Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, vol. 17, no. 1 (winter 2009), pp. 4961. 2009 M.E.

. Sharpe, Inc. All rights reserved. ISSN 1069-6679 / 2009 $9.50 + 0.00. DOI 10.2753/MTP1069-6679170104

The future viability of malls has been a topic of discussion within the retail and marketing literature during the past few years. Many researchers have noted that traditional malls have lost momentum and may be falling out of favor with consumers (Haytko and Baker 2004; Wakefi eld and Baker 1998). Perhaps as a result of this change in consumer attitudes and behavior, malls are metamorphosing (Chebat and Morrin 2007), with outlet malls now accounting for over 30 percent of all malls (Reynolds, Ganesh, and Luckett 2002). Other types of malls, including the part enclosed, part open-air hybrid malls, have shown marginal success levels in their infancy (Mander 2001). The future viability of malls may rest on how malls are perceived by emerging generations of adult shoppers. Industry observers have noted that baby boomers as a generation have not had the impact on shopping centers that was expected of them. Boomers have entered their peak earning years, but instead of spending money on shopping, many are instead paying for higher than anticipated college tuitions, saving for retirement, and paying taxes (Hazel 2002). In addition to the fi nancial pressures on baby boomers, several analysts have also noted that boomers attitudes toward malls as places to shop are not overwhelmingly positive. Malls were initially conceived as places of convenience where multitudes of products could be brought together to foster one-stop shopping, but time-crunched baby boomers may see these large and cumbersome places as a detriment. Instead they seem to be fl ocking to category killers, discount stores, warehouse clubs, superstores, factory-outlet malls, online retail options, television, and catalogs (Reynolds, Ganesh, and Luckett 2002). As importantly, many adult consumers indicate that they just do not enjoy the experience of going to the mall (Cavanaugh 1996). Many adolescent consumers, on the other hand, have embraced the mall experience. Setlow (2001) notes that going to the mall is a high priority for teens and that shopping for clothes is their top activity. Many malls, in fact, have begun to recognize the dollar potential associated with this generational cohort group and have developed regions in the mall that are specifi cally designed for adolescent shoppers (McCartney 2002). The central purposes of this paper are to explore whether adolescent consumers do in fact have different attitudes and perceptions of malls than current adults, and to determine if specifi c motivations to consume infl uence these mall attitudes and perceptions. Data gathered from mothers and daughters were examined to investigate how these consumers feel about specifi c dimensions of malls, and their motivations to consume.

SHOPPING MALL PERCEPTIONS

Marketing academics have noticed that consumption excursions to shopping malls are often motivated by the anticipation of positive social experiences (Michon et al.

2007). Feinberg and Meoli (1991) suggested that in the modern consumer culture, malls are the center of the universe.
Craig A. Martin (Ph.D., University of Memphis), Associate Professor of Marketing, Gordon Ford College of Business, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, craig.martin@wku.edu. This paper would not have been possible without the assistance and guidance of the late Lou Turley. Lou provided valuable insight in the preparation of this paper before his untimely death. His contribution is much appreciated.

CONSUMPTION MOTIVATION AND PERCEPTIONS OF MALLS: A COMPARISON OF MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS

Craig A. Martin The central purposes of this paper are to explore whether adolescent consumers have different attitudes and perceptions of malls than adults, and to determine if specifi c motivations to consume infl uence these mall attitudes and perceptions. Data were gathered from 110 dyadic pairs of mothers and daughters. The data included information about the mothers and daughters perceptions of mall environmental variables, and their motivations to consume at shopping malls. The results indicate that mothers and daughters are motivated to consume by different factors, and that they differ signifi cantly in terms of their perceptions of critical mall environmental variables. 50 Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice Feinberg et al. (1989) argued that consumers have social and psychological motives for shopping that go beyond acquiring goods and that the success of malls often hinges on their ability to foster social interaction. They note that as mall stores prices and convenience become more standardized, noneconomic factors such as a malls social environment become more important (Feinberg et al. 1989). Bloch, Ridgway, and Dawson (1994) conducted a study focusing on the social environment of a mall. They noted that the biological term habitat could be used to describe the space encompassed by a mall. Their research suggested that within this context, a location such as a mall may be the source of pleasurable consumption by those consumers who visit them. Moreover, Bonnins (2006) appropriationbased framework suggests that the pleasurable components of a stores atmosphere can be numerous. One of the most important implications associated with these studies is that they suggest that malls do not have universal appeal and that different segments of consumers may be responding to different aspects of a mall. Wakefi eld and Baker (1998) have also raised the issue about whether perceptions of malls were infl uenced by the age of the shopper. These authors used a fi eld study to examine adult shoppers perceptions of certain noneconomic factors when they studied the effects that tenant variety, mall environment, and mall involvement had on shoppers excitement and desire to stay in a mall. Their fi ndings showed that shoppers excitement levels infl uenced their response to the mall. However, they also suggested that age is a moderating factor in a consumers response to a malls environment. The research in this area also appears to indicate that the perception of malls and the behavior of mall shoppers changed signifi cantly during the 1990s. In a study that compares mall shoppers from 1993 and 1999, Nicholls et al. (2002) reported that shoppers in 1999 reported purchasing

