THE MOST PREFERRED SHOPPING METHOD OF CFAD STUDENTS

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT

FOR MATH 600A (STATISTICS)

SUBMITTED BY:

CORTEZ, FRANCESCA MIRANDA, MA. NIEVES LUCILA ORSIA, MCVIE KRISTINE

3IND-2

MARCH 2013

SUBMITTED TO:

PROF. CRISENCIO M. PANER M.S.C.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................1

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY ........................................................................1

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY .............................................................................1

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM .......................................................................2

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY.........................................................................2

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS .................................................................................3

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ........................................................4

SHOPPING METHODS ..........................................................................................4

SHOPPING HABITS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS ................................................7

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................8

CHAPTER IV: RESULTS AND ANALYSIS ...........................................................................10

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................18

BIBILIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................19

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CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

In the world today, people face economic trials that force them to become both

entrepreneurs and consumers knowing that in order to survive, we must provide for ourselves.

Although most people prefer to stay consumers for buying, rather than making or producing

something, is convenient. To get through each day, we need necessities like food, clothing,

shelter, and as a college student, shopping has become a daily habit in order to cope up with the

requirements of school.

Most would say that being in college is the most tedious and challenging part of being a

student. At times, due to the demands of school, family and other activities, college students are

not able to make very informed decisions on where to buy their needs.

Time is of the essence when one is a student. Mastering time management is pivotal for a

successful college life. Financial stability too is a requirement for a booming college life, which

is why some college students opt to find new ways of earning to be able to cope up with the

financial demands of higher education. Students of the College of Fine Arts and Design (CFAD)

are no different. Like all other courses, CFAD courses (Advertising, Industrial Design, Interior

Design, and Painting) demand time, hard work, and perseverance in order for their students to

not only succeed but also be the best in their chosen fields. But with that demand comes fatigue

and stress, and with those two factors, students are not able to function optimally and, in turn,

they do not make informed decisions at times.

In light of that, this research will explore different shopping methods in order to help

students and entrepreneurs in making informed decisions about where to buy and sell items. This

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research will present shopping methods utilized prevalently in our current time and analyze their

advantages and disadvantages all the while determining the most efficient way to purchase and

sell goods.

Objectives of the Study

This study aims to fulfill the following objectives:

1. To determine which is the most utilized method of shopping by the CFAD students.

2. To determine which items – besides materials for their plates – CFAD students are

investing most of their money on.

Statement of the Problem

With time and convenience being the foremost factors in decision making today, students

in particular may not make informed decisions given their bustling school lives. With that in

mind, they sometimes end up buying something that is more expensive than it should because

they lack information on the shopping methods that are offered today.

Significance of the Study

This study aims to distinguish the preferred shopping method of CFAD students and, by

doing so, it would give aspiring and veteran entrepreneurs a better insight on their shoppers’

behavior. Also, this study will provide CFAD students more options in shopping to help them

make informed decisions.

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Scope and Limitations

This study will focus mainly on CFAD students from 1st to 4th year, including irregular

students. Also, due to time constraints and the availability of the both the researchers and the

respondents, only 50 students will be needed. Furthermore, only four shopping methods will be

discussed: Department Store Shopping, Boutique/Mall Shopping, Thrift Shopping, and Online

Shopping.

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CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Shopping Methods

Shopping may be defined as the act of searching for something with the intent of

acquiring it (Farlex). Today, with the advancement of technology, comes the emergence of

convenience. Simple tasks such as buying goods at a store may be done over the internet without

the need to bother oneself in going to the actual store for everything can be done in the comfort

of one’s home or an internet shop. With this in mind, one might think of the future of shopping.

Will there be any new malls in the future seeing as technology has presented mankind with fast

and convenient ways of purchasing goods? Or, will technology eventually come to a halt and

man will revert back to purchasing goods in shops as before? Whatever may happen, the very

significance of learning different shopping methods is that it gives a person options because

some factors may prevent them from choosing their usual choice. Also, being acquainted with

the prevalent shopping methods of the current time will give consumers options as to which

method will best satisfy their need.

