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Edutainmentexperiencesforchildreninretailstores,fromachild’sperspective

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Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 26 (2015) 47–56

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Edutainment experiences for children in retail stores, from a child’sperspective

Florence Feenstra a,n, Laurent Muzellec b, Brigitte de Faultrier a, Jacques Boulay a

a ESSCA, School of Management - 01, Rue Lakanal – BP40348, 49003 Angers cedex 01, Franceb UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, University College Dublin, Carysfort Avenue, Blackrock, Co., Dublin, Ireland

a r t i c l e i n f o

Article history:Received 27 January 2015Received in revised form10 April 2015Accepted 7 May 2015

Keywords:Shopping experience valueEdutainmentConsumer-retailer relationshipChildren

x.doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2015.05.00489/& 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

esponding author. Fax: þ330141860487.ail address: Florence.Feenstra@essca.fr (F. Feen

a b s t r a c t

To build family traffic in-store and develop spending, retailers offer educational workshops and eventstargeted at children. Understanding how to create value for children in order to create retail patronageintentions is necessary, but has barely been studied. This papers aims to explore the nature and benefitsof these edutainment experiences for children and their potential effects on the child-retailer relation-ship through ethnographic investigation. The study provides evidence that children enjoy acquiringconsumer knowledge and consumer attitudes autonomously by taking on an active role as consumers.Edutainment experiences endorse a positive vision of "fun power", as a new type of child influence onadult purchasing. They determine long-term orientation in child-retailer relationships.

& 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

Educational workshops and events in retail stores targeted atchildren aged 6–12 years have in the last decade become awidespread marketing practice (Moses, 2005; Vosburgh, 2010). Byenabling “playtail” (Wiener, 2004) for the child in-store, retailersorganize activities that entice children to play with products,interact with other children and stimulate their minds. In line withthe logic of edutainment, designed both to educate and entertain,(Creighton, 1994, Barrey et al., 2010), these educational experi-ences are designed to help children become good consumersthrough play (Creighton, 1994; Vinken 2010). This is part ofentertainment retailing, an increased focus in the retail sectorliterature which aims to create a leisure and recreationalenvironment to improve the consumer's in-store shopping tripand produce emotionally engaging experiences (Kim, 2001;Bäckström and Johansson, 2006; Jones, 1999). Entertaining shop-ping experiences are known to be an appropriate lever to reachchildren, the target audience, at the point of sale (Guichard andDamay, 2011; Wiener, 2004; Ville (de La), 2009). Guichard andDamay (2011) suggest that commercial events and workshops mayfulfill some children's emotional and social expectations in anideal store. However, whereas the focus on experiential retailing iswide-spread in practice as well as in theory, knowledge about thechild's opinion on these experiences from an educational view-point is rarer. The literature emphasizes the importance of

stra).

experience-based consumption for retailers as a source of com-petitive advantage, but analyzes workshops and commercialevents through the prism of experience production (Wiener, 2004)and from an adult's point of view (Creighton, 1994; Humeau-Feenstra, 2010). The lack of a precise definition of the nature ofeducational experiences (as opposed to schooling) for children andthe need for a specific understanding of what creates retail valuefrom the child's point of view both call for closer investigation.

The potential of edutainment for children as an effective re-tailing tactic is well known by managers and researchers. Edu-tainment includes building family traffic in-store, encouragingmore time to be spent in-store, increasing spending, retainingyoung consumers and developing parent loyalty (Creighton, 1994;Ville (de La), 2009; Cook, 2004). As observed by Creighton (1994),stores aim first to appeal to mothers by presenting their productsas educational, but struggle to make them playful, pleasant andfun for children in the hope that the children will look forward to atrip to the store. This raises the question of the role of edutainmentexperiences in the development of child retail patronage inten-tions, but the child-retailer relationship building process remainsunspecified. The experiential approach allows the inclusion ofservice consumption in an interactive framework, which combineswith the current relational research field of loyalty (Gronroos,1996; Fournier, 1998). Each transaction is a component in the long-term relationship, which is based on creating value and cumula-tive customer satisfaction, developing a favorable attitude towardthe brand, increasing trust and mutual commitment and attach-ment (Evrard and Aurier, 1996; Ganesan, 1994; Garbarino andJohnson, 1999). These results might suggest that children's

F. Feenstra et al. / Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 26 (2015) 47–5648

edutainment experiences could play a causal role in the long termrelationship with the future adult shopper.