more nonfood and beverage merchandise, visited malls less frequently, stayed longer when they came, and indicated that they were less infl uenced by the atmosphere of the mall than the shoppers in 1993. Their results tend to indicate that consumers are going to malls less often but doing more meaningful shopping while there. Taylor and Cosenza (2002) note that a cohort group of shoppers that appears to have very favorable attitudes toward malls and, in fact, love to shop in them are teenage females. The fi ndings from the Taylor and Cosenza (2002) study indicate that the excitement level generated by the mall is an important infl uence on later-aged teenage girls. The results of this study also note that teenagers prefer malls to other outlets, and the authors label teenage females as consumers who are born to shop. A more recent research study noted that a variety of factors infl uence the mall shopping experiences of teenage females. Haytko and Baker (2004) utilize in-depth interviews with adolescent female shoppers to uncover factors that infl uence important outcome variables such as purchase intentions, the amount of time spent in malls on an average shopping excursion, and specifi c mall selection. The interviews suggest that a combination of individual shopping characteristics (education level and awareness of shopping trends), situational infl uences (shopping companions and shopping motivations), and mall perceptions (including but not limited to safety, comfort, and atmosphere) are likely to infl uence a teenage females mall experiences and mall shopping habits. An important outcome of the Haytko and Baker (2004) study is that a teenage females mall perceptions and experiences are likely to be highly infl uenced by the individual(s) present on each shopping experience. Multiple adolescent females noted that mall shopping with their mother was often an important factor as mothers were often the individuals paying for the purchases made by their teenage daughters. Last, Guiry, Magi, and Lutz (2006) have shown that shopping enthusiasts, or those consumers who are committed to recreational shopping as a rewarding activity, are more likely to be younger consumers. As such, the overriding implication from the aforementioned studies is that there might be signifi cant differences in mall perceptions based on the age of the mall shopper. Understanding these possible differences is critical for mall executives who are responsible for attracting mall shoppers.

CONSUMPTION EXPERIENCES
Research indicates that shopping and the experiences associated with this activity increasingly have the potential to signifi cantly infl uence a young consumers consumption behaviors and attitudes. Children have listed going shopping as their second favorite after-school activity, with watching television being fi rst (Schulman and Clancy 1992), while children as young as age 10 experience an average of 250 shopping expeditions annually (Dotson and Hyatt 1994). Moreover, Dotson and Hyatt (2005) have shown that the importance a child places on shopping, as indicated by

the childs level of enjoyment of the shopping experience, is a major consumer socialization factor. However, consumption experiences of children or younger shoppers are often dissimilar or contradictory to those Winter 2009 51 of adults, especially when the comparisons are between children and their parents. Initially, children are inclined to believe that they have a signifi cantly greater impact on consumption within a household as compared to parents perceptions of the childs impact on household consumption (Foxman, Tansuhaj, and Ekstrom 1989a; 1989b). Moreover, Beatty and Talpade (1994) found evidence that mothers and daughters differ in terms of their dyadic perceptions of shopping infl uence as compared to the dyadic perceptions of shopping infl uence between fathers and sons. Research has also shown that children and their parents are likely to be infl uenced differently by advertising. Children often focus greater attention on the symbolic aspects of advertising, searching for information that can be utilized to select products based on image or perception. Conversely, adults are more likely to search for salient benefi ts or value perceptions in advertising (John 1999). As such, children and adults are likely to form different perceptions of how to appropriately shop for products, and different attitudes toward retail environmental characteristics as cues in the shopping process. Finally, research has suggested that information search differs as consumers age and gain greater shopping experience (Capon and Burke 1980). Adolescents are more likely to rely on their peers and friends for their purchasing-related information than are older consumers (Moschis and Moore 1979; Tootelian and Gaedeke 1992). Moreover, younger consumers are likely to spend less time during the overall information search process when making consumption decisions as compared to older or adult-aged consumers (Moschis and Moore 1979). The overall implication drawn from the previous research studies is that younger consumers often have consumption perceptions, attitudes, and experiences that differ signifi cantly from those of older consumers. Likewise, children are often likely to have varying perceptions of retail consumption experiences as compared to their parents. Therefore, the following section is devoted to developing hypotheses that will empirically examine the differences between a mothers perceptions of retail-based consumption characteristics and a daughters perceptions of the same characteristics.

