Behavior of customers and traders in informal markets. Case study in Santo Domingo, Ecuador

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5377/aes.v3i2.15487

Keywords:

Customer behaviour, Informal markets, Sales process, Purchase intention, Selling points, Market environment, traders, behavior

Abstract

Informal markets, although they are not widely accepted, contribute to the generation of employment and facilitate access to multiple products. In addition to facilitating the financial flow within the territory. However, it is a fact that in this type of market many of the principles of commercialization are not fulfilled as in formal markets. This paper aims to deepen the peculiarities of the commercialization process of informal markets. It was carried out mainly through the observation of 86 selling points out of a total of 777 that operate in the market, characterizing variables such as the behavior of customers and traders, as well as the variation of supply and demand in selling points. Through the investigation it was possible to characterize variables related to the sales process and the behavior of customer and traders in an informal market in Santo Domingo city, Ecuador. It was observed that the volume of sale is related to the location of the establishment, the circulation of customers and access roads. In addition, a greater variety of products determines an increase in sales, although a significant increase in the variety can negatively affect its influence on sales volumes.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bigné Alcañiz, J.E. (2020). Human interactions and research developments. European journal of management and business economics, 29(1), 1-2. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJMBE-03-2020-141

Bigné Alcañiz, J.E., Currás Pérez, R., Ruiz Mafé, C., & Sanz Blas, S. (2010). Consumer behavioural intentions in cause-related marketing. The role of identification and social cause involvement. International review on public and nonprofit marketing: official publication of the International Association on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, 7(2), 127-143

Boafo, C., Owusu, R.A., & Guiderdoni-Jourdain, K. (2022). Understanding internationalisation of informal African firms through a network perspective. International Small Business Journal: Researching Entrepreneurship, 40(5), 618-649. https://doi.org/10.1177/02662426211054099

Fouskas, T. (2018). Repercussions of precarious employment on migrants’ perceptions of healthcare in Greece. International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, 11(4), 298-311. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHRH-01-2018-0010

Gao, L., & Simonson, I. (2016). The positive effect of assortment size on purchase likelihood: The moderating influence of decision order. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 26(4), 542–549.

Goyal, Y. (2022). Responsibilization through regulatory intermediaries in informal markets: Examining the governance of prostitution in India. Regulation and Governance, 16(3), 858-874. http://doi.org/10.1111/rego.12298

Ha, N.H. (2014). Buy, sell and chatter: A case analysis of a Lisbon Flea Market. Unpublished Master’s dissertation, NOVA School of Business and Economics of Lisbon.

Horodnic, I.A., Ciobanu, C.I., Zaiț, A., & Williams, C.C. (2022). Who purchases from the informal economy and why? Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 940076. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.940076

Hussain, R., & Ali, M. (2015). Effect of store atmosphere on consumer purchase intention. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 7(2), 35–43. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijms.v7n2p35

Ishak, F., & Ghani, N.H.A. (2013). A review of the literature on brand loyalty and customer loyalty. Paper presented at the Conference on Business Management Research, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok.

John, R.M., & Ross, H. (2018). Illicit cigarette sales in Indian cities: Findings from a retail survey. Tobacco Control, 27(6), 684-688. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2017-053999

Kahyalar, N., Fethi, S., Katircioglu, S., & Ouattara, B. (2018) Formal and informal sectors: is there any wage differential? The Service Industries Journal, 38(11-12), 789-823. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2018.1482877

Kanagaretnam, K., Lee, J., Lim, C.Y., & Lobo, G.J. (2022). Trusting the stock market: Further evidence from IPOs around the world. Journal of Banking and Finance, 142,106557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2022.106557

Karrar, H.H., & Rudaz, P. (2022). A cautionary tale: Bazaar trade and limitations to growth in Georgia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Global Networks, 22(3), 530-546. https://doi.org/10.1111/glob.12367

Keng, C., Chang, W., Chen, C., & Chang, Y. (2016). Mere virtual presence with product experience affects brand attitude and purchase intention. Social Behavior and Personality, 44(3), 431–444.

Kiggundu, M.N., & Pal, S.P. (2018). Structure and Management of Formal and Informal Business Activities in Entrepreneurial Family and Small Firms in Africa. Africa Journal of Management, 4(3), 347-388.

Klevakin, A.N. (2018). Assessment of the impact of the narcotics market on the regional socio-economic development. Economy of Region, 14(1), 253-269. http://dx.doi.org/10.17059/2018-1-20

Koc, E., & Burhan, H.A. (2015). An application of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in a real world problem of store location selection. Advances in Management and Applied Economics, 5(1), 41–50.

Lamb, C., Hair, J., McDaniel, C., Boshoff, C., Terblanche, N., Elliot, R., & Klopper, H.B. (2012). Marketing. Cape Town: Oxford University Press Southern Africa.

