Kristina Bäckström

Understanding recreational shopping: A new approach

Abstract In this article recreational shopping is of concern, the course of action whereby individuals experience enjoyment from shopping. The article reviews previous research in the area and suggests directions for further research. It is suggested that research in the area would benefit from drawing more upon research that focuses on the sociocultural, experiential, and symbolic aspects of consumption, such as, for instance, consumer culture theory (CCT). Thus, it is argued that recreational shopping needs to be acknowledged as a multifaceted activity that may be performed in various ways and embody different types of consumer meanings. It is also argued that there is a need to focus more on the influence of retail environments on individuals engaged in recreational shopping.

Adventures, auctions and aspirations: Illuminating shifts, tensions and contradictions in consumers' leisure shopping experiences

Drawing upon the work of Simmel ([1907–1911] 1971) and other socioculturally oriented theoreticians (e.g. Campbell 1987; Thompson et al. 1994), this paper illuminates the composite and dynamic character of leisure shopping. Using three overarching themes – the adventure, the auction and the aspiration – the paper illustrates that leisure shopping experiences comprise a synthesis of opposites, involving dynamic shifts between for example spontaneity and control, delight and disappointment, dreams and fantasies as well as rational calculations and purposive planning. Leisure shopping is thus described as a form of rational recreation (Lash and Urry 2002), where consumers seek pleasure in highly rationalized ways.

An exploration of consumers’ experiences in physical stores: comparing consumers’ and retailers’ perspectives in past and present time

Abstract In this paper, we explore consumers’ in-store experiences and their components, from both a consumer and retailer perspective. This is a replication of a study we performed in 2006 and thus we also examine how the role of the physical store has changed over the last decade. We use the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) to improve our understanding of consumers’ in-store experiences. Moreover, we conduct in-depth interviews with Swedish retailers to achieve an understanding of how retailers use aspects of the store environment to enhance the consumer experience. Interestingly, our results suggest that consumers’ in-store experiences to a large extent are created by the same aspects today as ten years ago (e.g. personnel, layout, atmosphere). Furthermore, while retailers today emphasize the importance of fulfilling new and more advanced consumer demands, they often still accentuate the weight and use of traditional values (e.g. personnel and layout) ahead of advanced technology.