The relationships among family and social interaction, loneliness, mall shopping motivation, and mall spending of older consumers

The study implemented 419 mall-intercept interviews with people who are 55 or older in large malls in three metropolitan cities in the United States. The five subdimensions of mall-shopping motivation of older consumers were identified under two dimensions: Consumption-oriented mall-shopping motivation (service consumption, value consumption, and eating) and experiential mall-shopping motivation (diversion and aesthetic appreciation). The structural model revealed significant effects of social interaction, loneliness, and mall-shopping motivations on mall spending. Outcomes suggest that a mall can be a place to reduce older consumers' loneliness and that retailers in the mall can attract and make older consumers spend more by emphasizing value consumption and service consumption. Results also provide the implication for mall developers that providing more experiential features and events in malls may attract more older consumers. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.