The impact of years of buying experience on information sources used by craft retailers in South Africa

Abstract

The SA government has identified the craft industry as a key focus area contributing to sustainable development, economic growth and employment opportunities. However the industry faces many challenges such as global competition and lack of resources. More importantly, craft producers in SA cannot access the craft retailer market successfully which limit their financial success. The purpose of this study is to investigate the sources of information used by craft retailers in South Africa. Another purpose was to ascertain if sources of information used by craft retailers differ for retailers with different years of buying experience. A self-administered survey was conducted among craft retailers and a sample of 233 were realised. The descriptive statistics are reported as well as factor analysis, ANOVA and MANOVA results. The results indicated that craft retailers consult certain information sources more often than others. Information sources were grouped into three factors after the factor analysis: internal and personal information, promotional information and print advertising. There were no statistical significant differences found between the different types of craft retailers and years of buying experience.