I. Traditional Shopping

Before the existence of the internet, shopping was done mostly by going to the

stores that contain what you want or need and purchasing it (Nutt, 2009). This is

called Traditional Shopping. Another way to put this method of shopping is by calling

it In-Store shopping, which is the act of shopping done inside a store (in-store). As

such, there are a number of stores which people visit, but for the purpose of this

study, the researchers will only tackle three kinds of stores: Department Stores,

Boutiques, and Thrift Stores.

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i. Department Stores

Commonly located in a mall, a department store is a large

retail establishment with an extensive assortment of goods, organized into

separate departments. All departments are housed under the same roof to

facilitate buying, customer service, merchandising, and control

(Department Store). In view of the previous statement, most shoppers

flock to department stores because of its diverse collection of goods and

its convenience. With such a diverse collection, department stores are

organized in to three tiers. First, there is the High Fashion tier which

houses designer merchandise which pare priced highly. Second, there is

the Modestly Priced Tier, the price of the items in this tier is in between

the first and the third tier making this tier affordable for most shoppers.

Third, is the Value Oriented Tier which houses low priced items for the

price-conscious shoppers and it is the most affordable out of the three tiers

(Chico).

ii. Boutiques

A boutique is small shop located within a larger one. Commonly

thought of as a small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in

elite fashionable items such as clothing and jewelry (Ask Define:

Boutique). That concept is somewhat of a true however, they do not only

focus on fashion pieces for they may also exotic food, beverages, perfume,

and novelty items. They are not as diverse as department stores but

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boutiques have proven to sell one of a kind items seeing as they mostly

carry elite products and are found in wealthier regions of an area (What is

a Boutique?).

iii. Thrift Stores

Thrift stores are resale shops that sell used goods. Usually, a thrift

store builds its inventory from donations given by non-profit organizations

(Collins, 2012), like charities and churches, in which the profit is used for

the causes of those organizations. Organizations like these aggressively

seek out donated merchandise via drop-off centers and warehouses (What

are Thrift Shops?).

II. Home Shopping

Home shopping is searching and purchasing goods from one’s home. With the

advent of shopping networks on television and the online shops, more people are

becoming accustomed to doing their purchasing within the comfort of their own

homes, away from the crowd and bustling atmosphere of shopping complexes.

i. Shopping Networks

Since its inception in 1977, home shopping networks have given

consumer a different shopping experience. With this, the consumer does

not need to leave his or her home instead, product information is given to

them through the demonstration and discounts are offered for a limited

time to entice the customers to buy as soon as possible. Different items are

shown over a certain amount of time before it moves on to another item.

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All the while, the viewer is watching, the presenters entice them to call the

number on their screens to order the item being advertised (Home

Shopping)

ii. Online Shopping

With the dawn of the internet, entrepreneurs seized the opportunity

to expand their businesses online via social networking sites and

advertisements. The consumers are enticed to buy from their online shops

because of the convenience of having all the information they need about

the product instantly while being in the comfort of their own homes. But,

sometimes the mode of payment is limited to only one or less, which may

pose a problem for the customer. Also, shipping time may be problematic

depending on the urgency of the item as well as the condition of the

product when it the customer receives it (Nutt, 2009).

Shopping Habits of College Students

According to an infographic regarding the spending habits of college students from

dailyinfographic.com, most college students spend most of their money on the following: 40%

on discretionary items such as clothing, entertainment, gadgets, and etc.; 26% on room and

board; 19% on tuition and fees; and 12% on other expenses. In light of that, according to the

same infographic, college students spend 11.4 hours a day with their gadgets and that an average

college student owns 6 digital devices. Also, 97% own a laptop; 94% own a mobile phone; 25%

own a tablet; and 3.3% own an ebook reader (Tim, 2012).

