CHAPTER 1 - University of Exeter

24
Chapter 1 - Introduction
shopping, while women have a much more hedonic approach to it. Campbell (1997)
took the argument further and stated that men and women have “contrasting
ideologies” when it comes to shopping; men view shopping in a work frame whilst
women view it in a leisure frame (Campbell, 1997).
Babin et al. (1994) also stated that whether or not people value the hedonic or
the utilitarian approach to shopping more might depend on the circumstances (is the
trip planned or not, does something specific need to be purchased, is this trip just for
fun, is the trip with other people, etc) and the context of the shopping trip. These
results were also supported by previous research conducted by the present author
(Hoeger, 2005). As stated above female participants in a focus group study revealed
that their shopping enjoyment (particularly when shopping with other people)
depended heavily on the situation under which the shopping activity was carried out.
For example participants in this study mentioned that they preferred running errands
by themselves, as this saves time, and the feeling of “dragging someone along” is
reduced. Participants also mentioned that shopping trips with others can be more fun
than trips on their own, because of the social valued that can be derived from such a
shopping trip, although such a shopping trip with other people might lead to a
temptation to spend more money than originally planned. Thus when resources such
as time and money are limited shopping alone might be preferred even if it is not
enjoyed to the same degree (Hoeger, 2005).
Arnold and Reynolds (2003) concentrated their research on only one part of
this hedonic - utilitarian dichotomy – the hedonic side. Their study revealed that the
hedonic components of the shopping experience can be broken down into several
different factors. All or only some of these factors may be important to consumers
during any shopping episode. These are: adventure shopping, value shopping, role