Retail format choice in the US consumer electronics market

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a general understanding of retail format choice among consumer electronics shoppers in the US market. Design/methodology/approach – US consumer electronics shoppers ( n =252) were surveyed via telephone. Linear regression was used to evaluate the data. Findings – Profiles shopper groups who frequent specific retail formats (department stores, specialty stores, discounters, category killers, internet‐only retailers, and catalogs) based on demographic characteristics (gender, age, education, income) and desired retail attributes (price competitiveness, customer service, product selection, presence of new products, hours of operation, ease of access to the retailer, store atmosphere). Research limitations/implications – Although general observations and predictions about the demographic variables and important retail attributes for shopper groups are possible, future studies could expand upon this exploratory work by initiating comparisons of specific retail formats and examining cross‐shopping behavior among consumer electronics shoppers. Practical implications – This paper provides consumer electronics retailers with specific knowledge of the attributes that consumers consider to be important when making format choices and identifies the demographic characteristics of shoppers who frequent each retail format. Originality/value – This exploratory study uses demographics and retail attributes to profile consumer electronics shoppers of each major retail format in the USA. The paper is unique because the investigation of retail format choice among consumer electronics shoppers has been very limited.