Online a nd Offline Shopping Motivation of Apparel Consumers in Ibadan Metropolis , Nigeria

Shopping today is much more than just buying, it is an experience itself. Consumers now value convenience and choice as well as getting value for their hard-earned money. Motivation is where consumption starts, where it all begins, with the acknowledgement of a need. Online shopping has shown to provide more satisfaction to modern consumers seeking convenience and speed, however, in a country like Nigeria, consumers still buy a lot from shops and malls thereby still making offline shopping very relevant. This research made use of multi-stage sampling; using purposive, simple random and convenience sampling techniques. A four point Likert Scale was used to measure consumers’ shopping motivation and preferred shopping platform. Most of the research on online shopping focuses on consumers in developed countries with little or none among Nigerian consumers. Consequently, this study provides information on apparel shopping motivation (utilitarian and hedonic) of the average Nigerian; such information is beneficial for online and offline Fashion merchants that seek to retain customers. Consumers of this study were affected by all the utilitarian motivating factors as well as almost all the hedonic shopping motivations measured. It was revealed that the respondents preferred to shop offline than online shopping platforms. In conclusion, the consumers of this study are fashion conscious, utilitarian and hedonic shoppers, however, they prefer the offline shopping platforms.


Background of Study
A fundamental issue consumers must address during their purchasing decision is where they should buy products or brands.Many products can be acquired through different channels such as brick-and mortar stores, catalogs, television, and online shopping.These increased shopping choices create special challenges for companies as they reexamine and revise their marketing strategies to target customers to secure a competitive advantage (Sua, 2006).
Historically, tradeshows have been the primary tool used by businesses for sharing information, networking, gaining industry specific education, and staying up-to-date-that is until very recently (Robert, 2010).However, today's consumers have varying interests with respect to buying fashion apparel, recent reports maintained that apparel retailers' websites are powerful drivers of online sales.The apparel product category has been ranked fifth in the dominant sales categories on the internet (US Census Bureau, 2005).This points out that consumers are now buying more from online stores rather than buying from the brick-and-mortar stores.
In the developed countries, the use of online platforms for purchasing fashion items (apparel) has become a norm.In the United States, for example, online apparel sales for 2007 versus 2008 increased to $26.6 billion, which exceeded both computer and automobile sales (Eun et al., 2011). Forresterm Research Inc. (2008) estimates U.S. online sales will rise by 17% to $204 billion in the near future.Goad (2000) informed that South Korea is an Internet leader with the highest percent of users in the Asian market.Approximately 99% of South Korean Internet users make purchases online.However, in a country like Nigeria, consumers still buy a lot from shops and malls thereby still making offline shopping very relevant.Although, the pace of social change is faster than it has ever been, the popularity of virtual communication-via email, Facebook, twitter, blackberry messenger and other social media channels has had a significant impact on the speed at which information can be obtained; this also has led some marketers to question the role face-to-face communications can play in building a brand.However, Murphy (2010) suggests that despite the recession and companies trimming budgets, the need for face-to-face interaction has never been more important.

Statement of Problem and Objectives
Shopping researchers has demonstrated that consumers are motivated by utilitarian factors, including efficiency and cost, (Babin et al., 1994;Kim, 2006) but also by the desire to satisfy hedonic needs, such as affect, social interaction and/or entertainment (Arnold & Reynolds, 2003).While these motivations are well documented in marketing and information systems literatures, the relationship between hedonic, utilitarian motivations and shopping platforms (online or offline) especially in Nigeria are yet to be explored extensively as it has been observed that most of the research on online purchase focuses on consumers in the United States, a few studies have looked at consumers in Great Britain (Dittmar, Beattie, & Friese, 1995;Bayley & Nancorrow, 1998), and Africa with little or none among Nigerian consumers.
This study examined what motivates consumers to shop where they shop.Specifically, the objectives are: (a) to determine the socio demographic characteristics and preferred shopping platform of the respondents.(b) to identify consumers' motivating factors for shopping online or offline.A hypothesis stated in a null form was analysed-there is no significant association between the socio demographic characteristics and preferred shopping platform of the respondents.This study will help Fashion marketing managers to better reposition their branding and advertising strategy to capture the correct target market to boost sales in times where the economy is at a challenge.

