Men do like shopping, survey finds

The stereotype of men grinding their teeth through shopping trips is due for an overhaul, new Christchurch research suggests.

Lincoln University researchers surveyed more than 1000 shoppers at 12 malls in Christchurch.

Forty per cent of the men spoken to agreed they shopped for relaxation and enjoyment, senior marketing lecturer Charles Lamb said in a statement.

While that proportion might be surprising it was still well below the more than 60 per cent of women who agreed they shopped for such reasons.

And the genders had different motivations for shopping, Mr Lamb said.

Females saw the experience more as entertainment or recreation, while males were more focused on shopping for a specific reason.

Overall, the research had some very interesting results for mall owners and city planners, Mr Lamb said.

"The survey shows that people are very mobile, not particularly loyal to any given mall and that most of the people visiting a particular shopping area are there because it's close to them."

While free and easy parking was often cited as one of the main reasons people went to a mall, the survey showed that was not the case, he said.

Nearly 92 per cent of those who took part had cited either proximity (60.2 per cent), convenience (16.9 per cent) or variety and quality (14.6 per cent) as the reasons they were shopping at a mall.

Easy and free parking had been cited by only 1.4 per cent of the people spoken to.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the research showed teenagers were the age group which most frequently visited shopping areas.

"Nearly two-thirds of teenagers surveyed visited malls and the central city shopping area at least once a week. Unfortunately for retailers, while teenagers are the most frequent shoppers, they have the lowest incomes," Mr Lamb said.

People tended to shop together, with 78 per cent of those aged 20 or more saying they were shopping with family or friends. For teenagers, the figure jumped to 88 per cent.

The research also found 60 per cent of teenagers said they visited the central city at least once a week, while only half that number among those aged over 20 went into the central city as often.

- NZPA