An Empirical Study of Retail Consumption Behavior in Rural China

This study is the first exploratory empirical research on retail consumption behavior in rural China. The study develops an understanding of retail consumption behavior using well-established theories and cognitive models, with a focus on lifestyle and store attributes. The results show that the factors of customer lifestyle and of store attributes contribute positively to rural people’s consumption attitudes, and indirectly contribute to their intentions to shop in retail stores. The mediatory effect of consumption attitude is also strongly significant. Customer lifestyles have greater influence on attitudes and shopping intentions than store attributes, and this finding has important, practical implications for retail entrepreneurs in rural China.