Offline and Online Consumer Decision-Making Process
According to Chayapa (2011), the process of making decision are very similar whether the consumer is offline or online but some major differences are shopping environment and marketing communication.According to traditional consumer decision model, Consumer purchase decision typically starts with need awareness, then information search, alternative evaluations, deciding to purchase and finally, post-purchasing behaviour.
In terms of online communication, when customers see banner ads or online promotion, these advertisements may attract customers' attention and stimulate their interesting particular products.Before they decide to purchase, they will need additional information to help them out.If they do not have enough information, they will search through online channels, e.g., online catalogs, websites, or search engines (Laudon & Traver, 2009).When customers have enough information, they will need to compare those choices of products or services.In the search stage, they might look for the product reviews or customer comments.They will find out which brand or company offers them the best fit to their expectation.During this stage, well-organized web site structure and the attractive design are important things to persuade consumers to be interested in buying product and service (Koo et al., 2008).Moreover, the information sources' nature may influence buyer behaviour (Bigné-Alcañiz et al., 2008).Maignan & Lukas (1997) reported that the most useful characteristic of internet is that it supports the pre-purchase stage as it helps customers compare different options (Dickson, 2000).Koo et al. (2008) pointed out that during the purchasing stage, product assortment, sale services and information quality seem to be the most important point to help consumers decide what product they should select, or what seller they should buy from.Post-purchase behaviour will become more important after their online purchase.Consumers sometimes have a problem or concern about the product, or they might want to change or return the product that they have bought.Thus, return and exchange services become more important at this stage (Liang & Lai, 2002).All five stages described above are affected by external factors of risks and trusts (Comegys et al., 2009).The source risk comes in the stage of information search and evaluation because the information in the web sites might contain some mistakes.Some websites require customers to register before searching their website.As such, in addition to product risk, consumers also face the risk of information security (Comegys et al., 2009).Because of the nature of online purchasing, customers take the risk as they are not able to examine the product before purchasing.They also take the risk in the payment process because they may need to provide personal information including their credit card number.Security problem does not stop at the purchase stage but continues to the post-purchase stage because their personal information might be misused.

Consumers' Shopping Motivation
When someone feels the need to acquire a product, he goes shopping.But shopping does not occur only to acquire a product.There are many reasons or needs why an individual decide to shop.These reasons or needs are called shopping motivations.Consumers do not buy products or services, but they buy benefits, some tangible and some intangible.Some people may be satisfied only if they purchase what they had planned; however, others enjoy emotions such as fun and excitement as well as the actual purchase.Several researchers have studied shopping motivations, resulting in a broad range of literature (Batra & Ahtola, 1991;Babin, Darden, & Griffin, 1994;Arnold & Reynolds, 2003).
In reviewing the literature, motivations for shopping range from utilitarian motivation to hedonic or experiential motivation.When shopping is done with the objective of purchasing particular products; they are utilitarian shoppers, looking for functional product benefits.Utilitarian motivation involves satisfying functional or economic needs (Babin et al., 1994) and often been characterized as task related and rational (Batra & Ahtola, 1991).Utilitarian shoppers may visit shopping malls or sites only for the product(s) they want to purchase, thereby neglecting all the other motivations (Babin et al., 1994).They pay less attention to other products and the decoration of the mall, as these elements are considered "irrelevant" to their shopping objectives and motives.
Utilitarian shopping motivations include convenience shopping; procuring goods, services, or specific information; and reducing the costs (i.e., money, time, and effort) that may have to be expended in transportation, finding specific products or services, and waiting in check-out lines (Kim & Kang, 1997).For this type of shopper, shopping is "work", where main motivation is to purchase predetermined goods as quickly as possible.In contrast, some consumers enter malls with mainly non-utilitarian motives.For them, shopping can be hedonic-it is "fun".Hedonic shopping is viewed as a positive experience where consumers may enjoy an emotionally satisfying experience related to the shopping activity regardless of whether or not a purchase was made.Hedonic shopping motivations are in a way similar to the task orientation of utilitarian shopping motivations, only the "task" is concerned with hedonic fulfillment, such as experiencing fun, amusement, and sensory stimulation (Barbin et al., 1994).These hedonic satisfactions may be derived from ambience, entertainment, browsing, and a social experience outside the home (e.g., meeting friends, watching people).