HYPOTHESES
Previous research has indicated that two separate shopping values exist in the minds of consumers. Babin, Darden, and Griffi n (1994) established that consumption or shopping experiences could lead to both utilitarian rewards and hedonic rewards. Utilitarian behavior is often seen as task specifi c and rational (Sherry 1990). In most instances, this type of behavior occurs when consumers have an explicit shopping goal to accomplish, such as the purchase of a

specifi c product (Babin, Darden, and Griffi n 1994). Hedonic behavior, conversely, is characterized by a shopping excursions potential entertainment or emotional value. Often hedonic rewards are obtained via recreational shopping experiences where no specifi ed product purchase was planned or made. Hedonic value is derived through pleasurable shopping environments or conditions (Fischer and Arnold 1990). Examinations in the area of consumer socialization appear to suggest that younger consumers possess a greater desire for hedonic value in their shopping experiences than do adults. Baker and Haytko (2000) have implied that shopping malls are seen as viable entertainment options for teenage females. Matthews et al. (2000) established that mall shopping is clearly a social experience for teenagers, indicating that the shopping mall environment plays a key role in the value teens perceive during an average trip to the mall. Moreover, research has shown that later-aged female teens search for shopping venues that offer the possibility of excitement, and that the desire to stay at a shopping venue for these female shoppers was a direct result of their perceptions of a malls environment (Taylor and Cosenza 2002). Wakefi eld and Baker (1998) have developed multiple variables that defi ne mall environmental perceptions. These variables include ambient factors, design factors, the malls overall layout, the variety available at the mall, the consumers perceptions of involvement and excitement within the mall, and the consumers desire to stay at and return to the mall. Each of the factors represents an environmental variable associated with a traditional shopping mall. As such, these variables are often utilized by consumers to develop perceptions of the hedonic rewards derived from a shopping experience. Moreover, the qualitative study completed by Haytko and Baker (2004) found that fi ve mall characteristics were important decision-making criteria for teenage females in choosing which malls would be visited. These fi ve mall characteristics include comfort, safety, retail mix, accessibility, and atmosphere. A more recent study indicates that shopping involvement plays a critical role for teenagers in determining their motivation to spend time at malls, the money they spend at malls, and their intention to return to the mall (Lueg et al. 2006). Therefore, we propose that these retail environmental characteristics are likely to play a more important role in 52 Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice the shopping experiences of younger consumers than older consumers, proposing that adolescent females will exhibit signifi cantly higher perceptions of these environmental characteristics than their mothers. Hypothesis 1: Adolescent daughters will exhibit a signifi cantly greater perception of mall (a) ambient factors, (b) design factors, (c) layout factors, (d) variety factors, (e) excitement levels, (f) involvement levels, and (g) exhibit signifi cantly greater desire to stay at the mall, and (h) desire to return to the mall, than will their mothers.

The consumer socialization literature has also established that a consumers motivation to consume is a critical element infl uencing a variety of consumption-related experiences and outcomes. By defi nition, two separate motivations to consume exist. Objective motivations to consume refl ect a consumers desire to purchase products based on economic, functional, or objective reasons (Moschis 1978). Previous research has found that adolescent objective motives for consuming are positively infl uenced by consumption-related communication among family members and negatively related to television exposure (Moschis and Churchill 1978). Therefore, these perceptions are often perceived as desirable decision-making stimuli in retail environments (John 1999). In contrast, social motivations to consume refl ect the importance a consumer places on the perceptions of others and are often based on the importance a consumer places on conspicuous consumption and self-expression via this type of consumption (Moschis 1981). Greater exposure to television is likely to lead to higher social motivations to consume in adolescents (Moschis and Churchill 1978). Moreover, social motivations to consume have been shown to be positively related to many of the variables associated with materialism (John 1999). As such, social motivations to consume are often perceived negatively. Early research in consumer socialization established that children frequently do not know the prices for items that they regularly purchase (Stephens and Moore 1975). Moreover, young consumers rarely mention the price of a product when listing the type of information that they would like to have about an unfamiliar product prior to purchasing it (Ward, Wackman, and Wartella 1977). More recent research suggests that information such as the name of the brand is more important to young consumers than price (McNeal 1992). John (1999) proposes that young consumers pay little attention to price because these younger consumers do not have the required purchasing experience needed to understand the relationship between product price and product quality or value. Adults, on the other hand, often relate a products price to the economic foundations of supply and demand, and have a much greater understanding of the importance of price. In a study analyzing apparel-related decision making of parents and their children, Darian (1998) found that parents were more likely to mention price, quality, and practicality as important attributes as compared to their children. Recent research suggests that older teenage females often utilize shopping as an opportunity to experience leisure and enjoyment (Bakewell and Mitchell 2003). Moreover, Haytko and Baker note that, although adolescent females often visit malls for both utilitarian and hedonic reasons, In most cases, young girls have hedonic motives for visiting malls, even when performing utilitarian tasks (2004, p. 79). Finally, in a study of mostly adult consumers, Noble, Griffi th, and Adjei (2006) found that adult females score high on the shopping motives of merchandise uniqueness and assortment seeking, which are both commonly classifi