The purpose of this study is to explore the key aspects of childedutainment experiences in retail stores from a child's perspective.Therefore, the aims are to:

�

Define the features of children's edutainment experiences, � Reach a deeper-seated understanding of what creates value for

the child,

� Analyze their potential influence on the long-term child-re-

tailer relationship.

This article is divided into three parts. After a review of theliterature on children's consumer experience and educational ex-periences in retail stores, we present the methodology of ourethnographic investigations. We then analyze and discuss thedata, examining both the theoretical and managerial implications.In this section, we will first emphasize the importance of con-sidering the different sources of value around the common activedimension of experiential value, taking into account both mentalactivity and physical activity. Second, we attempt to define thepillars for successful edutainment experiences and highlight thekey determinants of the child-retailer long term relationship. Thelimitations of the study and future research possibilities concludethe paper.

2. Literature review

2.1. The child consumer experience

Experiential marketing is particularly relevant for analyzingchild consumers, for several reasons. First, the experiential para-digm is based on the model highlighting affective processes(Imaginary ⇒ emotions ⇒ pleasure). It maximizes the role ofsensory variables and emotional states in consumer situations(Holbrook and Hirschman, 1982). The emotional register is pre-dominant in understanding children's behavior. When consuming,children primarily seek emotional rather than utilitarian benefits(Derbaix, 1982) – when they shop, children expect pleasure, fun,surprise and fear and need to use their imagination to explore andcommunicate with their peers (Guichard and Damay, 2011).

Second, the consumer experience includes a social dimension.As children spend more time with their peers now than they did inthe past, respect for social norms nowadays exerts strong pressurein the development of the behavior and preferences of children(Dotson and Hyatt, 2005). In particular, events and workshopsconducted in-store provide an opportunity for interaction andcomparison with peers. Being able to relate to sales staff is alsoexpected by children as an important element in point of saleexperiences. Accuracy, respect, friendliness, reliability and care arechildren's expectations concerning the retailer (Guichard and Da-may, 2011).

Third, experience involves self-transformation and experi-mentation. Derived from the Latin word experientia, from experiri(i.e. “to test”), experience can be defined as a sensation; practical,experienced events; or cumulative knowledge. Experience is alearning process. The experiential learning theories of Deweys(1958) and Piaget (1969) emphasize this learning process as acycle of interaction between the individual and their environment,comprising experience and concepts, observation and action (Kolb,1984). Children cannot be considered full-fledged consumers.Most contemporary research sees children as gathering knowl-edge and meaning, and a particular category of social and activeactors as”consumers in progress” (Ironico, 2012; Cook, 2009). Ac-tivities related to consumption can be seen as a source of

knowledge. Beyond the media, children receive product informa-tion from packaging, advice from peers and family, and learn aboutproduct characteristics from their own consumer experiences.Children also spend more time in retail spaces and their shoppingexperiences have a growing influence on their socialization (Dot-son and Hyatt, 2005). Research on children shows that direct ex-perience with the product creates safer beliefs and attitudes thantelevision advertising for both younger children (6–8) and“tweens” (10–12) (Moore and Lutz, 2000). Works concerned withevent-knowledge acquisition underscore young children's learningdeficits. In fact, a good number of retail experiences are simplyinaccessible to children, either physically (parental permission) orintellectually (limited capacities for encoding information). Youngchildren also tend to rely more on their own experience in a fa-miliar environment to develop learning strategies (Peracchio,1992).

2.2. Child edutainment experiences in retail stores

2.2.1. Theory“Edutainment” is where education and entertainment meet,

traditionally used for video games or commercial CD ROMs witheducational outcomes that are designed to help children learnthrough play (Creigthon, 1994; Barrey et al., 2010). The recent andquick spread of the term in consumer research is explained by theadvent of new technology (Addis, 2005), and the genesis of con-sumer cultures conveying ideologies of education and socializationthough consumption (Creighton, 1994). As it is consistent withprevious studies on entertainment and in-store consumer ex-perience (Kolb, 1984; Pine and Gilmore, 1999; Bäckström and Jo-hansson, 2006), it is reasonable to assume as Creighton (1994)suggested in her analysis of Japanese society that this interpreta-tion can be applied to children's educational experiences in-store.

