Sport Shopper Experience Scale

What it measures

A 12-item, three-dimensional scale measuring the sport shopping experience (SSE) — a distinct shopper type characterised by treating off-price fashion shopping as an achievement domain. Grounded in achievement goal theory, the scale captures three goal orientations: task-oriented effort and mastery in locating discounted exclusive brands, ego-oriented authentic pride and triumph upon finding a significant deal, and social-approval-oriented knowledge and willingness to share shopping expertise with others. Developed across four studies and two countries (USA and Australia) using depth interviews, online surveys, and successive rounds of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.

Response format

7-point Likert (1=strongly disagree, 7=strongly agree)

Scale items

Effort/Mastery — task-orientation (α = .867, CR = .871, AVE = .695). 7-point Likert (1=strongly disagree, 7=strongly agree).

• I will put in maximum effort in order to attain a discount on an exclusive brand.
• To secure a luxury item at a heavily reduced price, I am willing to shop for hours.
• I have extensive experience in hunting for products that have been heavily discounted.

Authentic Pride — ego-orientation (α = .955, CR = .954, AVE = .837). 7-point Likert (1=strongly disagree, 7=strongly agree).

• I feel a sense of personal triumph when I find an expensive product at a heavily reduced price.
• I feel the "thrill of victory" when I find a designer brand at a reduced price.
• I get so excited when I get a great deal on a brand I love.
• Finding a luxury item at a significant discount feels like a great shopping victory.

Knowledge — social-approval-orientation (α = .927, CR = .926, AVE = .716). 7-point Likert (1=strongly disagree, 7=strongly agree).

• I have a lot of knowledge about shopping for deluxe brands at heavily reduced prices.
• I'm an expert on finding deeply discounted designer brands.
• I know exactly where to shop to find deep discounts on highly desired brands.
• My friends ask me about where to shop for exclusive brands at discounted prices.
• I know exactly when to shop to secure the biggest savings on highly desired brands.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Validated across four studies: Study 1 (item generation, n=9 depth interviews + 95 student surveys), Study 2 (EFA, n=279 US MTurk), Study 3 (CFA convergent/discriminant validity, n=300 Australian consumers), and Study 4 (final CFA and nomological validity via SEM, n=299 Australian consumers). Final CFA fit was acceptable (χ²/df=2.738, CFI=.956, SRMR=.046, RMSEA=.077). All AVE values exceeded .50 confirming convergent validity. Discriminant validity from hedonic consumption, impulsive shopping, recreational shopping, self-indulgence, self-gratification, and market maven scales was established. Nomological validity confirmed: effort/mastery (β=.134), authentic pride (β=.584), and knowledge (β=.261) all significantly predicted satisfaction, which in turn predicted brand repurchase intentions (β=.964). The scale was developed in the context of luxury brand shopping at off-price retailers (e.g., T.J. Maxx, Nordstrom Rack) and may require adaptation for other retail contexts.

Citation

Mortimer, G., Fazel-e-Hasan, S. M., O'Donnell, K. A., & Strebel, J. (2018). Measuring the experience of off-price fashion shopping: scale development and validation. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 22(4), 454–475.

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