Empirical Study
One of the first researchers to investigate shopping motivations was Tauber (1972).Using depth interviews, Tauber divided shopping motivations into two categories: personal and social.In the category of personal shopping motivations he identified the need for role playing, diversion, self gratification, learning about new trends, physical activity and sensory stimulation.The need for social experiences outside the home, communication with others having the same interest, peer group attraction, status & authority, and pleasure of bargaining were included in the category of social shopping motivations.Similarly, Arnold & Reynolds (2003) investigated hedonic reasons why people go shopping and identified six broad categories of hedonic shopping motivation.These included adventure shopping, social shopping, gratification shopping, idea shopping, role shopping, and value shopping.Adventure shopping refers to shopping for excitement, adventure, and stimulation.It also refers to experiencing a different environment that stimulates the senses.Social shopping emphasizes the social benefits of shopping with friends and family.Gratification shopping refers to shopping as a means to create a positive feeling, that is, to feel better or give a special treat to oneself.Idea shopping refers to shopping to gather information about new trends, fashions, and products.Role shopping reflects the enjoyment felt when shopping for others and finding the perfect gift.Value shopping refers to the joy of hunting for bargains, finding discounts, and seeking sales.Some researchers have sought to examine Utilitarian and Hedonic Motivations in concert.For e.g., Shang et al. (2005) found that perceived usefulness of a shopping, website and economic variables were not as significant as entertainment and escapism in predicting shopping behaviour.Babin et al. (1994) focused on utilitarian aspects of shopping, as well as enjoyment.Kim (2006) built on Babin et al. (1994) and Arnold & Reynolds (2003) to explore hedonic (Adventure, Gratification, Value, Social, and Idea Shopping) and Utilitarian (Achievement and Efficiency) dimensions of motivation in the context of inner city and non-inner city populations.Kim's results demonstrated that inner city consumers were similar to non-inner city shoppers in that both groups were motivated by utilitarian aspects of shopping and value, but inner city shoppers placed more emphasis on Hedonic Motivations, which are social, entertaining experiences that offered a range of products.

Study Area
This research made use of primary data that was gathered by a survey carried out in the city of Ibadan.There are eleven (11) Local Governments in Ibadan Metropolitan area, few of these LGAs have government reserved areas in them.For this study, Ibadan south-west LGA was purposively selected because it has the highest number of GRAs compared to other LGAs (Tomori, 2001).This study was carried out in a government reserved area because it is assumed that the residents of GRAs are educated, exposed and inclined with the technological use of the internet.They would have been exposed to or experienced online fashion shopping in developed countries, and would have the money to be able to buy whatever they desire.Ibadan is considered to be a typical Nigerian city and it is assumed that the findings and recommendations of this study may be relevant to other cities in the country.The research is a survey designed to examine the online and offline apparel shopping motivation of consumers in Ibadan metropolis.

Population, Sample Size and Technique
The study was carried out among residents of Government residential areas (GRAs) in Ibadan South-west Local Government Area who are from 18years of age.According to the Provisional Figures released by the National Population Commission (2006), the population of the residents who are 18 years and above is186,967.However, the World Bank ( 2014) projects an annual growth rate of 2.7%, consequently, the total population of this study is 227, 352.Convenience sampling technique was used to select 420 respondents from the GRAs using multi-stage procedures.

Data Collection and Procedure
Questionnaire was used to collect data, using modified version of (Patel, 2009) shopping motivation instrument while other questions were developed by the researcher in line with the aim of the study.
The Chairman Landlord Association of each selected GRA was informed of the survey to be carried out in the area.A letter requesting the permission of the residents of the area to carry out the survey was submitted and an appointment following the next Landlord Association meeting was booked for feedback purpose.A positive feedback was received; the areas were then visited on weekends to distribute the questionnaires in the various houses.However, houses where the residents were not around or where residents are not willing to participate were skipped.As questionnaires were given to respondents, house numbers and phone numbers of a member of the household was documented, this helped the researcher to be able to follow-up on the respondents to fill the questionnaires, the house numbers helped to locate the houses when questionnaires were to be retrieved.Research Assistants were employed and trained for the administration of questionnaires.

Data Analysis
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20.0 was used to analyse the data using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, and mean.Chi-square was used to analyse the hypothesis.Four hundred and twenty (420) questionnaires were administered but 400 were analysed because 13 were not retrieved and 7 were improperly/ incompletely filled.

Socio Demographics and Preferred Shopping Environment
Descriptive statistics for the sample can be found in Table 1, providing information regarding the respondents' demographic profile, such as age, gender, educational and job status.There were more female respondents (57.25%) than male (42.75%), more of the respondents were between ages 26-35 (44.50%), followed by ages 18-25 (40.75%), others were 36-45 (8.75%), 46-56 (5.25%), 58 and above (0.75%), and the average age of respondents was between 26-35 years.Majority of the respondents were single (68.75%), while 29% were married, 1.50% divorced, 0.25% were widows and (0.50%) separated.The respondents were more of graduates (44%), 30.25% were undergraduates, 20.50% had postgraduate qualification while 5.25% were O'level holders.More than half (35.3% and 28.3%) of the respondents were either self-employed or staff of a private company, 31.25% were unemployed.Results confirmed that 48.50% of the respondents shop both online and offline, similarly, 47.25% shop offline while only 4.25% of the respondents shop online.

