On your marks, get set, SHOP!
As you get ready for the annual Boxing Day sales, be aware of a new breed of shoppers in our midst – those who train hard to attain the goal of something like a genuine Chanel handbag for less than half price, according to consumer behaviour expert, Dr Gary Mortimer.
He calls them the ‘Sport Shopper’.
"For the Sport Shopper it is all about selecting a desired - usually expensive - object and then seeing how much they can save when they finally close in for the purchase," Dr Mortimer said.
"Once a Sport Shopper has their eyes on the prize, they begin training and practising their routine in earnest to bag their goal while saving a bundle.
"Arguably driven by their ego, these focussed shoppers seek to outperform others, like athletes in competition.
"They pore over promotional material and conduct extensive information searches to determine market prices and potential discounts.
"Visits to the same store over many days enable Sport Shoppers to identify stock flow and promotional timing. Early morning reconnaissance missions are undertaken, with the objective of being first in the door.
"Sports shoppers reach their goals when they defeat the retail system, or other shoppers (their competitors), by finding their desired item at a significantly discounted price."
And every victor must have a trophy room.
Dr Mortimer says Sport Shoppers are very active on social media to display their “retail mastery”.
"Then it's back to practice because to get their target with the perfect shop, the Sport Shoppers must hone their skills regularly."
Dr Mortimer said marketers have been studying consumers' motivations for decades, precisely so they can market to individual shopping types.
He said that there are five other types of shoppers.
- Economic shopper- financial constraints force them to seek out lowest prices and generic products
- Apathetic Shopper - disengaged and disloyal, shopping's a chore
- Recreational shopper- enjoys shopping as a fun activity, uses it to reduce stress and the seek pleasure
- Impulsive shopper - selects and purchases with little thought, motivation or concern for consequences
- Compulsive shopper- compelled to purchase repeatedly during every outing to the shopping centre.
Which are you?
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