In the retail sector, many retailers emphasize the importance ofeducation and creating pleasurable in-store experiences for con-sumers (Bäckström and Johansson, 2006). French retailers providethree broad categories of programs for the target child (Fig. 1), alloriented to either educational or entertainment purposes:

(1) workshops, (2) birthday services, (3) commercial eventswith national brands.

Direct experiences with products satisfy children's need to play,touch and test products (Guichard and Damay, 2011). By enablingthem to acquire knowledge of brands, products and their use, theysatisfy their desire to be independent (Vezin, 1994), and help themto grow. Initial trials provide children with product insights thatcould lead to added value, positive effects and product attachment(Lakshmanan and Krishnan, 2011). Moreover, the events andworkshops in a retail setting allow children to develop social andcognitive skills by generating opportunities for interaction withbrands or people (adults or other children). These retail activitiesoffer them a playground that can help them to integrate sociallyand learn to be consumers. In fact, children learn how to cope withconsumer situations by modeling the behaviors they observe inothers (Neeley and Coffey, 2007). Thus, child educational experi-ences contribute to the socialization of the child consumer, as withall processes by which “young people acquire skills, knowledge, andattitudes relevant to their functioning as consumers in the marketplace” (Ward, 1974 p2).

As well as shopping activities, these experiences in-store can beseen as vectors of learning for the child consumer through severalmechanisms: environmental influence when interacting withproducts, communication tools or point of purchase displays(McNeal, 2007), vicarious learning by observing sales staff or otherchildren, positive or negative reinforcement with carrying outtasks themselves, or shaping social interactions with peers oradults (Bandura, 2003).

Fig. 1. Categories of edutainment experiences in-store.

F. Feenstra et al. / Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 26 (2015) 47–56 49

Thus, the child edutainment in-store experience can be definedaccording to the three characteristics as proposed by Humeau-Feenstra (2010) for adult consumers, as:

(1)

A subjective experience through the emotions and the pro-duction of meaning in the building of the child's knowledge;

(2)

A social experience, whereby the child shares consumerpractices in the store;

(3)

An active experience that involves the child physically and/ormentally.

Building on these theoretical premises, the present study ex-tends the theoretical foundation of the concept by analyzing thenature of the edutainment experience for children, using the fiveStrategic Experiential Modules (SEMs) proposed by Schmitt(1999): SENSE, FEEL, THINK, ACT, RELATE. This approach is note-worthy because the span of consumer experience includes notonly affective, rational and behavioral components but also sen-sory and social (relational) realms (Yoon, 2013).

2.2.2. Consumer educational experience valueThe perceived value of the consumer experience is defined as a

relative preference characterizing the experience of interactionbetween a subject and an object, e.g. a product or service (Hol-brook and Corfman 1985). Many typologies of consumer valuehave been conceptualized, deriving from the seminal work ofHolbrook (1996). In the specific context of retailing, the concept ofshopping value was developed to reflect the benefits stemmingfrom the store visit (Babin and Babin, 2001, Mathwick et al., 2001).However, there is little agreement on the meaning of value and

specific value dimensions (Davis and Hodges, 2012). A first per-spective establishes a dichotomy between a utilitarian value(product's supply function) and a hedonic value through the dif-ferent emotions it brings (Babin et al., 1994). This vision beingconsidered as limited, a second current describes the shoppingvalue as a value related to the consumption experience of a ser-vice. This approach highlights two orientations (ontological andpraxeological) and four aspects of value (economic, fun, excellence,aesthetics) (Mathwick et al., 2001). This typology was validated inthe French context (Filser et al., 2003) except for the dimension ofservice excellence. However, it has two major limitations. The firstlimit concerns the omitted social environment of a store visitwhereas it has beenwidely strengthened (Davis and Hodges, 2012;Rintamäki et al., 2006, Verhoef et al., 2009) since the pioneeringwork of Tauber (1972). The second limit is the studied context ofthe store visit which is primarily a purchasing situation. Yet it isrecognized that the value is contextual and varies according to thesituation of use.

