Relationship of Perceived Economic Fluctuations to Consumer Adaptive Shopping Behavior: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

In the past few years the changes in the economic environment have had a drastic impact on consumers’ shopping behavior. Shopping consumers have developed various adaptive behavior mechanisms that allow them to cope with the influence of changes in economic conditions on their shopping behavior. In order to understand consumers’ shopping activities in a changing economic environment, this study focuses on consumers’ perceptions (subjective measurements) of that environment and how those perceptions influence their outlook and determine their shopping activities. Research findings demonstrated that changes in the economic environment have had an impact on consumers’ shopping behavior. Furthermore, consumers’ perceptions and expectations can be used to explain the relationship between those economic changes and consumers’ adaptive shopping behavior.