Dubai: The perfectionist shopper rules the retail runways in Dubai, university research on resident shopping personalities revealed.
Preliminary findings from the American University of Dubai have been revealed to XPRESS as the Dubai Shopping Festival starts on Thursday. The two-year study revealed that the ‘Perfectionist Shopper' is king in stores, over-taking the ‘Status Shopper', which dominated the market before the financial crisis knocked them from their perch.
The research stated that Dubai has eight shopping styles that sum up residents' consumer habits.
Preliminary findings
Tarek Mady, Head of Marketing Department, American University of Dubai, said preliminary findings showed that residents had become shop-savvy and wanted more "bang for buck". The shopping styles revealed are as follows:
The Perfectionist Shopper: A consumer who spends much time comparing products to get the best deal and quality - the most common shopper in Dubai.
The Status Shopper: A consumer who is interested in the latest trends and is compelled to buy high-end products like bags, cologne, phones, etc. This shopper formed the main chunk of the market during pre-recession, but is now a smaller group.
Price Conscious Shopper: An increasing group of shoppers who pays more attention to prices and value, or on whether they need an item or not. These consumers rarely admit to this shopping style, but sub-consciously use it.
Brand Conscious: A consumer who likes to choose an item based on brands.
Novelty or Fashion Conscious Shopper: Purely influenced by fashion rather than price or need.
Recreational Shopping: Shopping is a routine activity for these consumers — something they do for recreation rather than for need.
Impulse or Careless Buyers: Shoppers who buy on spur of the moment, with little or no browsing to compare options.
Confused or Overwhelmed Shopper: More likely a male than a female consumer who shies away from shopping because he is overwhelmed by the number of choices.
Habitual or Brand Shopper: A consumer who buys brands out of loyalty and familiarity.
The research conducted in 2008 and 2010 will be published later this year and includes a survey of 300 shoppers at Dubai malls.
Mady said residents today have become more sophisticated consumers than they were before the recession. Shoppers have adopted more price-conscious habits as the market evolved. He described retailers' marketing as "pretty bad" and non-existent for some. Companies operating in the city need to improve marketing strategies to tempt consumers into spending, he said.
They could no longer rely on Dubai's avid consumerism, living the mall lifestyle, which began shrinking last year due to the financial crisis, he said.
Samer Renno, Chief Executive of Renno Communications Group, said a greater focus was needed on customer relations. He said stores needed to offer improved products and services to tempt consumers to part with their money as shoppers held the power in the retail market, which witnessed the main change since the financial crisis. Shoppers also had greater negotiating skills so service was as important as price, he added.