Adding to the above, a recent study by Humeau-Feenstra (2010)brings new insight by studying the benefits derived from a train-ing experience at the point of sale. It deals with the passive axis ofPine and Gilmore's praxeological dimension (1999) by underliningthe active nature of any process of knowledge building. The authorproposes a classification of sources of value in three directions(interpersonal, ontological and active) with a new view of theactive dimension distinguishing mental versus physical activity.These results seem to be consistent with children's literature,where it is emphasized that “children are continuously engaged in aprocess of meaning assignment that makes their consumer behaviormore active and creative than [that of] adults” (Ironico, 2012).

F. Feenstra et al. / Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 26 (2015) 47–5650

Nevertheless, the typology of sources of value proposed by Hu-meau-Feenstra (2010) was developed for the adult consumer.Value is a relative judgment -subjective and individual -and thequestion of children's assessment remains incomplete. We pro-pose to draw on the typology in this research to explore in-storeedutainment experience value from a child's perspective.

2.2.3. Co-creating value and long term relationshipsAs we noted previously, the child's engagement places him/her

as co-creator of his/her edutainment experience, proactively tak-ing part in the learning process. This statement joins the experi-ential paradigm highlighting the interactive nature of in-storeexperience (Yoon, 2013), and the service-centered view of thecustomer involved in the service's production (Eiglier and Lan-geard, 1987; Vargo and Lusch 2004). Following these authors, theinteractions in the edutainment experience could be seen as a wayboth to create value for the child and develop a long term re-lationship, from the retailer's perspective. More specifically, re-search shows that in-store experiential value enhances satisfaction(Babin et al., 1994), patronage intentions (Stoel et al., 2004, Joneset al., 2006) and store loyalty (Jones et al., 2006). The existingliterature on child-retailer relationship antecedents is limited. Thescarcity of scholarly research on in-store edutainment experiencecalls for in-depth understanding of child-retailer interaction dur-ing the edutainment experience and identifying the key factors inbuilding a long term relationship with the future consumer.

3. Method

The present study is based on several qualitative experientialtechniques. The authors were interested in understanding thenature of the edutainment experience and the benefits for childrenderived from these experiences. These objectives call for a “child-centric” approach from the researchers, listening to children, no-tably their thoughts and experiences. Additionally, a singlemethod is rarely sufficient to ensure the validity of children's re-sponses and using a broader range of techniques and methods forresearching the diversity of childhood is recommended (Brée,2012; Punch, 2002). Some methodological precautions are neces-sary because a child does not respond in the same manner as anadult. S/He is not able to think of him-/herself objectively. His/Herpreferences are unstable and not predictive of future behavior andhis/her apprehension of a product (or service) is not made in re-lation to its attributes but as an overall unit (Hyatt, 1991). Thedifficulty when interviewing the target children includes threemajor limitations: the child's understanding of the issue, his/herability to provide a response verbally, and his/her level of atten-tion, which may wane very quickly (Peracchio, 1991; Hyatt, 1991;Banister and Booth, 2005; Brée, 2012). This is why non-intrusiveobservational methods are ideally suited for investigating chil-dren's behavior, considering children's limited introspective andverbal skills (Bailey, 1982; McNeal, 1998).

3.1. Procedure and data collection

In light of these cautions, ethnographic investigations were con-ducted during 16 workshops and events at 8 French retailers (FNACKids, Toys'R Us, Cultura, Auchan, Carrefour, Zodio, Picwic, IdKids)coupling participant observation in situ and semi-structured inter-views, a widely used methodology in child-oriented research (Baxter,2011; Punch, 2002). Applying ethnographic methods in retail is agrowing trend (Mariampolski, 2006). This methodology enables re-searchers to draw rich and detailed representations of individualinterviewees (Lawlor and Prothero, 2011).

We crossed-matched the children's responses with parent

discourse to identify parental influence on the children's opinionand to make sense of the children's responses. Then, we triangu-lated our sources by interviewing retail managers to obtain anoutside point of view on the behavior and reactions of thechildren.

With participant observation, the researchers can immersethemselves in the experience to better assess how retails settingsand social phenomena affect behavior (Mariampolski, 2006). Weused tripartite material for collecting verbal and behavioral inter-actions: photographs of retail stores, film sequences of activities,observation grids. Two researchers carried out either inventoriesof static practices or dynamic inventories via mobile shots orcontinuous video sequences to capture the children's spontaneousreactions and exchanges.

