Understanding the older shopper: A behavioural typology Robert Angell a , Phil Megicks b , Juliet Memery b , Troy Heffernan b,n , Kerry Howell b a Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Colum Drive, Cardiff CF10 3EU, UK b Plymouth Business School, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Devon PL4 8AA, UK article info Available online 11 February 2012 Keywords: Older shoppers Shopping motivations Grocery retailing abstract With regard to the contemporary retail environment, to date, the older shopper has been afforded limited academic attention, which is somewhat surprising given the growth of this population in the UK. Consequently, this study presents an empirically derived typology of older grocery shoppers through the application of salient retail attributes and store image dimensions developed through extensive qualitative research techniques. The findings provide an important contribution towards better understanding differences in shopping behaviour amongst older consumers. The identification of six distinct shopper types, including three new distinct groups, contributes to theory, whilst a number of potential implications for retail managers are explored in light of the findings. & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction A key dimension of environmental change that has occurred in the UK, along with other economically developed counties in recent times, is the growth in the over-60 years demographic, with older people making up an increasing proportion of the population. According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS) (2011) this segment accounts for more than a fifth of the UK population and is expected to continue growing for at least the next decade due to the post-war and 1960s ‘baby boom’ genera- tions, decreased fertility and increased longevity (ONS, 2010). Researchers are aware that population change on this scale will impact on social models, as an ageing population has implications for national policies regarding pension funding, housing, health- care, workforce, and marketplace activity (Dodge, 1958). Past research suggests that the older consumer segment is hetero- geneous and, in terms of purchasing behaviour, cannot be treated as otherwise (Gunter, 1998; Moschis, 1992); hitherto there have only been limited insights into how older people differ in regard to their behaviour as buyers, and as shoppers in particular. In order to gain greater knowledge of this increasingly significant consumer group it is important that the fundamental differences in consumer behaviour between its members are acknowledged and studied. The last fifty years has allowed marketing academics and practi- tioners to better identify and serve customers with varied agendas through shopper typologies (see for example: Stone, 1954). Primarily, these studies have used shopping motives (satisfied through store attributes) and various consumer characteristics, to build taxonomies of shopper types in different contexts. However, to date, very little research has focused on the specific shopping requirements of the seniors market, and this is especially true in the UK grocery industry. For older consumers to be better served, grocery retailers need a clearer understanding of what this market segment requires. Answers to critical questions such as: ‘what are the factors that drive grocery store decisions amongst older shoppers?’ and ‘are older shoppers influenced by different motives in this decision?’ will facilitate this goal. As Schewe and Balazs (1992, p. 86) state: ‘‘Marketers must not only be aware of demographic changes, but must also strive to understand the behavioural underpinnings that shape the desires of this burgeoning aged marketplace.’’ 2. Literature review 2.1. Shopping motivations and grocery store choice The UK grocery industry has evolved over the past 150 years (Seth and Randall, 2001), and its resultant structure is diverse and relatively unique compared to other sectors. Its role is extremely important as food represents an essential component of health and wellbeing (Khan, 1981), especially for the elderly (Stitt et al., 1995). The evolution of the grocery retail industry has provided a variety of store options for contemporary shoppers in terms of size, location, product range and services; however why shoppers, and more specifically why older shoppers, choose to frequent certain stores is a question that remains unanswered. In the wider literature, there is consensus that people exercise store choice based on personal motivations (Morschett et al., 2005). An array of shopping motives have been discussed in past Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jretconser Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 0969-6989/$ - see front matter & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2012.01.007 n Corresponding author. Tel.: þ44 1752 585661; fax: þ44 1752 232249. E-mail address: troy.heffernan@plymouth.ac.uk (T. Heffernan). Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 19 (2012) 259–269