Data Analysis

An overwhelming majority that is 343 (77.3%) of the respondents visited the shopping centres with family, while 101 (22.7%) of the respondents did not, indicating that shopping has increasingly become a family event, with the shopping centres being frequented mostly over week-ends by families.

Shoppers were accompanied by 3 to 4 members on average when they visited the shopping centre with families. Family shopping is more prevalent at the Pavilion and the Gateway Centres than at the other centres in KwaZulu- Natal. The great range of leisure and entertainment facilities leaves no doubt that these centres are designed for families and friends.

The results also reveal the age dispersion of the respondents from the sample: 146 (32.6%) are between 18 – 24 years, 128 (28.6%) are between 25 – 34 years, 125 (27.9%) are between 35 – 49 years, 40 (8.9%) are between 50 – 59 years and 9 (2%) are 60 plus. The majority (89.1%) of the shoppers are between 18 and 49 (young to middle aged). Senior citizens constitute a small proportion of shoppers at shopping centres.

An overwhelming majority of shoppers have at least matriculated with at least 67.9 % having a post matric qualification. Increasing educational levels which have a commensurate increase in income have a major impact on shoppers’ lifestyles. The distribution of income shows that only 81 (19.3%) of the respondents earned an income in excess of R10000. The majority 340 (59.8%) of the respondents earned less than R10000.

The results illustrate that a significant proportion of respondents, that is, 166 (36.3 %) visit the shopping centres once a week. Furthermore, 148 respondents (32.4 %) visit the shopping centres as required. The results indicate that 66.5% of the respondents visit the centres at least fortnightly.

The results also suggest that 192 (42.5 %) of the respondents spend 1 – 2 hours at the shopping centres while a further 145 (32.1 %) of the respondents indicated that 3 – 4 hours were spent at the shopping centres, and 88 (19.5 %) of the respondents indicated that they spent more than 4 hours at shopping centres.

While 58 (13.1%) of the respondents strongly disagreed, that distance from home affects their choice of a shopping centre, the majority of the respondents (55.4%) are of the view that the distance from home influences their decision to shop at shopping centres.

According to the results, 329 (72.8 %) of the respondents use private vehicles to travel to shopping centres, while 90 (19.9 %) of the respondents use the taxis to travel to shopping centres suggesting that patronage at shopping centres is highly dependent upon private vehicle usage.

Furthermore, 60 (14%) of the respondents indicated that location is important while 19.9% of the respondents indicated that location was

moderately important, indicating that at least 88.1% consider the location of the shopping centre to be a significant factor in choosing where to shop.

According to the results, 224 (54.5 %) of the respondents stated that easy accessibility to shopping centres is very important, while 108 (26.3%) of the respondents stated that it is moderately important. Since most shopping centres are not on the designated bus routes, other modes of transport determine their accessibility. The results indicate that improved accessibility to shopping centres should be given careful consideration by owners and stakeholders of the shopping centres concerned.

With the increased importance accorded to persons with disabilities in the South African economy, it is acknowledged that various facilities, especially at shopping centres, need to be made accessible to those with disabilities, since they have the resources, the need and the propensity to visit these shopping centres. The results reveal that 154 (41.6%) of the respondents indicated that the facilities for disabled persons at shopping centres are very important when selecting a shopping centre, while 95 (25.7%) of the respondents indicated that these facilities are least important. The access to public places by disabled persons has become mandatory through legislation, but since some shopping centres were designed many years ago, access by disabled persons is still difficult. The frail and the aged who are becoming an increasingly significant population group would also benefit from better access to the facilities for the disabled and the frail who also prefer to visit the centres for leisure purposes since the security risk is perceived to be higher in other public places.

The results show that 182 (44.5 %) of the respondents indicated that the types and designs of shops within the shopping centres are very important, while 111 (27.1%) of the respondents indicated types and designs are moderately important. Patronage at shopping centres is highly dependent upon the types and designs of shops within the shopping centres, since they contribute to the ambience and these determine the convenience or ease with which shopping can be accomplished. Efficient design and layout present an image of the shopping centre which may suggest an upmarket or sophisticated environment and it also promotes free flow of shoppers without congestion at strategic nodes.

The results also reveal that 178 (44.8%) of the respondents stated that the shopping centre image is very important. Prices within shopping centres affect the choice of shopping centres as well since 172 (43.8%) of the respondents indicated that price levels within the shopping centres are very important. Shopping centres with a tenant mix which is perceived as having lower prices are frequented more often by the majority who are price conscious. It emerged from the results that 213 (53.5%) of the respondents consider the merchandise/ product range offered by the different shopping centres as being a draw-card to the shopping centre.

