Performance of retail stores at airports and their role in boosting traveler satisfaction and willingness to repurchase

Abstract

Despite its criticality for airport business, duty-free shopping at the retail stores of airports has received scant attention. To overcome this difference, this study explains the complex process via which travelers show their willingness to repurchase in the context of airport retail stores. A quantitative process comprising a field survey is conducted for data collection. The measurement quality is assessed and established through the evaluation of a measurement model. As a result of analyzing the structural equation model, it was found that the perceived performance, utilitarian value, hedonic value, and satisfaction evaluation of airport retail stores play a crucial role in determining traveler willingness to repurchase. The conceptual framework encompassing these concepts also adequately accounts for traveler willingness to repurchase. Moreover, our results from the invariance assessment reveal that the moderating impact of shopping engagement on the hypothesized relationship between utilitarian value and satisfaction evaluation is significant. Overall, the proposed direct associations among theoretical constructs within our framework are well supported. Furthermore, the efficacy of the proposed theoretical framework for a clear understanding of airport shoppers’ post-purchase behaviors is successfully identified.