ed as utilitarian shopping motives. Therefore, it is expected that the older consumers in our studymothersare more likely to be economically motivated to consume, and the younger consumers in our studydaughtersare more likely to be socially motivated to consume. Hypothesis 2: Mothers will exhibit a signifi cantly greater objective motivation to consume than their adolescent daughters. Hypothesis 3: Adolescent daughters will exhibit a signifi cantly greater social motivation to consume than their mothers. Although motivation to consume is not the only variable that can infl uence a consumers perceptions of important consumption-related outcomes, both social and objective motivations to consume have been shown in previous research to be related to a variety of variables important in the consumer behavior process (for a complete review, see John 1999). Moschis and Churchill (1979) have found that adolescent social motivations to consume are signifi cantly related to the materialistic tendencies of the adolescent. Carlson et al. (1994) found evidence that adolescents were able to predict their mothers dominant consumption motivations. However, research investigating the infl uence of specifi c consumption motivations in a retail setting has been scant. Only recently has it been shown that prevailing motivations to consume play an important role in infl uencing a consumers perceptions of retail environmental characteristics. Recent research examining older Generation Y consumers found that a consumers dominant motivation Winter 2009 53 to consume infl uences his or her perceptions of important mall-related environmental variables, including perceptions of mall ambience, mall design, mall variety, mall excitement, and intentions to stay and return to the mall (Martin and Turley 2004). Haytko and Baker (2004) utilized in-depth interviews with females ages 1219 to develop a conceptual model that suggests that the mall perceptions of adolescent females are directly infl uenced by the specifi c shopping motivations of hedonic and utilitarian motivations. It is the position of the present paper that the dominant consumption motivation of the mothers and daughters examined in the present study will significantly and positively infl uence their perceptions of important mallrelated environmental variables. Specifi cally, as proposed in H2, mothers are expected to be objectively motivated to consume. Therefore, the present study proposes that the mothers objective motivation to consume will positively and signifi cantly predict their perceptions of important mall-related environmental variables. Likewise, as the adolescent daughters in the present study are expected to exhibit signifi cantly higher social motivations to consume, the present study proposes that the daughters social motivation to consume will positively and signifi cantly predict their perceptions of important mall-related environmental

variables. Hypothesis 4: Mothers objective motivation to consume will signifi cantly and positively predict their perceptions of mall (a) ambient factors, (b) design factors, (c) layout factors, (d) variety factors, (e) excitement levels, (f) involvement levels, and their (g) desire to stay at the mall, and (h) desire to return to the mall. Hypothesis 5: Adolescent daughters social motivation to consume will signifi cantly and positively predict their perceptions of mall (a) ambient factors, (b) design factors, (c) layout factors, (d) variety factors, (e) excitement levels, (f) involvement levels, and their (g) desire to stay at the mall, and (h) desire to return to the mall.

STUDY METHODOLOGY
In order to compare the differences in perceptions of malls held by adolescents and adults, a fi eld-based mall intercept study was performed at a regional mall.

Measures
The present study focused specifi cally on objective and social motivations for consumption, as these have been identifi ed within the socialization literature as critical to understanding how perceptions and attitudes of younger consumers are formed (Moschis 1978; 1981). These divergent motivations are considered to be cognitive orientations, predispositions, and values that can determine how and why people consume and shop. Objective motivations for shopping are based on the strength of a brands functional and economic dimensions, orientations toward comparison shopping, and important discriminatory attitudes. Social motivations for shopping are based on the relevance of conspicuous consumption and self-expression through conspicuous consumption (Moschis 1981). In order to assess consumption motivation, we used two separate measures developed by Moschis (1978; 1981). The objective motivation to consume scale (Cronbachs 1951, alpha reliability for mothers = 0.76; daughters = 0.78) is a fi ve-item scale, and the social motivation scale (alpha reliability for mothers = 0.91; daughters = 0.85) utilizes four items. Both scales are measured on a fi ve-point continuum anchored by strongly agree and strongly disagree. Based on the mall-related study conducted by Wakefi eld and Baker (1998), we also incorporated a series of mall perception scales into this study. We included a measure of atmospherics developed by Wakefi eld and Baker (1998) and Wakefi eld and Blodgett (1996) that measures ambient factors with four items (alpha reliability for mothers = 0.72; daughters = 0.78), design factors with four items (0.94; 0.89), and mall layout with four items (0.88; 0.84). We also used Wakefi eld and Bakers (1998) three-item measure of mall variety (0.73; 0.79), Wakefi eld and Blodgetts (1994) two-item desire to stay scale (0.84; 0.79), Russells (1980) fi ve-item mall excitement scale (0.95; 0.92), Zaichkowskys (1985) six-item involvement scale (0.96; 0.92), and Oliver and Swans (1989) four-item desire to return scale (0.94; 0.95). Finally, we also asked a series of demographic items for all respondents that included age, race, and zip code.