Description of Consumers' Motivations for Shopping Online and Offline
Table 2 shows consumers' motivating factors for shopping online and offline.Fifty-two percent of the respondents (52%) agreed while 29.5% strongly agreed (making a sum of 81.5%) that they shop offline because of the large variety of fashion items that are available there with a mean score of 2.52 while the mean score of this statement for online shopping platform is 3.05 which shows that the respondents agreed.Majority (76.5%) agreed that it is easier to find their fashion needs offline (mean= 3.08).Although, the respondents also agreed for online shopping platform (mean= 3.03).
Averagely, the respondents agreed that the timing of offline and online shopping platform is convenient for them with a mean score of 2.96 and 3.05 respectively.Only 34.3% agreed that they shop online to take advantage of sales promos, 51.3% agreed for offline however, 17.8% and 45.3% disagreed for online and offline respectively, although, the mean score is 2.87 for online and 2.65 for offline shopping platform which shows that the respondents agreed that they are motivated by promos.
A small group of the respondents (33.6%) agreed that they get discounts more when they shop online while 44.5% agreed for offline shopping platform.Majority (82.8%) of the respondents agreed that they are able to accomplish what they planned to buy when they shop offline (mean= 3.14) while only 33.5% agreed for online (mean= 2.80).
A total of 90.5% of the respondents agreed that shopping makes them feel good even if they do not buy anything (33% for online, 57.5% for offline); the mean score for this statement is 2.79 and 2.78 for online and offline shopping platforms.More of the respondents (66.8%) agreed that they enjoy time shopping offline; however, 36.3% enjoy shopping online.On the average, the respondents (x= 2.78, 2.66) agreed that they shop offline in other to see what the latest fashion is and so as to keep up with trends, similarly, they agreed to this statement for online shopping platform.
Also, majority of the respondents that shop offline (69.8%) agreed that the visual of the shopping environment is attractive to them while the reverse is the case for online shopping platform.The respondents of this study disagreed that they like to shop online if it is for other people (mean= 2.33), they disagreed to this statement for offline shopping platform too.Finally, the respondents agreed that they like to shop with friends and family at both online and offline shopping platforms.In summary, the respondents agreed to the utilitarian shopping motivation statements (mean=2.94)and (mean=2.82)for online and offline shopping platforms, similarly, the total mean score for hedonic shopping motivation depicts that the respondents are motivated by them (mean=3.08and3.20) for online and offline platforms respectively.

Association between Demographics and Preferred Shopping Environment of Respondents
Table 3 shows the association between the demographics and the preferred shopping environment of the respondent, it was descriptively presented using frequency and percentages.The results showed Chi-square (χ 2 ) value of 1. 974, 9.389, 10.059, 4.929, 11.258, 20.800, and 18.942 for sex, age, marital status, residential status, educational status, employment status, and disposable income respectively.Sex has a p-value of 0.373, age has a p-value of 0.311, Marital status-0.261,residential status-0.765,educational status-0.081,employment status-0.002,disposable income-0.041,(P<0.005).Hence there is no association between respondents' gender or sex, age, marital status, residential status, and educational status with the preferred apparel shopping behaviour of the respondents.However, there is a significant association between the employment status of the respondents with their preferred shopping environment (χ 2 =20.800) and P-value 0f 0.002.Also, a Chi-square (χ 2 ) value of 18.942 (p= 0.041) shows an association between the percentages of consumers' disposable income spent on buying apparel with respondents' preferred shopping environment.Hence, the hypothesis can be accepted that there is no significant association between socio demographics and preferred shopping environment.

