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The city centre as an age-friendly shopping environment: a consumer perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 March 2021

Anna-Maija Kohijoki Open the ORCID record for Anna-Maija Kohijoki [Opens in a new window]  and
Katri Koistinen
Anna-Maija Kohijoki*
Affiliation:
Department of Marketing and International Business, Turku School of Economics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
Katri Koistinen
Affiliation:
Centre for Consumer Society Research, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
*
*Corresponding author. Email: anna-maija.kohijoki@utu.fi
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Abstract

Urban population ageing has significant implications for city centres catering for an increasing number of older consumers. To guide world cities on taking action in response to population ageing, the World Health Organization (WHO) has addressed the universal features of the age-friendly city. This study applies the WHO guideline to the context of shopping. With an emphasis on older consumers, the perceptions of the city centre as a physical and social shopping environment are studied. Using a qualitative content analysis, older consumers’ perceptions (focus-group participants aged 64–94) are analysed based on the age-friendly city features. The perceptions are compared with those of younger consumers (qualitative-survey respondents aged 21–41). The study confirms the significance of older city shoppers, and suggests their needs and wants should be taken into account in urban development projects. The older consumers differ from younger consumers in their city-shopping behaviour and perceptions in many respects. The age groups highlighted the same themes, but mainly with dissimilar content. This indicates that measures to develop a city centre friendlier to older consumers also benefit their younger counterparts, but for different reasons. It is necessary to understand this disparity to create a city-centre shopping environment that is friendly for different ages. The study offers new perspectives on responding to the challenges that consumer ageing poses to Western cities.

Keywords

age-friendlycity centreolder consumerperceptionshoppingyounger consumer
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 42 , Issue 12 , December 2022 , pp. 2735 - 2756
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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