trip. Data analysis The majority of the international visitors were male (60%) and 40 percent were female. Seventy percent of Turkish visitors stated that they shopped in Kusadasi during their stay and 85 percent would consider Kusadasi in the future as a holiday destination. cleanliness. traffic. their average length of stay was 7 days and the majority (55%) stayed in hotels. followed by summer houses (24%). 2000). namely shop assistants respect for customers. Research methodology 4. gender. personal attention. The majority of international visitors were package tourists (82%) and 18% were on non-organised tours. followed by Yugoslavia (18%). occupation. Hotels were the main accommodation type preferred by international tourists (86%) and the majority stayed over 2 weeks (37%). Valencia Chamber of Commerce and other private and voluntary organizations in Kusadasi. and historical places. whose main motivations are enjoyment and relaxation. The majority of international visitors were from Holland (21%). The relatively low return rate of usable questionnaire could be due to the length of the questionnaire and limited time that many visitors had for filling-in the form. Visitors were sampled during late August and early September. Association of Kusadasi Retailers. their interior and exterior design. travel party-size.ARTICLE IN PRESS 754 A. shop appearance. Several explanations may be suggested. Firstly.76 1. in this study perceptions of Dutch.ARTICLE IN PRESS A. exhibition and design. shop appearance.13 2.62 1. product variety and safety of shopping.000 3790.000 4159. Figures in Table 1 show that Dutch visitors were however unhappy with staff knowledge of products. Differences in service evaluation Yugoslavian tourists perceived the personal attention provided by shop assistants as good (Table 1). The two groups of visitors evaluated product quality and cleanliness almost identically. The mean scores further suggest that Dutch visitors’ evaluation of ease of communication was negative. Mann–Whitney U-test was employed to identify differences between Turkish and Yugoslavian. including staff knowledge.500 3773.81 1.500 3711. with 0. Considering the growing number of Dutch and Yugoslavian visitors to Kusadasi.97 1. respect for customers. the majority of products on offer in Kusadasi are likely to be available in places where domestic tourists come from and it is probable that higher prices asked for may have led to a negative Table 1 Comparison of mean perception scores between domestic and Yugoslavian visitors Yugoslavian Personal attention Service quality Product quality Staff knowledge Shop appearance Cleanliness of shops Exhibition/design Product/service variety Prices Respect Safe shopping Ease of communication 1. service quality. prices. p ¼ 0:103). Yugoslavian and domestic visitors were analysed. ten showed significant differences between Turkish and Yugoslavian visitors (Table 2). domestic visitors were unhappy with the communication ability of shop assistants.66 1. product variety. and between domestic and Yugoslavian visitors’ perception of services provided in shops. To assess any nature of differences between domestic and these international visitors’ shopping item preferences.77 1.448 0.000 0. These are service quality. Similar to Dutch visitors. service quality.94 2. Mann–Whitney U-test was used. Yuksel / Tourism Management 25 (2004) 751–759 755 carried out in order to assess the nature of any differences between international and domestic visitors.92 2. exhibition and design.050 0.06 2.500 3208.000 0. p ¼ 0:000). The ratings of domestic visitors showed that nine out of 12 areas were negatively perceived.023 0. A comparison between ratings of Turkish and Dutch visitors suggested that these two visitor groups significantly differed in their evaluation of six areas (Table 2).87 1.416 0. there were no significant differences between the mean scores of Turkish and Dutch visitors. respect for customers. safety of shopping and ease of communication.02 2.011 0.000 2902. shop appearance.014 . On the remaining six areas. staff knowledge.05 significance level.000 0. The areas that appear to have been assessed significantly differently were personal attention.26 2. namely personal attention.07 1.88 1. There were however significant differences between domestic and international visitors in terms of their previous visit frequency to Kusadasi (w2 ¼ 124:846. Domestic and international visitors evaluated level of prices significantly differently.15 2.57 1. Of 12 service areas assessed. Dutch visitors reported that personal attention to customers given by shop assistants was satisfactory. respectfulness. Mean scores for other intangible elements of service.23 Mann–Whitney U 3454. were carried out. Similar to Yugoslavians.53 2. (2 tailed) 0. The two-tailed probability test was used to find out if any differences between domestic and international shoppers occurred. p ¼ 0:604) and age (w2 ¼ 124:801. p ¼ 0:000) and length of stay (w2 ¼ 20:960. variety of products on offer.89 2. and between Turkish and Dutch visitors.000 2879. and respect for customers. The independent group test was chosen to determine whether there were changes in visitors’ perceptions of services. Comparison of mean scores between the two groups suggests that Turkish visitors were more negative about these areas than visitors from Yugoslavia. staff knowledge. There were no differences between the two samples in terms of their gender (w2 ¼ 2:733.4. staff knowledge. a series of chi-square tests.000 0.97 1.81 1.000 3156. To understand whether there were differences between domestic and Dutch. 