Video media has a powerful advantage: it provides a morecomplete description of the environment, captures body language,and renders a more experiential and emotional type of knowledgethan via purely written means (Belk and Kozinets, 2005). These areparticularly relevant materials to capture children's emotionalreactions (like joy, boredom, pleasure, excitement). They provideuseful information about the social position of the child within agroup of peers (types of exchanges, sharing of know-how or theopposite behavior of withdrawal).

To avoid being too obtrusive-the main drawback of video-baseddata collection (Belk and Kozinets, 2005)-, the camera was placedin a corner, at a physical distance, as recommended by Belk andKozinets (2005), to give an overview of the workshops. The re-searchers played also the role of co-master of ceremonies for theactivity. Because of the high level of intimacy, this made themmore familiar to the children and helped to create a safe atmo-sphere for interviewing the children. The informants were inter-viewed just after their experience in-store. The protocol for datacollection was based on the procedure established by Neelankavilet al. (1985). A two-step interview guide was developed: a firstphase involved questioning the parent in the presence of the childto familiarize the child with the interview format. This helpschildren be less reserved and more self-confident in answering thequestions. In the second phase, the children were asked to provideinformation about their experience without the help of the parent.The child participants were encouraged to provide some details ofthe activity, to articulate what they liked and did not like duringthe experience, and if and why they would like to participate againor not. They were also asked to evaluate their experience. All in-terviews were recorded and transcribed for analysis.

3.2. Informants

The final sample consisted of 43 children aged 6–12 years, 29girls and 14 boys. Children differ, however, in terms of cognitivedevelopment, whether in terms of knowledge structure or deci-sion-making process (Roedder-John, 1999) and there are a numberof changes in early elementary school children that justify seg-menting them as separate age group (Valkenburg and Cantor2001). The sample spread over the following age groups: 29children aged 6–8 years, 6 children aged 9–10 years, and 8 chil-dren agess 11–12 years. In addition to the child participants, 37interviews with parents and 4 interviews with retail managerswere held to flesh out the children's responses.

3.3. Data coding and analysis

The analysis of the corpus was carried out by crossing thegathered materials. Meaning from the narratives was extractedusing a dimensional analysis of the nature of the edutainmentexperience based on the identification of the five aspects (SENSE,FEEL, THINK, ACT, RELATE) that contribute to the Schmitt's S.E.M.

F. Feenstra et al. / Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 26 (2015) 47–56 51

(Strategic Experiential Modules) classification (1999). To analyzethe sources of value, we organized and interpreted the dataaround the three dimensions of an educational experience valuein-store proposed by Humeau-Feenstra (2010):

� An active dimension: knowledge building orientation (mentalactivity) versus active participation orientation (physical activity)

� An interpersonal dimension: self-oriented or other-orientedvalue

� An ontological dimension: intrinsic or extrinsic valueWe used different methodologies in three different stages of

analysis. First, we carried out a narrative analysis in order to gaininsight into the three different types of experiences for each re-tailer separately. This method is based on an iterative back andforth process between parts of the texts and the whole. In thesecond stage, based on the recommendations of Malhotra et al.(2012), we reduced the data through a coding process, the objec-tive being to organize the data in analyzable units by creatingcategories that bring together similar ideas, concepts or themes.Each researcher started by breaking down the data into discretechunks and then attached a reference to those chunks of data(Malhotra et al., 2012). This allowed for the emergence of a varietyof sub-categories that were discussed amongst the researchers.

We coded the central themes that emerged from each narrativein order to identify the main categories for each educational ex-perience in-store. The key themes that emerged from the narra-tives were identified, listed and compared with the previous re-search works. The coding process continued until (a) no more newtopics emerged, and (b) it was decided that theoretical saturation(Strauss and Corbin, 1990) had been reached.

In a final stage, the narratives were complemented by an ana-lysis of the affective reactions which were highlighted from thephotographic observation of the children's faces and the bodylanguage in the video sequences. The children's feedback on theirsocial interactions was compared with that of the sales managersand the parents, coupled with video and observation notes (aboutthe atmosphere, general group mood, exchanges between peers,and so on). This stage allowed for an interpretative work of thenarrative with the support of visual or indirect evidence. It is ofparticular use for analyzing the responses of young children (6–7years old) whose language abilities are limited and for whomwords are sometimes scarce. These elements were helpful for theanalysis of the SEMs (Schmitt, 1999).