Mothers also were asked marital status, occupation, income level, and number of children at home. Table 1 contains the demographic characteristics of the respondents. All of the measurement scales utilized in the present study are provided the Appendix.

Methodology
In order to explore these concepts, a fi eld study at a regional mall in the southeast section of the United States was conducted. This particular mall is owned by one of the largest mall development and holding companies and originally opened in 1987. The mall was expanded and remodeled in 1996 and again in 20012. The most recent expansion focused on an $8 million food court remodeling. This 54 Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice particular mall has approximately 850,000 square feet of retail space, has four anchor stores and over 100 specialty retailers, and also includes eight quick-serve restaurants. Adjacent to the mall but still on mall property, there are fi ve full-service restaurants, a discount department store, and a large offi ce space housing a fi nancial institution. According to mall data, the average household income within a three-mile radius of the mall is $67,000, 80 percent of customers who visit the mall make a purchase, and visitors spend an average of $55 per visit. Interviewers were recruited from senior-level marketing classes and trained by the primary researchers of the study. The students chosen to participate as interviewers were the top six students from two separate classes based on their overall point totals for the course. This allowed only high achieving students to participate as interviewers. The process of training students to become qualifi ed interviewers took place over a two-week period. All students were required to meet with the primary researchers of the present study at least four separate times, with each meeting lasting between one-half hour and one hour. Interviewers were trained on how to approach respondents, describe the study, and ensure that respondents fully completed questionnaires. Based on an agreement with mall management, interviewers wore mall name tags and told potential respondents that data were being gathered by the mall to investigate attitudes toward malls. Data were gathered on a weekend that management identifi ed as a typical weekend based on historical sales data. During this weekend, data were gathered from 4:00 P.M. until close on Friday, and from open to close on Saturday (10:00 A.M.10:00 P.M.) and Sunday (1:00 P.M.6:00 P.M.). At least one of the primary researchers of the present study was present during each data collection time frame. Steps were taken, however, to ensure that the primary researchers were not visible to the respondents in the study. This was done so that respondents would feel as comfortable as possible during completion of the questionnaires. A modifi ed mall intercept method was used to gather data. The interviewers were stationed at all direct entrances into the mall from the parking lot and instructed to approach all mother and adolescent daughter pairs as they entered the mall. The interviewers qualifi ed each respondent

pair by making sure that daughters were between the ages of 12 and 18. Mothers and daughters were then separated and given questionnaires to fi ll out that were identical except for the additional demographic questions concerning occupation and family income that were added to the version completed by mothers. To avoid the possibility of confusion for the interviewers, the two versions were color coded with one color for mothers and a different color for daughters. Interviewers stapled the two questionnaires together so that each motherdaughter pair could be identifi ed during data input. Questionnaires were then collected by the primary researchers at the end of each evening. As an inducement to complete the questionnaire, the motherdaughter pairs were given a $5 mall gift certifi cate for each questionnaire when both were completed. This method generated 110 motherdaughter pairs for a total of 220 respondents.

RESULTS
H1 was examined using paired samples t-tests to identify signifi cant differences between mothers and daughters perceptions of mall environmental variables. The results, presented in Table 2, indicate that daughters scored signifi cantly higher than their mothers on perceptions of Table 1 Characteristics of Sample
Frequency Characteristic Mothers Daughters Race African American 8 7 Caucasian 84 92 Hispanic 3 4 Asian 2 2 Biracial 0 0 Other/Missing 13 5 Age 12 21 13 16 14 20 15 26 16 13 17 11 18 3 2130 3 3140 49 4150 46 5160 7 61+ 1 Missing 4 Marital Status Single 7 Married 88 Divorced 13 Other 2 Income Level $0$25,000 17 $25,001$50,000 41 $50,001$75,000 25 $75,001$100,000 17 $100,001+ 9 Missing 1

