Discussion and results

To analyze the results, three key analysis questions were chosen: What draws the most tourists to the shopping village?

What are the primary characteristics (factors) that influence a shopper’s decision to purchase a product?

What kinds of items do visitors want to buy?

The first study question is, “What draws the most tourists to the shopping village?” The linked answers to questions two and four were analyzed to address this research question.

(Q2) Villages like this also have a theme or pattern, according to the first survey issue. How well do you like the following patterns or styles? To answer this question, the list of themes and styles were picked up from the questionnaire are detailed below. It is important to understand the how people understand and responds to the questions. Therefore, to make the result easy, they were asked to provide answers to each question based on their interest and understanding a mark on a scale of 1-5, describing their likeliness as not all appealing to very appealing respectively. The results were analysed on statistical software by sorting the categories and frequency based on likeliness.

According to the results of Table 2, the bestselling attraction are _x0093_special scenery or environment_x0094_ and _x0093_access to national parks & wilderness_x0094_ (49%, n = 49) in each case, as in Table 2. This means that tourists will only visit and buy mostly from the markets that have these facilities, as in Table 2. Then, the next bestselling attraction is _x0093_local history & heritage buildings_x0094_ (44%, n = 44). The least selling product is _x0093_music, theatre & performances_x0094_ (37%, n = 32), as in Table 2. The rest of the products rank as given in Table 2. Therefore, businesses targeting leisure shoppers must have these facilities to flourish in the industry (Oguz & Cakci, 2010).

Table 2

Best Selling Products According to the Survey

Category Frequency (n) Proportions (%) Local history & heritage buildings 44 44 Ethnic settlement history and heritage buildings 43 43 Special scenery or environment 49 49 Access to national parks & wilderness 49 37 Music, theatre & performances 37 37 Local food & wine / drinks 42 42 Local arts & crafts 38 38 Antiques 40 40 The second survey question was; (Q4) Pick six items from the list below that you think are most essential for a village to attract visitors. All responses from this question were coded and surveyee was given 18 choices which they have to pick only 6 essential items that attracted them.

(Question 4 results)

The most essential factor for a village to attract visitors are _x0093_easy to park_x0094_ and _x0093_well preserved heritage building_x0094_ at 56% (n = 56) each. These factors are fooled by _x0093_variety of places to eat_x0094_ (48%, n = 48). The least factor is _x0093_festivals_x0094_ at only 6% (n = 6), as in Table 3. The medial factors scored as demonstrated in Table 3.

Table 3

Most Essential for a Village to Attract Visitors

Category Frequency (n) Proportions (%) Easy to get to 44 44 Easy to park 56 56 Easy to find my way around when I get there 38 38 Pedestrian friendly 34 34 Pleasant landscaping 34 34 Variety of shops 47 47 visually appealing architecture 31 31 Attractions 22 22 Not too crowded 31 31 Well preserved heritage building 56 56 Conveniently located public toilets 27 27 Free entertainment 21 21 Information about the place 23 23 Variety of places to eat 48 48 Safe places for kids to play 15 15 Places to rest 24 24 Festivals 6 6 Markets 23 23 The second research question is, what are the major characteristics (factors) influencing shoppers_x0092_ choice of purchasing a product? Survey question three was selected as it is the only relevant survey question for answering the research question.

The survey question was; (Q3) We would like you to rate each of the village characteristics below in terms of how important they are to your shopping experience and how well you think Hahndorf performs on each item. To understand the results the respondents were given another series of questions focused on the characteristics and importance of the provided factors in support of their visits to villages. They were asked to provide their answers on the scale of 1-5 not at all important to very important based on their likeliness (Lin & Pao, 2011). As per their provided answers, the data was sorted and analyzed statistically to provide a descriptive a quantitative analysis of the research.

The important characteristics of the shopping experience that matter to the shoppers was also investigated. The most vital feature for the experience is the _x0093_attitude of sales staff_x0094_ (56%, n = 56), followed by _x0093_neatness and cleanliness of shops_x0094_ (49%, n = 49), as in Table 4. The least desired experience among shoppers are _x0093_physical layout of shops_x0094_ and _x0093_opening hours of shops_x0094_ (34%, n = 3) each. The rest of the characteristics of shopping experiences are also displayed in Table 4. Businesses in the leisure shopping industry must observe the positively rated characteristics of their shops to excel (Backstrom, 2011; Lin & Pao, 2011).

Table 4

The Important Characteristics of Shopping for the Visitors in the Villages

Category Frequency (n) Proportions (%) Physical layout of shops 34 34 Window display 37 37 Opening hours of shops 34 34 Neatness and cleanliness of shops 49 49 Variety of product selection 40 40 Choice of payment methods 38 38 Language ability of staff 36 36 Attitude of sales staff 56 56 Efficiency of sales staff 45 45 Price of product 38 38 Value for money 45 45 Availability of regionally distinctive products 43 43

The third research question is, what type of products do tourists like to purchase? To answer this research question, survey questions nine and ten were the important survey questions used to analyse for this relevant research question.

The first survey question was; (Q9) Could you please estimate in Australian dollars how much you have spent so far today on. Parts of question nine were used to answer this question. This open-ended question was coded and the main part of this question used was to evaluate which product did the respondent spent the most on.

(Question 9 results)

The most spent on item during the leisure shopping is _x0093_Foods/drinks_x0094_ (40%, n = 40), as in Table 5. This is followed at a distance by _x0093_jewellery/crafts/souvenirs_x0094_ (10%, n = 10) also as in Table 5. Other products are never spent on except _x0093_clothing/bags/wallets_x0094_, _x0093_household/garden items_x0094_, and accommodation at 8% (n = 8), 4% (n = 4) and 2% (n = 2) respectively as provide in Table 5.

Table 5

Product the Respondent Spent the Most On

Category Frequency (n) Proportions (%) Food/drink 40 40 Clothing/bags/wallets 8 8 Jewellery/crafts/souvenirs 10 10 Household/garden items 4 4 Accommodation 2 2

The second survey question was; (Q10) how likely is it that you will do any of the following once you return home? Only the second part of this survey question is needed to answer the following research question. Respondent was given 8 choices or 1 open-ended question. The answers were coded to determine which product the surveyee highly recommends purchasing.

(Question 10 results)

The most preferred product to buy or recommend is food (58%, n = 58), followed by crafts (39%, n = 39) as in Table 6. The least considered product for buying or recommendations is _x0093_cosmetics_x0094_ (3%, n = 3) as demonstrated in Table 6. The other products are provided in Table 6.

Table 6

Product the Respondent Would Buy or Recommend Purchasing

Category Frequency (n) Proportions (%) Food 58 58 Local wine/beverages 34 34 Art work 20 20 Crafts 39 39 Home & garden wares 8 8 Clothing 11 11 Toys 6 6 Cosmetics 3 3 Other 7 7