4.500 3084. cleanliness. The finding that domestic visitors were discontented with prices charged for goods should not be surprising. and if the scores between the two groups were statistically significant. shopping safety.01 1.95 Turkish 1.000 4395.000 0.000 0. exhibition style and shop interiors.500 3656. and perception of safety suggest that Yugoslavians evaluated these attributes favourably.500 Sig. These visitors also found product quality and prices relatively reasonable. 53 2. Interestingly however.01 1. a high price for tourists and a lower price for locals) exercised frequently in tourist attracting regions may have contributed to the negative evaluation.or English-speaking shop assistants.012 0. responsiveness and enthusiasm.000 4518. Secondly. this merits further analysis.89 2.000 4776. Turkish visitors may be more price-sensitive than their international counterparts. because perceptions of distrust and dissatisfaction increase with the absence of eye contact.654 0. attention to domestic visitors and try to make frequent and appropriate eye-contact with them.00 1.15 2.ARTICLE IN PRESS 756 A.000 Sig. they may also wish for attentive and caring shop assistants. Dutch visitors were unhappy with a lack of ease of communication with shop assistants.92 2. 1999).06 2.005 0. As with tourists from other countries. on which domestic visitors differed from Yugoslavians and Dutch visitors.02 2.94 2. Service encounters in shopping typically involve the delivery of the requested service/product and some sort of interpersonal communication between the shopper and shop assistants.000 0. Thirdly.372 evaluation of the prices. will positively influence shoppers’ overall evaluation of shopping experience and perceptions of service quality (Jones. Note that neither Dutch nor Yugoslavian shoppers evaluated this attribute negatively (Tables 1 and 2). Considering that both shop assistants and domestic visitors speak the same language. While visitors may enjoy having a sense of unlimited time and freedom in which to look around and browse.612 0. The negative evaluation of communication implies that shop assistants should show more.80 1.003 0. domestic visitors may want the freedom to look around.500 3811.23 Mann–Whitney U 3687.. Retailers should stress to shop assistants the importance of both not being overbearing to and negligent of shoppers.000 3670.000 3760. The use of Turkish during the service encounter may have enabled the asking of more specific questions to which shop assistants may not know the answer.500 2980.500 4618. Obviously there is a fine line between being readily available and being overbearing (Jones. The personal attention that domestic visitors obtained from shop assistants was not found to be very satisfactory (Tables 1 and 2) and domestic visitors evaluated salespersons’ respectfulness negatively.500 3906.000 4617.93 2. (2 tailed) 0.11 Turkish 1.000 4845.500 4875.09 1. The communication should not just be taken as the verbal ability of shop assistants.07 1.996 0. The important of shop assistants’ product knowledge on customer evaluation of service quality can hardly be debated. Dutch visitors found the respect shown as unsatisfactory. Shop assistants’ verbal and non-verbal behaviour during the shopping.00 2.13 2. and this may have resulted from an absence or limited number of Dutch. was the product knowledge of shop assistants. such as friendliness.11 1.94 2.63 1. Another area. The shop assistant’s ability in adjusting his/her behaviour depending upon the visitor is thus critical. Shop assistants’ display of affective characteristics. Yuksel / Tourism Management 25 (2004) 751–759 Table 2 Comparison of mean perception scores between domestic and Dutch visitors Dutch Personal attention Service quality Product quality Staff knowledge Shop appearance Cleanliness of shops Exhibition/design Product/service variety Prices Respect Safe shopping Ease of communication 1. Shopping safety was another area negatively evaluated by domestic visitors. if not equal.746 0. Similarly.93 2.000 0. such as words of greeting and courtesy will affect shoppers’ perceptions of employee friendliness and consequently enhance the perceived quality of the service interaction. An acceptance of domestic visitors as being as important as international tourists as customer is likely to improve Turkish visitors’ perceptions of shop assistants’ likeability and believability.000 0.822 0.e. This may have resulted from the fact that domestic consumer confidence in the retail sector in touristic towns is . as communication involves more than speaking.55 1.90 2. 