An examination of the two-dimensional model of consumer consciousness towards shopping: Measuring hedonic and utilitarian dimensions in Japanese consumers

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate consumer attitudes towards shopping in Japan. Factor analyses of data by 1,286 nonprobability online panels in a Web survey (in 2014) confirmed a hypothesized two-factor structure (the hedonic and utilitarian), but although the hedonic subscale had enough internal consistency, the utilitarian subscale had relatively low internal consistency. The correlations of the scores on consumer attitudes towards shopping with other measures, such as bargain orientation, impulsive buying tendency, and frugality, provided support for the criterion validity of each subscale. In many cases, these relationships were not affected by variables such as gender, life stage, and household income. Implications for the two-dimensional model of Japanese consumer attitudes towards shopping are discussed.