Modelling outshopping behaviour: a non-metropolitan perspective

Abstract

Outshopping is defined as the purchase of goods by consumers outside their local trading area. Outshopping behaviour is of concern to regional (defined in this paper as non-metropolitan) retailers as they recognize competitive forces coming not only from within their own regional trading community, but also from larger, distant regional or urban trading communities. This present study develops an explanatory model of regional outshopping behaviour that is useful for strategy development for regional retail trading areas. The model adopts a segmentation approach, to allow examination of the outshopping population on bases relevant for regional retail strategy development. This model provides a foundation for the continued monitoring of changing consumer shopping attitudes, preferences and behaviour and the changing requirements of other non-shopping related activities that determine changes in outshopping patterns over time.