4. Findings

The major research objective guiding this study was to explorechildren's opinions about their educational experience in retailstores. Our target (6- to 12- year-olds) is in accordance with thePiaget theory of cognitive development. In the concrete opera-tional stage, children are in fact able to give back their experiencein a thoughtful and relatively abstract manner (Roedder-John,1999).

4.1. The Polymorphic nature of children's in-store educationalexperience

The five SEMs of Schmitt (1999) are clearly highlighted in thenarratives of the children and the behavioral observation. Their in-store edutainment experience can be defined as:

An active experience-Children first performed in the direct ex-perience (ACT) with the products handled: they primarily useaction verbs (I did, I put, I colored, I had the adventure, I ate the cake….). Experience is presented by children in its sequential

development through its exploratory process, “I liked it when Istirred the chocolate” (girl, age 11) I liked when we stuck on the tape(girl, age 7). The experience can also be described through itscognitive dimension (THINK). This more abstract facet of the ex-perience depends on the nature of the activity and the age of thechildren, mainly 9–12. It is then described as stimulating the mindthrough questioning (for example with the quiz on the Frenchcheese “Laughing Cow”) or the discovery of new ideas and know-how by learning a new activity thanks to the advice of the salesstaff.

A multi-sensory experience that covers different emotional regis-ters – the atmosphere of the workshop, with different aromas andflavors (during the cooking workshop), the esthetics of the activity(face painting events), materials used (felt workshop), and thelocation of the activity (in either busy or quiet spaces) influencethe appreciation of the experience (SENSE). They stimulate chil-dren to engage-or not-in the experience. Observation of partici-pants enables the restoration of the emotional gamut (FEEL)among children: we observed joy and excitement (very strong,especially during children's birthday parties with their friends),but also sometimes boredom and even fear, for example in theadventure park in the ID Kids stores, an activity included in thebirthday party. The child's personality (introverted or extroverted)and his/her position within the group (alone or with friends) canimpact on these emotions.

It feels good (Boy, 6.5)I was a little bored (Girl, 7)It was a foam rubber…. so it was a bit unpleasant (Girl, 11)I like this place, because it's quite quiet (Girl, 7)A social experience with dual reality: peer interactions and in-

teractions with the staff –The social dimension (RELATE) of thechild's experience appears spontaneously in the narratives if it is aprimary motivation for participation in the activity, as (1) sharing asocial event among friends (for birthdays) or (2) as competitionwith other children (i.e. during the challenges), or (3) as a need tocommunicate with store staff (sharing ideas, asking for advice).The social experience can also be the result of ephemeral en-counters between two children who come regularly, but withoutbuilding a more permanent bond.

“Yes, I have lots of friends there too” (Girl, 7)“But usually, Lisa's there and we have fun as well” (Boy, 6.5)“The employee looks, helps us, gives us advice” (Girl, 12)

4.2. Educational experience value: multiple benefits for children

The results of our study show that the evaluation of the ex-perience goes far beyond the retail context in which the experi-ments were held. Children derive significant value from the edu-tainment experience – fifteen children's experience values arereflected in the feedback about their experience in-store. Whilesome evaluations are specific to certain types of activities offeredby retailers, or depend on the child's age, the experiential value ofthe child edutainment experience in-store can nevertheless bedefined by three core common dimensions, as already observed byHumeau-Feenstra (2010) in the adult context. The key active fea-ture of any experience is, for children's educational experiences, tomaximize child involvement in an active learning process whereknowledge is acquired through practicing consumer behavior.

In the following section we present the sources of value aroundthe active dimension and its two orientations: knowledge buildingand active participation (Fig. 2). We break down the benefits ofeach orientation, taking into account the extrinsic/intrinsic per-spective and self- oriented/other-oriented view.

Fig. 2. Children’s edutainment experience sources of value (though active dimension).

F. Feenstra et al. / Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 26 (2015) 47–5652

4.2.1. Knowledge building orientation of value sources: growing up,building skills, gaining autonomy

Eight values are attached to the first “knowledge” axis, whichappears to be central to the process of the child's development.Table 1 summarizes the sub-dimensions of the experiential valueon this axis.