Winter 2009 55 mall variety ( p < 0.01), desire to stay at the mall ( p < 0.01), involvement in shopping ( p < 0.01), and desire to return to the mall ( p < 0.01), supporting H1d, H1f, H1g, and H1h. Mothers and their daughters exhibited no signifi cant differences in terms of their perceptions of mall ambience (H1a), mall design (H1b), mall layout (H1c), and mall excitement (H1e). Therefore, H1 was partially supported. H2 and H3 were also examined using paired samples t-tests to identify signifi cant differences between mothers and daughters motivations to consume. As seen in Table 2, both H2 and H3 are supported. Mothers exhibit a signifi cantly greater objective motivation to consume ( p < 0.01), and daughters exhibit a signifi cantly greater social motivation to consume ( p < 0.01). H4 and H5 were tested using regression to assess the infl uence of the dominant motivation to consume for both mothers and daughters. For H4, the mothers objective motivation to consume was used as the independent variable predicting perceptions of important mall environmental variables. For H5, the daughters social motivation to consume was used as the independent variable predicting perceptions of important mall environmental variables. The results of these multiple regression tests are presented in Table 3. The results in Table 3 indicate nearly full support for H4 and partial support for H5. For H4, a mothers objective motivation to consume positively and signifi cantly predicts her perceptions of mall ambience ( p < 0.01), design ( p < 0.01), layout ( p < 0.01), variety ( p < 0.01), desire to stay ( p < 0.01), excitement ( p < 0.05), and involvement ( p < 0.05). The lone mall perception variable not signifi cantly infl uenced by the mothers objective motivation to consume was her desire to return to the mall. For H5, a daughters social motivation to consume positively and signifi cantly predicts her perceptions of mall variety ( p < 0.05), desire to stay ( p < 0.05), excitement ( p < 0.05), and involvement ( p < 0.01). Conversely, a daughters social motivation to consume does not signifi cantly predict her perceptions of mall ambience, design, layout, or her desire to return to the mall. To further examine the relationships proposed in H4 and H5, additional regression analyses were run. For H4, a mothers objective and social motivations to consume were utilized as independent variables (instead of only the mothers objective motivation as in the original analysis). Regression analyses were then run using both of the aforementioned mothers motivations to consume predicting each dependent variable being examined. The results of these tests were nearly identical to the results of the original regression analyses. In the second set of regression analyses, the mothers objective motivation to consume remained a positive predictor of her mall perceptions of ambiance, design, layout, variety, desire to stay, excitement, and involvement. The mothers social motivations to consume only positively predicted one dependent variable, the mothers desire to stay. These results suggest that although the mothers

desire to stay is positively infl uenced by both forms of consumption motivation, the variables that were positively predicted by objective motivation to consume in the fi rst set of tests remain the same in the second set of tests. For H5, a daughters objective and social motivations to consume were utilized as independent variables (instead of only the daughters social motivation as in the original analysis). Regression analyses were then run using both of the aforementioned daughters motivations to consume predicting each dependent variable being examined. The results of the second test confi rmed the results of the fi rst test. A daughters social motivation to consume remained a positive predictor of her perceptions of variety, desire to Table 2 Test of Dif ferences for Mean Values of Paired Samples
Signifi cance Variable Mothers Daughters t-Value Level Ambience 3.78 3.82 0.54 0.593 Design 3.94 4.00 0.69 0.491 Layout 3.85 3.96 1.13 0.260 Variety 3.41 3.74 3.57 0.001 Desire to Stay 3.28 4.09 7.67 0.000 Excitement 5.16 5.28 0.99 0.324 Involvement 5.38 5.92 4.06 0.000 Desire to Return 5.83 6.16 2.68 0.009 Consumption Motivation (objective) 4.06 3.65 4.82 0.000 Consumption Motivation (social) 2.58 2.99 3.65 0.000
Notes: Summated scales were utilized to calculate mean values for variables examined. Boldface fi gures indicate signifi cance at p < 0.05.

56 Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice stay, excitement, and involvement. Moreover, the daughters objective motivation to consume was not a signifi cant predictor of any of the mall perception variables examined. Therefore, these additional regression analyses provide strong support for the original regression analysis results completed for H4 and H5.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Initially, it is important to note that mothers and their adolescent daughters have signifi cantly different perceptions of specifi c mall variables. Similar to other malls around the country, the management of the mall utilized in the present study has put forth considerable effort to alter the retail climate and environment of this mall. As seen in the results in Table 2, adolescent female shoppers have positively perceived these changes. Of the eight mall environmental variables examined in the present study, daughters exhibited higher mean scores on all eight of the variables as compared to their mothers. Moreover, four of these higher mean scores were statistically signifi cant, indicating that adolescent female teens are more impressed and infl uenced by these variables than their mothers. An interesting outcome of the present study is that mothers and daughters did not exhibit signifi cant differences in terms of their perceptions of mall ambience, mall design, or mall layout, as seen in Table 2. As seen in Table 3, a daughters social motivation to consume did not signifi cantly infl uence the three aforementioned mall perception variables either. Explanations for these results