The results show that the majority, 318 (77.8%), of the respondents indicated that security and safety is very important and affect their choice of shopping centres. Security within and around the shopping centres is paramount since it reduces the levels of anxiety of shoppers and it creates a safe environment within which to spend their money. Recently, South African consumers have increasingly witnessed armed robberies of major tenants or have been victims of theft within shopping centres, resulting in an increased sense of anxiety for their safety when visiting the shopping centres.

Although shopping centre management have attempted to implement various measures to increase security, consumers still need to be mindful of the generally high risk that exists in the country as a whole.

The results also reveal the influence of consumer traffic/crowding within shopping centres. Surprisingly, a majority, 214 (53.5%), of the respondents indicated that consumer traffic / crowding is very important to their shopping experiences, presumably because they feel safer in numbers and crowding affirms the image and attraction of the shopping centre.

The prevalence of food courts and restaurants at shopping centres is becoming a necessary feature in most shopping centres, since more consumers are regarding dining as a form of leisure or entertainment rather than just an appeasement of their hunger, especially when they are with friends and family. This is also consistent with the new orientation of the shopper who views the shopping centre as a place for leisure and entertainment in addition to shopping for goods and services.

Friendly staff within the shopping centres are important to 241 (60.1%) of the respondents. Since shopping is often perceived as a leisure activity as well, pleasant staff enhance the experience while unpleasant staff contribute to a frustrating shopping experience.

According to the results, the majority 239 (59.8%) of the respondents indicated that one- stop shopping within the shopping centre is very important while 24 (6%) of respondents stated that it is least important. Patronage at shopping centres is highly dependent upon the concept of one- stop shopping. An overwhelming majority of the respondents, that is, 330 (79.3%) stated that the cleanliness of shopping centres is very important.

The general decline within the CBDs as a result of dirty streets from vendor’s offerings has prompted many shoppers to choose shopping centres which have a cleaner appearance and which are managed by the private shopping centre management rather than the municipality. Leisure and entertainment facilities within the shopping centres are important to 236 (58.0%) of the respondents. These facilities are often used by older teenage children and the youth in general whose main purpose for visiting the shopping centre is entertainment and dining rather than shopping, in which their parents engage while they are entertained. Increasingly, adults too are visiting the shopping centres primarily for entertainment at specific times of the day or weekends.

Child-care facilities within shopping centres are considered to be very important to 136 (37.3%) of the respondents. Parents find that they can shop better without having to mind their children throughout their shopping since children tend to be disruptive while parents carry out their purchases. Additional facilities such as information kiosks, and centre court promotions within the shopping centres are very important to 373 (40.5%) of the respondents.

In addition to the descriptive statistics above, inferential statistics produced further results worthy of note. Generally, correlation analysis examines the strength of the identified association between variables. Pearson’s Correlation Matrix indicates the direction, strength and significance of the bivariate relationship among the variables in the study.

The following table presents values of r that correlate (Question 3), that is, the distance from home to the shopping centre and (Question 10.1 – Question 10.12), that is the shopping centre factors considered to be important when selecting a shopping centre.

AIDA

A detailed study of the consumer decision-making process is reflected in the identification of the five steps which consumers encounter in the decision-making of the selection of shopping centres. These steps, adapted from Hawkins et al. (2004: 506), are:

1.Problem recognition where situational influences, namely, physical surroundings and their antecedents, affect the consumers’ current situation regarding shopping centres;

2.Information search, where consumers search for and acquire information about the facilities, services and product offerings of different shopping centres, with a view to fulfilling the consumption and purchase situations that exist;

3.Evaluation of alternatives where the information collected by consumers is carefully analysed before a final selection of the shopping centre is made for a shopping and entertainment experience;

4.The Purchase Experience where consumers experience the actual shopping centres’ facilities, their tenant mix and product offerings and services together with the promotional activities within the shopping centres; and

5.The Post–purchase evaluation where it is believed that after visiting the shopping centre, the consumer might experience some level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction that requires further action. Marketers, managers and stakeholders of shopping centres must be cognizant of the post - purchase behaviour and consider it as an opportunity to reinforce preference for the shopping centre by dealing with it in a favourable manner in order to generate shopping centre loyalty. 
 The post- purchase evaluation step can be regarded as the beginning

of a new decision – making process. Will the consumer consider re-visiting the shopping centre? This consideration is fundamental in ensuring that consumer loyalty is developed by routine visits to a particular shopping centre. According to Arnould et al. (2004: 660), consumers are adaptive decision- makers. Consumers use many different strategies for making decisions: some simple, some complex, some based primarily on cognitions and others based more on feelings and emotions. Most consumers, rather than making optimal choices, gain some level of satisfaction by making acceptable choices.

SANIYAZ