Shopping at different food retail formats: understanding cross-shopping behavior through retail format selective use patterns

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to address intertype cross-shopping behavior – that is, the
behavior that characterizes consumers who divide their grocery shopping between two or more
different food formats. In particular, the study attempts to shed light on the cross-shopping
phenomenon by employing a new research approach that examines format-selective use. Thus, the
study examines how various factors, especially way of life aspects typically associated with food
consumption, drive consumers to cross-shop between different food formats.
Design/methodology/approach – The study employs data collected from two surveys involving
637 Israeli Jewish and Arab consumers. The conceptual framework and hypothesis are tested using
multiple regression analyses.
Findings – The empirical results support our claim that the research approach applied in this study
better explains the cross-shopping phenomenon. Specifically, the analysis provides strong support for
the effect of consumers’ way of life on cross-shopping behavior.
Practical implications – The paper provides managerial and planning implications to modern
retailers and managers of international retail firms that operate in or plan to enter non-Western
markets.
Originality/value – This paper contributes to the available literature in several ways. In particular,
the paper suggests a systematic and comprehensive conceptual framework that identifies the key
determinants of cross-shopping decisions and the relations between these and supermarkets’ market
share growth.