might come from the mall being examined. It is possible that the atmosphere of the mall utilized in the present study is acceptable to both mothers and daughters. The mean scores on each of the three aforementioned variables for both mothers and daughters are at or near four on a fi ve-point scale, indicating positive perceptions of these variables. The fact that there was no signifi cant difference between the perceptions of mothers and daughters, however, should not imply that these factors are not important. The results in Table 3 show that a mothers objective motivation to consume is an important predictor of her perceptions of mall ambience, design, and layout. The likely conclusion from an analysis of these results is that these mall perception variables are important, but that factors other than motivation to consume are critical in forming an adolescent daughters perception of mall ambience, design, and layout. In other words, understanding a mothers consumption motivation is likely more important for mall managers in terms of creating acceptable shopping environments than understanding the consumption motivation of daughters. The results also indicate that the mothers examined in the present study place a greater emphasis on objective motivations for shopping and utilitarian benefi ts. This Table 3 Regression Results of Consumption Motivation on Mall Perception Variables
Predictor/ Standardized Adjusted Signifi cance Dependent Variable Beta Coeffi cient r2 t-Value Level Mothers Consumption Motivation (objective) Ambience 0.410 0.161 4.68 0.000 Design 0.476 0.220 5.63 0.000 Layout 0.377 0.134 4.23 0.000 Variety 0.369 0.128 4.12 0.000 Desire to Stay 0.400 0.152 4.54 0.000 Excitement 0.199 0.031 2.11 0.037 Involvement 0.218 0.039 2.32 0.022 Desire to Return 0.119 0.005 1.25 0.215 Daughters Consumption Motivation (social) Ambience 0.094 0.000 0.984 0.328 Design 0.085 0.002 0.885 0.378 Layout 0.065 0.005 0.681 0.497 Variety 0.191 0.028 2.03 0.045 Desire to Stay 0.202 0.032 2.14 0.034 Excitement 0.205 0.033 2.18 0.031 Involvement 0.327 0.099 3.60 0.000 Desire to Return 0.154 0.015 1.62 0.107
Note: Boldface fi gures indicate signifi cance at p < 0.05.

Winter 2009 57 information can be of critical importance for mall managers as they attempt to draw middle-aged females into their shopping malls. As middle-aged females often comprise the largest and most lucrative consuming segment for traditional mall stores, this target segment is a tremendously important segment of mall patrons. Based on the present results, mall managers would be more successful in drawing these middle-aged females into their mall locations by emphasizing unique sales promotions in department stores or specialty stores within the mall. As middle-aged female

mothers are shown to exhibit a signifi cantly lower desire to stay in the mall and signifi cantly less desire to return to the mall as compared to their adolescent daughters, it is important for these middle-aged female mothers to have an objective reason or motivation driving their mall visit. Mall managers might consider coordinating multiple department store sales, focusing on the most popular stores for this consumer segment, and promoting sales in these stores on the same weekend. This would motivate the utilitarian middle-aged female shopper by saving her time and money, while capitalizing on her desire for short-term, purchase-oriented visits. Finally, it is important to note that although the mall perception of variety appears to play an essential role in the results of the present study (signifi cantly different perception between mothers and daughters, and signifi cantly predicted by the dominant motivation to consume of both the mother and the daughter), the overall implications of these results might not be as robust as fi rst perceived. The three-item scale used to assess variety focuses on three rather distinct components of a malls environment, including food variety, store variety, and entertainment variety. Although the overall measurement scale showed acceptable reliability levels, it would likely provide greater insight for mall managers if this scale could assess food, store, and entertainment variety separately. Doing so would allow mall managers the opportunity to gain greater understanding as to how each critical component of variety is perceived by mall patrons. In the present study, greater meaning could be taken from the results if dominant consumption motivations could be assessed as predictors of multiple item scales assessing each separate factor of variety.

FUTURE RESEARCH AND CONCLUSION

Future research focusing on shopping mall perceptions of various consuming groups should likely expand the concept of the present study to focus on multiple developing areas. First, research should attempt to determine the importance of gender in the shopping mall setting. Although the present study has attempted to determine the importance of differences in age within the category of female shoppers, no known research to date has compared the differences in perceptions of males and females. As the present study has suggested, differences in age between females appear to signifi cantly impact a consumers perceptions of important mall environmental variables. Future research should seek to understand possible differences between different genders of mall shoppers. Second, the present study does not examine the specifi c relationships between the mall perception variables examined. Specifi cally, all mall perception variables examined in the present study are viewed as dependent variables that are likely to be infl uenced by consumer motivations to consume. Future research should attempt to determine if certain mall environmental perceptions have an infl uence on other mall environmental perception variables. Although Wakefi eld and Baker (1998) have initiated this type of

