CASE: INTERVIEWS
KYOTO MIDTOWN SHOPPING CENTRE
Kyoto Midtown is a composite urban district of modern buildings surrounding a historic
Japanese garden. It features sophisticated bars, restaurants, shops, art galleries, a hotel and
leafy public spaces. Kyoto Midtown aims to offer a unique shopping experience with a broad
selection of outlets that include Japan’s first flagship boutique and the world’s first concept
shops. From playful and trendsetting boutiques to prestigious brands valued the world over, it
aspires to be a place for people who appreciate the finer things in life.
In the past few years however, visitor numbers have declined. For this reason, the
Management of Kyoto Midtown shopping center feels that it is important to develop a better
understanding of its shoppers in order to take the shopping experience to a next level. It wants
to know what attracts customers to its stores, what customers need while shopping and how
they go about shopping. Based on these insights, it wants to develop strategies that are closely
aligned with its customers’ shopping strategies, needs and preferences.
The management of the shopping centre has hired Hoshimi Kusunoki, an international full-
time MBA student, to produce a report complete with practical, hands-on recommendations
ready for implementation. Born and raised in an upper class family in Yamanote, Hoshimi is
familiar with the lifestyle and attitudes of people visiting the Kyoto Midtown shopping center
and the high expectations that they have.
A key aim of Hoshimi’s research project is to find out what shoppers would need to increase
the frequency of shopping at the centre as well as to understand how it compares to other
shopping centres in Kyoto competing for customers. Based on preliminary research, Hoshimi
has been able to develop the following specific project objectives:
•
To establish the profile of shoppers;
•
To understand their awareness and usage of the Midtown shopping centre;
•
To understand how shoppers travel to the Midtown shopping centre, how far they
have travelled and how frequently they shop there;
•
To explore shopper behavior and understand what they have purchased or had
expected to purchase and average expenditure;
•
To understand their expectations to the Midtown shopping centre;
•
To understand their attitudes to the Midtown shopping centre.
Hoshimi wants to conduct structured face to face interviews with 100 shoppers at the
shopping centre and a competing shopping centre. The interviews will take place during the
key shopping hours across every day of the week among a representative sample of
participants.
QUESTIONS
1. Hoshimi has planned to carry out structured interviews. How do structured interviews
differ from unstructured interviews?
2. What are the possible advantages and disadvantages of using face to face interviews?
3. The information obtained during interviews should be as free as possible from bias.
How can Hoshimi minimize bias introduced by the interviewer, the interviewee, or the
situation?
4. What advice would you give Hoshimi regarding the selection of participants for her
interviews?