Multi-ethnic Groups Shopping Trip Frequency: Scoping Research on Malaysian Shoppers

Purpose of this paper is to investigate what extent the shopping trip frequency variance is across multi-ethnic groups in Malaysia. The Independent Sample T Test using SPSS v. 22 was used to verify the hypothesis. The multi-stage cluster sampling technique under the probability sampling method was used to collect the data. The results reveal that there is no variance in shopping trip frequency among the multiethnic shoppers in Malaysia. This result does not support the Blaylock findings, which stated that multi-ethnic shoppers had significant variations in shopping trip frequency among ethnics. This study postulates that there could be two possible reasons that this study’s finding does not support the Blaylock statement. One, Blaylock conducted his research in the United States
of America, which is an individualistic society. However, this study was conducted in Malaysia, which is a collectivist society. Thus the collectivist society’s multi-ethnic groups may not have a similar effect as noted in an individualistic society. Another cause could be due to the New Economic Policy. Malaysia has gone through the socio-economic reform process; thus, no variance in shopping trip frequency may be attributable to the successful application of the New Economic Policy. There is a scope of further studies to be undertaken to gain a better understanding as to whether this Malaysian different result in comparison to the USA is due to an individualistic-collectivist cultural effect or due to the New Economic Policy. The finding of this study enlightens the Malaysian retail industry in formulating strategies to increase shopper trip frequency.