Factors affecting customers buying intention : a study of hypermarkets in Malaysia

Abstract

This study intends to discover factors affecting consumers’ intention to visit hypermarkets in Malaysia. The proposed theory of planned behavior (TPB) was found to be applicable in predicting customer intention to visit hypermarkets. The study examines the relationships between variables from TPB model and buying intention. The study was conducted on 258 participants based on a structured questionnaire. Quantitative research was used in this study, where the results of this study depend on the number of respondents involved in the study. Questionnaires used for collecting data in this research were distributed through a self-administered survey by online survey created using Google Forms. In this study, the Klang Valley area, Malaysia is selected as a sample area. Four hypermarkets are selected for the study purpose in Klang Valley, Malaysia. In this study, the participants were selected using the convenience sampling technique. To achieve the research objectives, the current study developed a set of questionnaires. Data analysis began with an analysis of the demographic characteristics of the respondents and shifted to descriptive statistics. Then, the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Cronbach’s alpha were carried out. The test on the hypothesis was conducted then by using the regression analysis. The findings showed that consumers are more likely to increase their intention to visit a hypermarket rather than other stores like supermarkets, which led us to highlight the main implications for hypermarket management and new study areas in this field. This study offers useful insight into the pretty modern increasing number of hypermarket sectors that require deeper analysis in the context of Malaysia. The study will further help the management involved in this area to build a strong relationship with their clients. Further research could be developed based on the other factors which deem suitable for receiving valuable outcomes from retail chains in Malaysia. This research analyzed the three most important dimensions which have previously been examined. Future research in this area could adopt a few more additional variables which may affect buying intention of customers toward hypermarkets in Malaysia.