Short answer
When designing or improving a shopping destination, consider its competitiveness across atmosphere, merchandise, service, affordability, cultural appeal, safety, accessibility, and promotional efforts.
- Field
- Innovation & Markets
- Source
- Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing (2018)
- Method
- Scale Development and Validation
- Sample
- 523 participants
- Evidence
- Strong effect
Shopping destination competitiveness can be effectively measured and understood through nine distinct dimensions, encompassing atmosphere, merchandise, service, affordability, cultural influence, safety, accessibility, government promotion, and overall attractiveness. This innovation & markets research insight is drawn from a 2018 study published in Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing. Using Scale development and validation with 523 participants, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When designing or improving a shopping destination, consider its competitiveness across atmosphere, merchandise, service, affordability, cultural appeal, safety, accessibility, and promotional efforts.
Nine Dimensions Define Shopping Destination Competitiveness
Shopping destination competitiveness can be effectively measured and understood through nine distinct dimensions, encompassing atmosphere, merchandise, service, affordability, cultural influence, safety, accessibility, government promotion, and overall attractiveness.
Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing · 2018
Key Findings
- 01Shopping destination competitiveness is multi-dimensional.
- 02The nine key dimensions are: shopping atmosphere, merchandise, store service orientation, affordability, Korean pop culture, safety climate, accessibility, government promotion, and attractiveness.
Application
Design takeaway
When designing or improving a shopping destination, consider its competitiveness across atmosphere, merchandise, service, affordability, cultural appeal, safety, accessibility, and promotional efforts.
How to apply
Use the nine identified dimensions as a checklist when evaluating or designing a shopping district, retail center, or tourism package focused on shopping.
Project actions
- 01When researching a product or service, consider if it has similar multi-dimensional success factors.
- 02Think about how different elements of a design contribute to its overall appeal and competitiveness in its market.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Development of a validated measurement scale.
- +Integration of multiple theoretical models.
Limitations
The specific cultural dimension (Korean pop culture) may not be relevant for all design projects. The study relies on self-reported data, which can be subject to bias.
Reliability & validity
The study reports on scale development and validation, suggesting efforts were made to ensure reliability and validity of the measurement instrument.
Think critically
How might the relative importance of these nine dimensions shift for different target demographics or types of shopping (e.g., luxury vs. discount)?
Design Principles
"A competitive shopping destination is a holistic ecosystem influenced by tangible and intangible factors that collectively enhance visitor experience and choice."
Understanding these dimensions allows destination marketers and urban planners to identify strengths and weaknesses, enabling targeted strategies to enhance visitor appeal and economic viability. This framework provides a practical tool for competitive analysis and strategic development in the tourism sector.
What This Means for Your Design
This research found that what makes a place good for shopping depends on nine things: the vibe, what you can buy, how good the shops are, how much things cost, if it's trendy (like K-pop), if it feels safe, how easy it is to get there, if the government promotes it, and if people think it's a nice place overall.
How to use in your project
- 1.This research can inform the 'Analysis of existing products' section by providing a framework for evaluating competitors based on destination appeal.
- 2.The identified dimensions can be used to justify design choices aimed at improving a product's market competitiveness.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This research highlights that shopping destination competitiveness is influenced by nine key dimensions: shopping atmosphere, merchandise, store service orientation, affordability, cultural influence, safety, accessibility, government promotion, and attractiveness. This multi-faceted approach to evaluating a destination's appeal can be applied to understanding the competitive landscape of any market, informing design decisions that aim to enhance user experience and market viability.
Source
Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing
Shopping destination competitiveness: scale development and validation
journal · 2018
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about nine dimensions define shopping destination competitiveness?
- When designing or improving a shopping destination, consider its competitiveness across atmosphere, merchandise, service, affordability, cultural appeal, safety, accessibility, and promotional efforts. Evidence: Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing (2018).
- Why does "Nine Dimensions Define Shopping Destination Competitiveness" matter for design?
- Understanding these dimensions allows destination marketers and urban planners to identify strengths and weaknesses, enabling targeted strategies to enhance visitor appeal and economic viability. This framework provides a practical tool for competitive analysis and strategic development in the tourism sector.
- How can designers apply this research?
- When designing or improving a shopping destination, consider its competitiveness across atmosphere, merchandise, service, affordability, cultural appeal, safety, accessibility, and promotional efforts.
- What were the main findings?
- Shopping destination competitiveness is multi-dimensional.. The nine key dimensions are: shopping atmosphere, merchandise, store service orientation, affordability, Korean pop culture, safety climate, accessibility, government promotion, and attractiveness.
- What research method was used?
- Scale Development and Validation with 523 participants.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2018 journal from Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- Use the nine identified dimensions as a checklist when evaluating or designing a shopping district, retail center, or tourism package focused on shopping.
- What are the limitations?
- The study's focus on Korean pop culture as a dimension might not be universally applicable to all shopping destinations. The scale's validation is based on a specific consumer sample, and its generalizability to other tourist demographics or regions may vary.