Journal of Management Research

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Consumer Behavior in Flea Markets and Marketing to the Bottom of the Pyramid


Affiliations
1 Barry University 11300 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami Shores, FL 33161-6695, United States
2 ENPC School of International Management 15, Rue de la Fontaine au Roi, 75011 Paris, France
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


This paper elaborates the consumer behavior in flea markets, a neglected area of retail market place. It analyzes the flea market customer profiles and ponders on its value in modern day retail and how this form of retail can be developed for bottom-of-the-pyramid segments. Using qualitative research through grounded theory, a content analysis was done on 17 interviews taken from buyers and sellers of flea markets in the US and Romania. The results outline (a) low prices and the possibility to find deals and bargains are the key selling points for this form of retailing, (b) consumer desires and necessities constitute not only cheap products, but also the rush of finding used and old ‘treasures’, (c) people and cultural diversity represent a significant part of flea markets advantages, providing for the human need of social interaction and communication, and (d) the differences between consumption practices of American and Romanian flea market consumers.

Keywords

Flea Markets, Retail, Pricing, Consumer Behavior
User
Notifications

  • Belk, Russell W., Sherry, John F. Jr. and Wallendorf, Melanie (1988), A Naturalistic Inquiry into Buyer and Seller Behavior at a Swap Meet, Journal of Consumer Research, 14: 449-470.

  • Belk, Russell W. (2006), Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods in Marketing, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK, Northampton, MA, USA.

  • Belk, Russell W. (2001), Leaping Luxuries and Transitional Consumers, Transition Newsletter, The Worldbank Group. Available at www.worldbank.org/html/prddr/trans/so99/ pgs24-26.htm.

  • De Bruin, Anne and Dupuis, Ann (2000), The Dynamics of New Zealand’s Largest Street Market: The Otara Flea Market, The International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 20: 52-73.

  • Fischer, Eilen and Otnes, Cele C. (2006), Breaking New Ground: Developing Grounded Theories in Marketing and Consumer Behavior, in Russell W. Belk (Ed.), Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods in Marketing, pp. 19-30, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK, Northampton, MA, USA.

  • Given, Lisa M. (2008), The Sage Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods, Sage Publications.

  • Glaser, Barney G. and Strauss, Anselm L. (1967), The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research, Aldine, Chicago.

  • Humble, Aine M. (2009), Technique Triangulation for Validation in Directed Content Analysis, International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 8(3): 34-51.

  • Maisel, Robert (1974), The Flea Market as an Action Scene, Urban Life, 2(4): 488-505.

  • Miles, Matthew B. and Huberman, A. Michael (1994), Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook, Sage Publications.

  • Morgan, David L. and Guevara, Heather (2008), Concept Mapping, in Given, L. M. (Ed.), The Sage Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods, pp. 108-109, Sage Publications.

  • Pitta, Denis A., Guesalaga, Rodrigo and Marshall, Pablo (2008), The Quest for the Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Potential and Challenges, Journal of Consumer Marketing, 25: 393-401.

  • Prahalad, C. K. and Hammond, Allen (2002), Serving the World’s Poor Profitably, Harvard Business Review, 80(9): 48-57.

  • Prahalad, C. K. and Hart, Stuart L. (2002), The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, Strategy and Business, 26: 54-67.

  • Rook, Dennis W. (1985), The Ritual Dimension of Consumer Behavior, Journal of Consumer Research, 12: 251-264.

  • Sherman, Elaine, McCrohan, Kevin and Smith, James (1985), Informal Retailing: An Analysis of Products, Attitudes, and Expectations, in E. C. Hirschman and M. B. Holbrook (Eds.), Advances in Consumer Research, pp. 204-208, Association for Consumer Research, 12, Provo, UT.

  • Sherry, Jr., John F. (1990), A Sociocultural Analysis of a Midwestern American Flea Market, Journal of Consumer Research, 17: 13-30.

  • Sinkovics, Rudolf R., Penz, Elfriede and Ghauri, Pervez N. (2008), Enhancing the Trustworthiness of Qualitative Research in International Business, Management International Review, 28(6): 689-714.

  • Stewart, Susan (1982), On Longing: Narratives of the Miniature, the Gigantic, the Souvenir, the Collection, John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD.

  • Strauss, Anselm L. and Corbin, Juliet M. (1998), Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory, Sage Publications.

  • Subrahmanyan, Saroja and Gomez-Arias, J. Tomas (2008), Integrated Approach to Understanding Consumer Behavior at Bottom of Pyramid, Journal of Consumer Marketing, 25: 402-412.

  • Yavas, Ugur and Riecken, Glen (1981), Heavy, Medium, Light Shoppers and Nonshoppers of a Used Merchandise Outlet, Journal of Business Research, 9: 243-253.

  • Zinkhan, George M., Fontenelle, Suzzana de M. and Balazs, Anne L. (1999), The Structure of Sao Paula Street Markets: Evolving Patterns of Retail Institutions, The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 33(1): 3-26.


Abstract Views: 824

PDF Views: 1




  • Consumer Behavior in Flea Markets and Marketing to the Bottom of the Pyramid

Abstract Views: 824  |  PDF Views: 1

Authors

Maria Petrescu
Barry University 11300 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami Shores, FL 33161-6695, United States
Dhruv Bhatli
ENPC School of International Management 15, Rue de la Fontaine au Roi, 75011 Paris, France

Abstract


This paper elaborates the consumer behavior in flea markets, a neglected area of retail market place. It analyzes the flea market customer profiles and ponders on its value in modern day retail and how this form of retail can be developed for bottom-of-the-pyramid segments. Using qualitative research through grounded theory, a content analysis was done on 17 interviews taken from buyers and sellers of flea markets in the US and Romania. The results outline (a) low prices and the possibility to find deals and bargains are the key selling points for this form of retailing, (b) consumer desires and necessities constitute not only cheap products, but also the rush of finding used and old ‘treasures’, (c) people and cultural diversity represent a significant part of flea markets advantages, providing for the human need of social interaction and communication, and (d) the differences between consumption practices of American and Romanian flea market consumers.

Keywords


Flea Markets, Retail, Pricing, Consumer Behavior

References