PurposeThe purpose of this study is to gain a better conceptualization and measurement of smart shopping. The specific objectives are to: investigate consumers' perceptions of the term smart shopping; develop a measure of smart shopping; and validate the measure of smart shopping.Design/methodology/approachThe research includes a comprehensive literature review, focus group interviews, and in‐depth interviews for initial item generation and instrument development. Scale development consists of a pilot test (n=100), a pretest (n=237), and main study (n=1,474).FindingsThe findings indicate that smart shopping includes consumers seeking to minimize the expenditure of time, money, or energy to gain hedonic or utilitarian value from the experience.Research limitations/implicationsIn‐store shopping was examined based on shopping for clothing, grocery, or electronics; therefore caution must be used when applying the smart shopping scale to other shopping contexts or product categories.Practical implicationsGaining a better understanding of the smart shopper will enable retailers to more accurately target this consumer group. Focus could be placed on saving time or saving energy in addition to the traditional emphasis on saving money. Retailers could also provide a combination of utilitarian and hedonic experiences for consumers.Originality/valueThis study conceptualizes and tests the term smart shopping from a broader perspective than previous studies that primarily focused on monetary savings in the grocery shopping context. Smart shopping includes the desire for efficient shopping but emphases on the components of an efficient trip may differ from traditional theories.

This study segments grocery shoppers seeking to maximize shopping value and minimize the investment of time, money, and effort. The literature lacks investigations of grocery shoppers based on shopping activities; therefore, this study aims to fill the gap. Data were obtained from 751 respondents who recently made a smart grocery shopping purchase. The cluster analysis to segment grocery shoppers yielded three types: spontaneous smart shoppers, apathetic smart shoppers, and involved smart shoppers. The segments differ across generational cohorts, consumer characteristics, postpurchase evaluations, and shopping values. Conclusions can assist marketers in tailoring their strategies for each segment.

Today's consumers want to feel smart while shopping by minimizing the costs associated with shopping trips (e.g., time, effort, or money) and maximizing the benefits (e.g., convenience, ease, or finding the right product). This study examined whether smart purchasing experiences (i.e., effort and time saving, money saving, and making the right purchase) differ by product type, gender, and generation, after adjusting to the same levels of search and planning that were made before purchasing. Using 1474 respondents drawn by an online consumer panel, a series of ANCOVAs along with MANCOVA revealed that members of different genders and generational cohorts, when purchasing different product types, demonstrate distinct smart shopping purchase experiences in terms of saving time/effort, saving money, and making the right purchase. Specific suggestions are made for marketers to target each consumer and product group.

To capture diverse aspects of smart shopping for apparel, a comprehensive measurement based upon (a) shopping benefits and costs, (b) consumption economics, and (c) and consumer decision making stages was developed. Employing an extensive literature review, focus group interviews, personal interviews, and surveys, we developed the three-stage, seven-dimensional, and genderneutral smart shopping measure for apparel. The smart shopping dimensions identified were: information search and planning in the prepurchase stage; effort/time savings, right purchase, and money savings in the purchase stage; and satisfaction and word of mouth in the postpurchase stage. The measure was validated with multiple tests and a structural model validated the significance of the proposed relationships among constructs. This study expanded the conceptualization of smart shopping for apparel by investigating cost and benefit components, by uncovering specific outcome constructs, and by identifying activities that generate smart shopper feelings. Suggestions for retailers as well as future research directions are provided.

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