Segmentation of visitors to shopping centers based on their activities through factor analysis and cluster analysis Print

Knowing customers of shopping centers contributes greatly to increase profits of these centers. Segmentation of the customers is one of the most effective means of knowing the customers. The purpose of this study was to present a segmentation of the customers based on their activities in the shopping centers. The participants were 157 visitors to Milad-e-Noor Shopping Center who were required to answer the questions in the questionnaire. Data were analyzed in three steps. Through the use of factor analysis, in the first step, the number of variables was reduced to the four factors of entertainment activities, planned shopping, shopping information gathering and unplanned shopping. These factors were then inserted into K-mean cluster analysis and, in the second step and the visitors were divided into 4 segments on the basis of their activity as following: traditionalists, shopping center enthusiasts, wandering customers, and entertainment seekers. In the third step, the demographic and behavioral variables were investigated in the identified clusters. Considering the variables of age, academic status and accompanying persons in shopping centers, these clusters were significantly different. In respect to variables of sex, marital status, the length of presence in the shopping centers, occupations and monthly salary they were recognized as homogenous, however.