1999). but they may want shop assistants to be readily available when needed. This may have resulted from an apparent overbearing or ignorant attitude of shop assistants. It might be that Turkish visitors held negative perception because shop assistants do not have the high level of product knowledge expected by domestic visitors.26 2. It is also possible that the travel budget of domestic visitors may be smaller than that of international tourists and this may have caused negative evaluation. Knowledgeable shop assistants can help visitors efficiently accomplish their purchasing task by providing information. an awareness of so-called double pricing (i. domestic visitors also reported communication with shop assistants as unsatisfactory. visitors from Yugoslavia were found to prefer purchasing ready-made garments and leather products. p ¼ 0:000).179 Leather products 16 (12) 43 (40) 11 (7) 48. For example.000 Purses 12 (9) 7 (6) 10 (7) 1. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Turkish visitors. 1999). A strategy could entail a store design that allows for quick and efficient purchase trips for those seeking a utilitarian shopping experience.035 0. this paper examined whether there were differences between domestic and international visitors’ shopping item preferences and their perceptions of services provided in shops. It is likely that shoppers’ motives will have a large influence on the type of shopping environment that is sought. including shop appearance. Yuksel / Tourism Management 25 (2004) 751–759 Table 3 Items bought by domestic and international visitors (% of tourists in brackets) Souvenir Dutch Yugoslavian Turkish w2 p 66 (53) 65 (61) 53 (38) 13.000 757 traditionally low and they perceive shop assistants as financially exploitative. Conclusion and implications Shopping is recognised as an important tourist activity and it ranks among the significant hardcurrency earners. showed that international and domestic visitors differed significantly (Table 3). 4. Neither domestic nor international visitors can have fun and an entertaining experience in a shop that has a dreary environment or in a shop that is organized so poorly that merchandise is not easily located (Jones. and price reductions from shop assistants that they were accustomed to in their own region.559 Turkish Carpets 2 (1) 4 (3) 11 (7) 5.ARTICLE IN PRESS A. Dutch and Yugoslavian visitors purchased jewellery more than domestic visitors (w2 ¼ 23:595. Visitors may receive intrinsic satisfaction not only from the act of purchasing.872 0. frequently report dissatisfaction with so-called discriminative attitude of service personnel. The layout of the shop should be spacious enough so visitors do not feel crowded by other shoppers or the merchandise. while at the same time providing opportunities for entertaining shopping experiences (Jones. It may be that the shop assistants were more hospitable towards international tourists. Stocking a variety of items may help domestic visitors have fun by looking at a wide assortment of products. Remarks obtained from domestic visitors during the implementation of this study seem to substantiate this. They may however be relatively under accommodating and show no or little effort to change or move towards domestic visitors verbally and non-verbally. 5. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Turks on holiday on their own soil are over demanding. finding a good deal. conducted to understand whether visitors differed in shopping items they bought during their stay in Kusadasi. In contrast. Domestic visitors may view shopping experience as utilitarian. Shop assistants may modify their speech and language verbally and non-verbally to accommodate international visitors. Their style geared for international visitors may not match what domestic visitors want from a shop assistant.002 Imitation products 38 (30) 9 (8) 11 (7) 31.182 0. displays and design and product variety. Interestingly domestic visitors bought more carpets than their international counterparts (w2 ¼ 5:035. respectfulness.000 Footwear 17 (13) 21 (20) 17 (12) 3. Differences in items bought The results of chi-square tests. It may be the case that Turkish visitors expected the high level of individual attention. p ¼ 0:081). Dutch visitors were found to buy more imitated products (brand look alike) than their Yugoslavian and Turkish counterparts (Table 3). whereas international visitors take it as an entertaining experience.5. acquiring something new. 1999). who are not easily satisfied.595 0.445 0. Domestic visitors were not only negative about service-related attributes but also about shop-related attributes. .782 0. Based on Kusadasi Chamber of Commerce database. 