A Behavioral Study on Leisure Shopping Purchasing in Supermarket Setup
Authors: Madushani Nilanka , Howshigan Shamini 
Published: January 2021

Asian country retail sector blooming fast. Sri Lankan retail association expected a revolution in the retail sector. Recently Sri Lanka retail sector has been facing huge challenges with technology changes. Customers are more engaging with technology so in this situation, they are more informed toward their purchasing.

Retailers use many strategies and tactics to attract customers and enhancing market shares. Most of the retailers have used 4ps strategies (product, price, place, promotions). Apart from those traditional retail strategies, retailers adopt more innovative strategies for getting customers. Recently they have engaged with enhanced retailers display settings, in-store initiatives, online listening strategies with digital marketing, build retail navigation with buzz marketing, enhancing merchandising windows display, and recently most of the retailers using curbside also to explore new retail features to customers.in addition to that retailers maintain good sales staff, using leverage social media like Facebook, Instagram, SMS marketing, email marketing, and online contest and referral retailer marketing and influence retailers' strategies.

Sri Lanka retail sector accounts for approx. 34% of the country’s GDP,14% of the employments, and over 250 million. Footfall per annum thus contributing positively toward the national economy. Sri Lankan was ranked 12th in the global retail development index (GRDI).

The supermarkets' service providers face competition to attract customers and enhance their shopping behavior, to increase retail market share. Therefore, supermarket service providers should be conscious of the leisure shopping factors affecting shopping behavior.

This study aims to investigate the behavioral study of leisure shopping factors (wide choice, Atmosphere, Convenience, Salespeople, Location, promotional activity, merchandising policies) on customers' shopping behavior with regards to the retail industry. The objective of this study is to identify the level, relationship, and impact of leisure shopping factors on customer shopping behavior. This study was based on the customer's perspectives and their experiences with retail service. Data were obtained from a sample of 150 customers, and convenience sampling was used. The descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis were used to analyses the data by using SPSS.

The results revealed that leisure shopping factors have a significant impact enhance customer purchasing behavior. Same as, leisure shopping factors (wide choice, Atmosphere, Convenience, Salespeople, Location, promotional activity, merchandising policies) impact on customer buying behavior significantly through customer leisure shopping factors. The study contributes to existing

Theoretical and practical knowledge by providing evidence regarding the relationship and impact between leisure shopping factors and customer buying behavior. The modern retail service providers, in Sri Lanka; it is growing rapidly with high competition between the service providers. Hence, this research has the potential to contribute to the overall modern retail service providers in terms of how to maintain long-term relationships between the service providers and their customers through the strategies of leisure shopping factors.