ANZMAC 2010 A Comparative Analysis of Values and Shopping Patterns Among Chinese and Thai Mall Shoppers

Cross-cultural studies have shown few investigations of utilitarian versus hedonistic shopping motives in non-western contexts. This study explores shopping motivations in two Eastern cultures – Thailand and China. Based on the literature, it is hypothesized that Chinese shoppers will be more utilitarian, while Thai shoppers will be more hedonistic. The research findings support the hypotheses, in that Chinese shoppers do appear to be driven by more utilitarian motives than Thai shoppers. This means that while within a larger framework of Asian culture, there may be cultural differences between the two countries, affecting consumer behavior in ways that marketers should be aware of. Future studies might explore more details in terms of shopping motives, as well as explore consumer segmentation to see if more generalizations can be found.