Discussion and Implications
The purpose of this study was to examine consumers' online and offline shopping motivations.The respondents of the study were residents of Iyaganku and Aleshinloye Government Reserve Areas of Ibadan Metropolis.
The result revealed that a greater percentage of the respondents were female (57.25%), this shows that the female gender is more interested in the issue of fashion since the respondents were not chosen randomly rather it was based on their willingness to respond to the survey; research has shown that females are more expected to be interested in and knowledgeable about fashion and clothing trends.The average age of respondents of this study was between 26 and 35 years; this is because the older ones were not readily available to respond to the questionnaire and more especially, the elderly are not interested in the issue of internet and may have a low level of involvement with shopping.This is consistent with Garnett (2010) who found that men and older consumers shop quickly for apparel, thereby giving little time to shopping activities.Seo et al. (2001) also found a significantly high level of shopping involvement among college students (youth).Similarly, the marital status of most the respondents were single (68.75%) and mostly students; this may be as a result of the fact that this group has lesser responsibilities in terms of looking after other people and mostly rely on relatives for their up keep.Therefore, having time to focus on their appearance and giving attention to the fashion world has it changes.
The preferred shopping platform of the respondents was also determined, 48.5% of the respondents indicated that offline shopping environment is their preferred shopping environment, a close percent (47.25%) indicated that they shop both online and offline while a very few (4.25%) indicated they only shop online; this shows that majority of the respondents are aware of online shopping which could be attributed to the development of technology and the knowledge of use of internet that is spreading day by day, however, these consumers still prefer to shop offline, this result is in contrast with the report of Eun et al., (2011) about the drastic increase in the use of internet for shopping in developed countries such as America, Britain and Korea.What this brings to mind is that the consumers may have fear of the risks attached to online shopping, such as fraud or the issue of trust may also be a determining factor; this is in line with the report of Allison ( 2008) that the major inhibitor of apparel sales growth on the internet may include a high level of purchasing risk.Since many apparel consumers' purchasing decisions are motivated by their senses (e.g., touching, feeling, trying on or observing the product first-hand), being unable to touch or try on apparel through the internet increases consumers' purchase risks (Kwon et al., 1991).Also, as much as shopping in brick stores or going on shopping trips could take a lot of time and energy, it is said that it would enable the consumers to shop a variety of products under one roof and offer shopping experience in terms of ambience and entertainment.
This study considered Utilitarian and Hedonic Shopping Motivations in relation to online and offline shopping environments.The result shows that the respondents agreed to all the statements used to measure the consumers' utilitarian shopping motivations for both online and offline shopping environments.Consistent with Patel (2009) the respondents are motivated by the Utilitarian factors and Hedonic shopping factors.This implies that consumers go for shopping not only to purchase the products or services but also for fun.However, the online shoppers were not motivated by ambience.Role shopping was not a motivating factor for both online and offline shoppers, finally, social shopping, that is, shopping with friends and family motivates the respondents both in the online and offline shopping environments.
This study also considered consumers' demographic status in relation to their preferred shopping environment.The result showed that there was no association between respondents' sex, age, marital status, residential status, educational status and the preferred apparel shopping environment of the respondents.It was expected that age would show an association but this study could not cover a wide age range, however, since the results of this study showed that the majority of the respondents preferred offline shopping, it could then be deduced that the youth prefer offline shopping and this is in line with the findings of Garnett (2010) that the younger ones shopped in bricks-and-mortar stores and the oldest respondents shopped online because they were more likely to pay for convenience of online shopping; although, the reverse is the case in Nigeria where the older ones do not have the culture of making purchases online.However, results revealed that there is a significant association between the employment status (p= 0.002) of the respondents and their preferred shopping environment; the working environment of an individual may determine where he shops based on working hours, level of exposure and working conditions.Furthermore, a significant association was found between consumers' disposable income (P= 0.041) and their preferred shopping environment.This is not surprising because the amount of money available to an individual may determine where he goes to spend it.

Conclusion and Recommendations
Consumers of this study are utilitarian and hedonic shoppers.Hedonism is proved to determine the amount of money spent, the value of items, and quantities purchased.The positive effects are for instance that most consumers view shopping as a joyful activity.These consumers still prefer to shop offline, this implies that offline fashion retailers still have a wide chance of making sales and profit.This is not to say that consumers do not buy online, but majority of the online shoppers also shop offline, therefore, the percentage of those that make purchases online only is negligible.
However, the older fashion merchants should learn online marketing techniques and ways to use the social media to bring their business to the online shopping platforms as research has revealed that that Internet technologies have the potential to help small and medium enterprises enhance service quality, reduce costs, improve productivity, gain competitive advantage, and increase profitability, furthermore, the retailers of apparel products should combine online and offline marketing strategies to maximise their competitive advantage.
Further study should look into the specific reasons causing older consumers not to get involved with online apparel shopping even though it seems more convenient.Also, further study should compare satisfaction level of online and offline shoppers, this will help retailers to better tailor their marketing strategies aright.

Table 1 .
Socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents

Table 2 .
Consumers' motivation for shopping online and offline

Table 3 .
Association between the socio-demographic status and the preferred shopping environment of the respondents