The Attractiveness of a City-Centre Shopping Environment: Older Consumers’ Perspective
Older consumers represent an increasingly significant customer segment for city-centre retailers. However, many intraurban centres are struggling to maintain an attractive shopping environment. This article focuses on older consumers’ (Finns, aged 64+) perceptions of the city centre with an emphasis...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cogitatio
2019-06-01
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| Series: | Urban Planning |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/1831 |
| _version_ | 1818468813347225600 |
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| author | Anna-Maija Kohijoki Katri Koistinen |
| author_facet | Anna-Maija Kohijoki Katri Koistinen |
| author_sort | Anna-Maija Kohijoki |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Older consumers represent an increasingly significant customer segment for city-centre retailers. However, many intraurban centres are struggling to maintain an attractive shopping environment. This article focuses on older consumers’ (Finns, aged 64+) perceptions of the city centre with an emphasis on design and ambient elements in the external shopping environment. Using the focus-group research method, the aim is to identify what kind of elements these are and how they constitute an attractive city-centre shopping environment for older consumers. Findings from a qualitative content analysis show that an attractive city-centre shopping environment provides convenience and safety when moving around and running errands, functional and aesthetic lighting to cope with shopping, proper furnishings regarding places to rest, harmonious building architecture integrated with refreshing urban nature, and the cleanliness of the streetscape. Findings indicate that a city-centre shopping environment offers more to older consumers than a context of satisfying consumption needs. City shopping gives a reason to go outdoors and maintain social contacts. The study has implications for creating an age-friendly city centre, the shopping environment which supports older consumers’ active and independent lives. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T21:16:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7e49ab7d4a834cb18c64acea51e3ff02 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2183-7635 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T21:16:00Z |
| publishDate | 2019-06-01 |
| publisher | Cogitatio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Urban Planning |
| spelling | doaj.art-7e49ab7d4a834cb18c64acea51e3ff022022-12-22T02:29:40ZengCogitatioUrban Planning2183-76352019-06-014251710.17645/up.v4i2.18311023The Attractiveness of a City-Centre Shopping Environment: Older Consumers’ PerspectiveAnna-Maija Kohijoki0Katri Koistinen1Department of Marketing and International Business, Turku School of Economics, University of Turku, FinlandCentre for Consumer Society Research, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, FinlandOlder consumers represent an increasingly significant customer segment for city-centre retailers. However, many intraurban centres are struggling to maintain an attractive shopping environment. This article focuses on older consumers’ (Finns, aged 64+) perceptions of the city centre with an emphasis on design and ambient elements in the external shopping environment. Using the focus-group research method, the aim is to identify what kind of elements these are and how they constitute an attractive city-centre shopping environment for older consumers. Findings from a qualitative content analysis show that an attractive city-centre shopping environment provides convenience and safety when moving around and running errands, functional and aesthetic lighting to cope with shopping, proper furnishings regarding places to rest, harmonious building architecture integrated with refreshing urban nature, and the cleanliness of the streetscape. Findings indicate that a city-centre shopping environment offers more to older consumers than a context of satisfying consumption needs. City shopping gives a reason to go outdoors and maintain social contacts. The study has implications for creating an age-friendly city centre, the shopping environment which supports older consumers’ active and independent lives.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/1831attractive citycity centreexternal shopping environmentolder consumerperception |
| spellingShingle | Anna-Maija Kohijoki Katri Koistinen The Attractiveness of a City-Centre Shopping Environment: Older Consumers’ Perspective Urban Planning attractive city city centre external shopping environment older consumer perception |
| title | The Attractiveness of a City-Centre Shopping Environment: Older Consumers’ Perspective |
| title_full | The Attractiveness of a City-Centre Shopping Environment: Older Consumers’ Perspective |
| title_fullStr | The Attractiveness of a City-Centre Shopping Environment: Older Consumers’ Perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Attractiveness of a City-Centre Shopping Environment: Older Consumers’ Perspective |
| title_short | The Attractiveness of a City-Centre Shopping Environment: Older Consumers’ Perspective |
| title_sort | attractiveness of a city centre shopping environment older consumers perspective |
| topic | attractive city city centre external shopping environment older consumer perception |
| url | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/1831 |
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