1999). Despite its significance. Their lack of attention to domestic visitors may have caused negative evaluation.164 0.427 0. They expressed that they were made to feel as ‘‘inferior’’ to their foreign counterparts. patronising the same holiday village or resort with international visitors. but also from browsing a wide range of interesting products (Jones.081 Jewelery 46 (37) 28 (26) 16 (11) 23.000 Ready made garments 28 (22) 47 (44) 52 (37) 12. tourists’ shopping experience has seldom been researched extensively in the tourism and travel literature. picky customers. This may suggest that the retail sector has to improve its shop environment to make the shopper feel more comfortable. Dutch visitors also evaluated product variety and exhibition negatively. The difference between domestic and international visitors may be explained by Turkish tourists’ traditionally high service expectations. expertise. 23. F.. ease of communication. D.D. M. Murrmann. & Cheung. G. It must be noted that travellers’ origin country culture may not be rigid and unchanging and that travellers may display different behaviour when they travel domestically and abroad. DC: Travel Industry Association of America. Armstrong. and may even find some of them amusing. 71. Turkish visitors were negative for nine of the 12 attributes. Turistik merkezlerin tasima kapasiteleri ile yasam evreleri arasindaki iliskiler ve Kusadasi orneginde degerlendirme. Its elements greatly impact on customers’ evaluations of service consumption experience.). caring. shop assistants’ respectfulness and shop appearance. and responding to these needs properly is a prerequisite for management success. Cook. The literature suggests that other variables may be important.. referred to as the service encounter. Annals of Tourism Research. N. (1994). is a critical part of the product delivery (Reisinger & Waryszak. Outlook for travel and tourism basics for building strategies. Murrmann. the tourist departs from his relatively constant ordinary world and temporarily exists in a non-ordinary world at the destination. 23–42. The interaction between the shop assistants and shoppers. 181–190. Murrmann. D. the findings presented in this study are both tentative and incomplete. No attempt was made to understand what motivated respondents’ shopping. 6. . S.. (2002). for example. According to Jafari (1987). S. (1999). Dokuz Eylul University. S. F. Mok. Proceedings of the travel industry association of America’s twenty-first annual outlook forum (pp. Visitors from Yugoslavia however found services/products provided in shops as satisfactory. such suggestions are speculative and rarely supported by the evidence derived from the study. the findings of this study are subject to significant caveats. 321–325. (2002). 23(3). A. Restructuring seaside tourism the resort lifecycle. Differences in visitors’ cultural background may explain why domestic and international visitors experience varying degrees of satisfaction from the same service experience. H. 235–255. which is mostly determined during service provider–customer interactions. K. (1995). Thus. The intangibility of services in shopping experience increases the value of the human element involved in the service delivery process and effort should be spent in identifying employee behaviours that generate favourable responses from different groups of visitors. Go. Mann– Whitney U-tests demonstrated significant differences between domestic visitors and their international counterparts’ evaluation of services provided in shops. Yuksel / Tourism Management 25 (2004) 751–759 The results provide strong support for the propositions of the study that domestic and international visitors differed in their evaluation of services and shopping item preferences.. 70. attentiveness. A comparative analysis of the behaviour of domestic and international young tourists. Bloch. W. (2002). the home of ordinary life culture assumes a backdrop or residual position. staff knowledge of products. Washington. or the types of shops patronised. Hence. thesis. Bowen.. Limitations and future research The ability to generate satisfactory shopping experiences would represent a competitive advantage for destinations. Research on tourist satisfaction and dissatisfaction: Overcoming the limitations of positivist and quantitative approach. a congruence between types of store patronised and product purchased with self-image. Becker. The shopping mall as consumer habitat. The areas that most significantly differed between domestic and international visitors were service quality. Ridgway.. the tourist sheds the culture of his/her home environment and assumes a tourist culture. The traveller may become less critical. (1997). This may be an important factor. P. Journal of Retailing. 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