research, examining a greater number of mall perception variables, or examining differences in their infl uence based on gender or age of the mall consumer, would aid mall managers in understanding the specifi c role that environmental variables play in attracting and satisfying shoppers. Third, future research should focus on additional consumer socialization variables that might help explain the mall perceptions of mothers and daughters. Although the relationships examined in the present study suggest that a mothers objective motivation to consume and a daughters social motivation to consume both signifi cantly predict multiple important mall perception variables, the amount of variance explained in each variable is somewhat low (as seen in the adjusted r-squared values in Table 3), particularly for the daughters examined. A number of reasons can be cited for the low r-squared values in Table 3 (specifi cally that r-squared values are normally lower for cross-sectional data than for time series data), but most often the explanation for a low level of explained variance is that it might be an indication of missing explanatory or independent variables. For the present study, greater focus should be placed on the communication efforts that take place between daughters and their parents, siblings, peers, or others that might infl uence their shopping patterns. Although John (1999) has noted that studies have been completed that examine parentchild communication, little is known as to how this communication affects the shopping experiences of young consumers. Moreover, Haytko and Baker (2004) note that shopping companions are important in determining mall perceptions. Taking this concept a step further, it is possible that communication with these friends or peers can signifi cantly impact mall perceptions. 58 Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice Finally, societal changes and the development of differing family structures should be examined to determine if female adolescents from traditional households, where both parents are present in the home, differ in their consumption experiences at shopping malls as compared to female adolescents who have been raised in what are often labeled nontraditional households (i.e., parents are divorced, one parent as primary caregiver, children raised by someone other than a parent). The current study took place in a setting where 88 of the 110 mothers participating were married (80 percent). However, statistics from the latest census in the United States indicate that at the end of 2003, over 40 percent of mothers who have custody of at least one child, and over 55 percent of fathers who have custody of at least one child, were either divorced or separated. Moreover, of all the households in the United States, nearly 10 percent were comprised of single mothers with children at home (www.census.gov). Therefore, as household composition continues to change and the infl uences on adolescents continue to evolve, it will be important to understand if adolescents raised in nontraditional households have different attitudes about consumption, and if these potential differences infl uence the adolescents shopping behaviors

and habits. In conclusion, the present study attempted to provide academic researchers and mall practitioners with a more comprehensive foundation in which to view and comprehend the mall shopping behavior of two specifi c groups of mall shoppers. As a result of the present study, mall managers likely have a greater understanding of the important differences exhibited by mothers and their adolescent daughters in terms of mall perceptions and attitudes.

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60 Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice

APPENDIX Measures of Constructs Consumption MotivationSocial (fi ve-point, strongly disagree to strongly agree)
Before purchasing a product at the mall, it is important to know . . . what friends think of different brands or products. what kinds of people buy certain brands or products. what others think of people who use certain brands or products. what brands/products to buy to make good impressions on others.

Consumption MotivationObjective (fi ve-point, strongly disagree to strongly agree)

Before purchasing a product at the mall, it is important to know . . . about guarantees on different brands.

the name of the company that makes the product. whether any brands are on sale. the kinds of materials different brands are made of. the quality of store selling a particular brand.

Ambient Factors (fi ve-point, strongly disagree to strongly agree)

The mall plays music that I like. Mall music is played at an appropriate volume. The mall lighting is appropriate. The mall temperature is comfortable.

Design Factors (fi ve-point, strongly disagree to strongly agree)

The malls architecture gives it an attractive character. The mall is decorated in an attractive fashion. The interior wall and fl oor color schemes are attractive. The overall design of the mall is interesting.

Layout (fi ve-point, strongly disagree to strongly agree)

The layout makes it easy to get to the stores you want. The layout makes it easy to get to the food areas. The layout makes it easy to get to the restrooms. Overall, the layout makes it easy to get around.

Variety (fi ve-point, strongly disagree to strongly agree)

The variety of food offered at this mall is excellent. This mall has an excellent variety of stores. This mall has excellent entertainment alternatives.

Desire to Stay (fi ve-point, strongly disagree to strongly agree)

I like to stay at this mall as long as possible. I enjoy spending time at this mall. Winter 2009 61

Excitement (seven-point semantic differential)

The mall is unexcitingexciting; dullinteresting; boringstimulating; unappealingappealing; monotonoussensational

Involvement (seven-point semantic differential)

In general, going shopping is unimportantimportant; unexcitingexciting; unappealingappealing; means nothingmeans a lot to me; doesnt mattermatters to me; boringinteresting

Desire to Return (seven-point semantic differential)

In the future, my shopping at this mall will be not at allvery frequent; unlikelylikely; not probablevery probable; impossiblevery possible