Development and validation of a shopping consciousness scale in voluntary panel Web surveys

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop a Japanese version of the Shopping Consciousness Scale (SCS) and to examine its construct validity. Factor analyses of data by 520 nonprobability online panels in a Web survey (in 2016) confirmed a hypothesized two-factor structure (the hedonic and utilitarian), and each subscale showed high internal consistency. Correlation analyses of data by 568 nonprobability online panels in a Web survey (in 2018) confirmed high test-retest reliability for each subscale. Furthermore, the correlations of each subscale with other measures (window shopping and frugality) provided support for the construct validity of each subscale. In many cases, these relationships were not affected by variables such as gender, household income, and discretionary income. In addition, we examined sociodemographics and personality predictors for each subscale. These factors were not as strongly related to these predictors as expected. Finally, the implications of these findings and the usefulness of SCS for online consumer behavior research are discussed.