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CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY

In this study, a survey was used in order to obtain information on the shopping

preferences of the sample group. In order to come up with the sample group, the researchers

elected to use cluster sampling. It is a random sampling method that samples naturally occurring

sub groups in a population (Types of Random Sampling). Taking into consideration the

definition of cluster sampling, the researchers decided to survey students in CFAD. This research

shall be imploring the use of Descriptive Statistics which deals with quantitative data

(Descriptive Statistics).

Students from 1st to 4th year were asked to answer a survey. The irregular students were

instructed to choose the year level which most of their subjects belonged to.

In order to come up with the targeted 50 respondents for this research, the researchers

elected to use to mediums for the survey: online and print. Online surveys are advantageous

because one does not have to wait for the respondents to finish and the researchers are free to do

whatever else needs to be done in order to finish the research. The print also has its advantages

because it enables the researchers to continue having their surveys answered while others are

answering the online survey. It took two days to come up with a total of 50 respondents and most

of them came from the printed survey.

The questions in the survey include the name, course, year, allowance range and school

expenses, experience with different shopping methods, and their shopping habits.

The allowance range, as well as the frequency of their allowance, enabled the researchers

to figure out how much of their money is spent on school supplies and other non-school items.

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Also, their familiarity with the different shopping methods, and their experience with them, also

helped in determining whether what their preferred shopping method is.

The respondents were also give a check list containing items which most college students

invest in. The respondents were instructed to tick the boxes which applied to them.

Below is a sample of the survey.

Figure 1: Sample Survey

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CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

Random sampling was done throughout the College of Fine Arts, and Industrial design

students were the majority of the ones who were part of this investigation. Next is Advertising

students which resulted to 35%, followed by Interior design students. Few majors in Painting

were able to take part in this Investigation.

The graph above shows that most of the respondents came from the third year CFAD

students. This is due to the fact that the researcher themselves are in their third year of college

ADVERTISING

35%

INDUSTRIAL

DESIGN

40%

INTERIOR DESIGN

21%

PAINTING

4%

COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AND DESIGN

COURSES

FIRST YEAR

4%

SECOND

YEAR

27%

THIRD YEAR

61%

FOURTH YEAR

8%

YEAR LEVELS

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and due to the aforementioned limitations, they took advantage of their resources and surveyed

students mostly from their year level.

58% percent of the results were from female correspondents. Only a slight advantage to

the male correspondents which garnered 42%.

There is only a slight advantage in results between students having an allowance of P200-

P499 and P500-P999. Some would say they are given P1000-P1500. The mean of which is P783

while the median is P749.50. The mode, the most frequent of the respondents, is P200-499.

P200-P499

41%

P500-P999

35%

P1000-

P1500

22%

ABOVE P1500

2%

1. AMONG THE NUMBERS BELOW, WHICH

RANGE DOES YOUR ALLOWANCE BELONG

TO?

MALE

42%

FEMALE

58%

GENDER

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Most students are given allowances on a weekly basis. Although many would like this

better than a daily basis, just because it is more flexible depending on the expenses a person may

have in a day. Simply put, it does not limit you unlike having an allowance on a day-by-day

basis. This poses as a challenge because students learn to budget their money wisely throughout

a whole week making they learn to balance what they have, despite having many expenses.

In any college, spending is something part of each student’s life – and such is also the

case for CFAD students. Most plates would require students to have materials like boards,

P200-P499

43%

P500-P999

47%

P1000-P1500

8%

ABOVE P1500

2%

3. WHICH RANGE REPRESENTS YOUR

AVERAGE SCHOOL EXPENSES IN A WEEK?

DAILY

45%

WEEKLY

52%

OTHER

3%

2. HOW OFTEN DO YOU GET YOUR

ALLOWANCE?

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markers, technical pens, etc. in order to fulfill the task given. That is why results were that

students spend P200-P499 and the other half P500-P999 a week.

The Graph shows the percentage of respondents who stated what their preferred shopping

method is. The graph shows that majority (43%) of the total respondents usually shop in

department stores. 29% of the total respondents stated that they usually shop in thrift shops,

while 23% of the total respondents state they shop in boutiques or mall shops while none of the

respondents shop online

The graph shows the percentage distribution of shopping method convenience of the

respondents from the College of Fine Arts and Design.

