New Social Shopping

: The nature of shopping with others and their impact based on proximity

Abstract

This dissertation explores the social context of shopping, the interaction with others in the buying process and their influence based on proximity. Applying the constructs of Role Theory, this study specifically examines the roles that shopping companions fulfil from the perspective of the focal shopper. Interviews with 24 women with diverse ages and backgrounds provides the data for the research. Eight shopping companion role types are identified (emotional support, decision support, moderating, financial, hedonic, convenience, opportunistic, and reluctant) and explored in depth. Additionally, as the social environment continues to evolve to incorporate interchange over smartphones, this dissertation also examines the nature of shopping companion interplay when remote from the physical shopping experience.
The examination of shopping companion role types provides managers with an understanding of companion interplay and the nature and type of influence when the engagement is remote from the physical shopping environment. Additionally, from a theoretical perspective, the adoption of Role Theory as the theoretical lens highlights that, not only are roles fulfilled simultaneously (in accordance with existing literature) but also fluidly prioritised during the shopping experience. The findings also contrast role configuration and relationships experienced in the more immersive physical environment compared to remote interaction between focal shopper and companion. Finally, although previously considered two distinct Role Theoretic perspectives, the findings of this dissertation posit that both functionalist and symbolic interactionist perspectives offer value in determining the phases of the customer experience with their associated sensory inputs and the communication media deployed by the focal shopper.

Date of Award	25 Jul 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Peter Nuttall (Supervisor), Iain Davies (Supervisor) & Jens Nordfalt (Supervisor)