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GIS in Business - Routing analysis of Plaza Shoppers
Lilian, S.C. Pun-Cheng*, Alice, W.C. Chu**
*Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics
**Institute of Textiles and Clothing
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hunghom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Email: alspun@polyu.edu.hk,
btcchuwc@polyu.edu.hk
Abstract
GIS applications in the commercial sector have by large been concentrated on location query, optimal product routing and distribution. There is a scarcity of research and implementation of the geo-information technology on consumer behavior, which is decisive to a business set up. Fashion retailing is one type of businesses that relies heavily on the walking behavior of consumers. Retailers are often concerned with a truly profitable location for their stores, which simply means a location with a high pedestrian flow. A shopping plaza is an ideal testing place for consumers as most people are going there for shopping. With the construction of many large shopping plazas worldwide in recent years and especially in dense urban cities, it is interesting and beneficial to know why some locations are frequently visited or passed by shoppers. This paper presents an investigation in modeling the routing pattern of fashion shoppers in two multi-storey shopping plazas in Hong Kong. The walking routes of shoppers within the plazas are recorded and stored in a GIS package. First, a general walking pattern that reflects frequently visited routes can be derived. Second, by correlating the pattern with a set of environmental or spatial variables and with non-spatial variables like degree of familiarity, demographic factors, shoppers’ preferences and in particular their habitual walking patterns can be more thoroughly concluded. With these research findings, fashion retailers can be more assured in locating their stores and be able to weigh, more accurately, their investments in relation to expected benefits. The findings will be extremely useful for business marketing, especially in the decision making about store locations for the fashion retailers.
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