BOUTIQUES/MALL

SHOPS

23%

DEPARTMENT

STORES

43%

THRIFT SHOPS

34%

ONLINE SHOPS

0%

4. WHAT IS YOUR PREFERRED SHOPPING

METHOD?

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Most of them said that their preferred shopping mode is convenient for them. This is

because each medium of shopping, satisfies the different needs and of each Fine Arts student.

Graph 6 represents the response to the above question. The graph also shows that

majority of the respondents (58%) have not tried online shopping.

YES

42%

NO

58%

6. HAVE YOU TRIED ONLINE SHOPPING?

YES

98%

NO

2%

5. IS THAT SHOPPING METHOD CONVENIENT

FOR YOU?

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Question 7 and 8 required the respondents to write down their answer. Due to the

difficulty in tallying the answers for the aforementioned questions, the researchers have decided

to filter their answers according to their implications and will only discuss the most recurring of

those responses.

Question 7 asked the respondents what enticed them to shop online. Although different

answers were written, the most recurring of all the answers talks about the convenience of

shopping online. Next to convenience would be the rarity of the item they wished to purchase as

well as the bargains.

Question 8 asked the respondents what are the pros and cons of their usual shopping

method. For the pros, most of them answered that is cheaper as well as they can inspect the item

before purchasing and that it is near their home. Also, they said that there were bargains and that

they can lower the price if it is not fixed. Lastly, they mentioned that their preferred shopping

method had air conditioning.

The cons included crowdedness of the place as well as the heat exuded from it. Some of

them answered that it is tiring and expensive to travel between their homes. Also, some of the

items they are looking for cannot be found where they usually shop.

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The respondents answered that most of them (85%) are willing to try a different shopping

method next time they decide to go shopping. This shows that most of the respondents are open

to different shopping methods which will allow them to satisfy their shopping needs depending

on their situation.

The Graph shows the contrast of the material goods the respondents mostly invest in

aside from school supplies. Out of a total of 50 samples, majority of the 46 samples invest in

Fashion pieces.

YES

85%

NO

15%

9. WILL YOU TRY A

DIFFERENTSHOPPING METHOD NEXT

TIME?

0 10 20 30 40 50

GADGETS

FASHION PIECES

MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTS

CONCERT TICKETS

TRAVEL TICKETS

READING MATERIALS

OTHER

10. ASIDE FROM SCHOOL SUPPLIES,

CHECK ALL THOSE YOU INVEST IN.

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Making the second most invested material, 43 invest in Reading materials. Moreover, 39

invest in Gadgets, 38 invest in multimedia products, 24 invest in concert tickets, 23 invest in

travel tickets, and 4 invest in others which consists of bills and food.

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CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Conclusion

According to the results of the survey, the most preferred shopping method of CFAD

students would be shopping in a department store which took up 43% of a total of 50

respondents. It is followed by Thrift shopping (34%) and Boutique/Mall Shopping (23%). None

of the respondents preferred online shopping.

Despite spending for school materials, the researchers have found that CFAD students

invest mostly in Fashion Pieces which was the answer of 92% of the total 50 respondents.

Recommendations

After a thorough analysis of data, the following recommendations are hereby made:

1. Increasing the number of correspondents would help in having a wider range of

results for better understanding on the preferences of shopping mediums. Having

more respondents would help give a broader perspective in the analysis of data,

and why these different mediums are preferred by each individual.

2. A variety of questions for each mode of shopping should be made for a more

thorough analysis. For example in Department stores, several questions about

convenience, efficiency, and safety, should be asked. A ranking system of having

1 as least convenient, and 10 as being convenient. This would help in determining

several factors why these mediums are preferred more be Fine Art students.

3. Also, multiple choice type questions are to be observed for a swifter tallying of

responses and a clearer representation of date as well.

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Sources

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