Leung, K.M., Choy, L.H.T., & Chau, K.W. (2022). Examining informal housing supply through rent gap analysis: An empirical study of sub-divided units in Hong Kong. Cities, 126, 103666. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2022.103666

Liyun, C. (2011). Development of an integrated intelligent product assortment optimization model for apparel retailing. Unpublished PhD thesis. Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University: Hong Kong.

Maroukis, T. (2018). Migrant care workers’ trajectories in a familistic welfare regime: labour market incorporation and the Greek economic crisis reality-check. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 44(14), 2358-2374. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2017.1346012

Martinez, L., & Rivera-Acevedo, J.D. (2018). Debt portfolios of the poor: The case of street vendors in Cali, Colombia. Sustainable Cities and Society, 41, 120-125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2018.04.037

Mortenbock, P., & Mooshammer, H. (2016). Encountering the city: Urban encounters from Accra to New York. Ed. By Jonathan Darling, Helen F. Wilson. New York: Routledge.

Moslehpour, M., Aulia, C., & Masarie, C. (2015). Bakery product perception and purchase intention of Indonesian consumers in Taiwan. International Journal of Business and Information, 10(1), 63–94.

Neuwirth, R. (October 28, 2011). Rise of the shadow economy: Second largest economy in the world. https://bit.ly/3zauS8W

Petresu, M., & Bhatli, D. (2013). Consumer behavior in flea markets and bottom of the pyramid marketing. The Academy of Marketing Science Conference.

Pope, J.A., Lane, W.R., & Stein, J. (2012). A multiple-attribute decision model for retail store location. Southern Business Review, 37(2), 15.

Rajagopal, P. (2010). Coexistence and conflicts between shopping malls and street markets in growing Cities: Analysis of Shoppers’ Behavior. Unpublished manuscript.

Rojas, C., & Briceño, A. (2019). The effects of piracy on competition: Evidence from subscription TV. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 63, 18-43.

Shaw, J. E. (2018). The informal economy of credit in early modern Venice. Historical Journal, 61(3), 623-642.

Spassova, G., & Isen, A. (2013). Positive affect moderates the impact of assortment size on choice satisfaction. Journal of Retailing, 89(4), 397–408.

Sihvonen, J., & Turunen, L.L.M. (2016). As good as new – valuing fashion brands in the online second-hand markets. Journal of Product and Brand Management, 25(3), 285-295.

Sinha, M., & Sengupta, D. (2017). Determinants of participation of women in labour market: An empirical evidence from Nadia District of West Bengal in India. Man in India, 97(2), 239-255.

Stillerman, J., & Sundt, C. (2007). Embeddedness and business strategies among Santiago, Chile’s street and flea market vendors. In J. Cross & A. Morales (Eds.), Street entrepreneurs: People, place and politics in local and global perspective (pp. 180–200). Routledge.

Takaza, S.C., & Chitereka, C. (2022). An investigation into the livelihoods strategies of informal women traders in Zimbabwe. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 11(1), 37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-021-00175-3

Talamini, G., Li, W., & Li, X. (2022). From brick-and-mortar to location-less restaurant: The spatial fixing of on-demand food delivery platformization. Cities, 128,103820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2022.103820

Titeca, K. (2018). Understanding the illegal ivory trade and traders: Evidence from Uganda. International Affairs, 94(5), 1077-1099. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiy115

Venter de Villiers, M., Visnenza, A. & Phiri, N. (2018). Importance of location and product assortment on flea market loyalty. The Service Industries Journal, 38(11-12), 650-668. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2017.1410541

livelihoods in South Kivu. Extractive Industries and Society, 5(1), 73-80.

Williams, C.C., & Bezeredi, S. (2018). Explaining and tackling the informal economy: a dual informal labour market approach. Employee Relations, 40(5), 889-902. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-04-2017-0085

Yang, X., Dong, X., & Yi, C. (2022). Informal housing clearance, housing market, and labor supply. Labour Economics, 78,102199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2022.102199

Zainol, N.R., & Al Mamun, A. (2018). Entrepreneurial competency, competitive advantage and performance of informal women micro-entrepreneurs in Kelantan, Malaysia. Journal of Enterprising Communities, 12(3), 299-321.

Zelano, K. (2018). Balancing informality and need–policy responses to informal East-West migration in Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden. Policy Studies, 39(5), 535-559.

Zhang, M., & Zhao, P. (2018). The determinants of informal housing price in Beijing: Village power, informal institutions, and property security. Cities, 77, 117-129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2018.01.018

Zhao, P., & Zhang, M. (2018). Informal suburbanization in Beijing: An investigation of informal gated communities on the urban fringe. Habitat International, 77, 130-142. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2018.01.006

Published

2022-12-31

How to Cite

Pérez-Campdesuñer, R., García-Vidal, G., Sánchez-Rodríguez, A., & Martínez-Vivar, R. (2022). Behavior of customers and traders in informal markets. Case study in Santo Domingo, Ecuador. Scientific Journal "Notes on Economy and Society&Quot;, 3(2), 07–24. https://doi.org/10.5377/aes.v3i2.15487

Issue

Section

Artículos