Description

Shopping is an age-old activity performed by mankind. Its origin can be traced back to many centuries ago when barter transactions were the norm of business. But it is the late nineteenth century to early twentieth century which saw expansion of this activity primarily because of the growth in the economy coupled with developments in public transport and new forms of mass production (Woodruffe-Burton et al. 257). Simultaneously, the domain of shopping saw a spurt of growth in the literature especially regarding the consumer aspects of it (e.g. Holton 53-56, Rich and Jain 41-49, Tauber 46-49, Prus and Dawson 145-64, Woodruffe-Burton et al. 256-66). The report of the definitions committee, Journal of Marketing (1948), while differentiating shopping goods from convenience goods, defines it as those consumers' goods which the customer in the process of selection and purchase characteristically compares on such bases as suitability, quality, price, and style (qtd. in Bucklin 50). But in reality, some items which are shopping goods for some consumers may be convenience goods for others (Holton 53). It is, therefore, important to look from the perspective of an individual customer while distinguishing them. Hence, in this context, it would be prudent to define shopping as a set of activities in which consumers seek and obtain information about products and/or.