The broad range of values derived from knowledge improve-ment is bound to the target's age (6–12 years), an analytical stagewhere the most important developments in terms of expertise andknowledge take place. Nevertheless, it can also be explained byretailers who, through workshops and birthday parties, aim tocreate an experience with a core educational component. Com-mercial events like challenges by Toys'R Us or games by FNAC Kidsare also concerned but less so by this type of value and generatemore emotional valuations around entertainment.

Where self-oriented values are concerned, it can be argued thatthe knowledge axis includes both utilitarian and hedonic value,and that a cognitive activity during the experience can also be asource of feelings for the children. All age groups are concerned bythe following values, except for the economic value:

1.

TabKno

V

S

O

Knowledge value-The desire for knowledge in itself, the searchfor information to better fit into his/her environment. The childappreciates finding out about new activities, games, learningtechniques, ideas or the advice provided by the retailers.

2.

Hedonic epistemic value-The pleasure of learning itself. Devel-oping knowledge from experience can be a source of pleasure,surprise and interest in itself.

3.

Functional value – Knowledge building is evaluated extrinsicallyfor its usefulness in accomplishing a goal, or a specific resultafter the experience. For children, learning new techniques can

le 1wledge building orientation of value sources.

alues Extrinsic Intrinsic

elf-oriented Knowledge Value Hedonic Ep"Learning how to do stuff ...” (Girl, 9) “Well I do nEconomic Valuen Self Esteem“Well it can be used instead of buying a whole one" (Girl, 11) “Yes I'm goiFunctional Value“I drew it and am going to frame it and put it up in myroom” (Girl, 7)

thers oriented Social Status/ Self Expression Value Empowerm“I'll bring my canvas to school” (Girl,9) «I think chil

with the staReverse Socialization Valuenn

“They showed me how to do it, now they feel great”

n Value only observed for children: 11/12 years old.nn Parent feedback.

also correspond to a secondary motivation of playing at home,or finding new ideas for games at home.This point is stressed by parents:“Yes, we do it again at home often -he is really busy!” (Mother ofsix-year-old boy)

4.

Economic value-It includes all direct or indirect financial benefitfrom knowledge building: despite its importance for the adultconsumer, it is rarely emphasized by children, only by theoldest (12 years) who have the ability to assess the monetaryvalue of their achievement.

5.

Self-esteem value-During the workshops, birthday parties orchallenges, the activity leads to a final self-performance and apersonal work assessment which contributes to the children'sself-esteem.

Exploring the children's other-oriented values, this researchbrings out the importance of their social status and the role ofconsumer development in their exchanges with their parents.All age groups are concerned by these values, save the em-powerment value. The benefits from the children's educationalexperience in-store include:

6.

Social Status/Self-Expression Value-The usefulness of acquiringknowledge is expressed in the child's desire to change his/hersocial or family status or to improve his/her self-image. Im-plicitly returned, the store activity becomes an excuse to shinesocially with peers or relatives, as confirmed by the sales per-sonnel“What is interesting is to walk away with what they have doneand also to say “I did it myself!” (Laughs).

7.

Empowerment Value-Gaining autonomy from the experience isa benefit, albeit recognized only by pre-teens. This value clearlymarks a new stage in the child's development, where the child

istemic Valueot know, I like it because you learn a lot of things too so I like it (Boy, 6)Value

ng back with my kit that I made myself and I like it” (Girl, 11)»

ent Valuen

dren need to be creative and capable, without their parents around, being aloneff” (Girl, 12)

Table 2Sources of value derived from the children's active participation.

Values Extrinsic Intrinsic

Self-oriented value Escape value Playful practice value"Well, it is great because after (the workshop) you don't get bored (Girl,8)"so you don’t have to stay in”( dixit at home) (Girl, 6)

"I love the decor ... I love it ... it's just my passion” (Girl, 11).

Self-gift Value Esthetic value"Well I make things just as gifts" (Girl, 9) "Uh ... that's because it's pretty. And I like the cat ... There were flowers and

games behind ... they’re pretty drawings (Girl, 6)Enjoyment Value“Well… because, it's funny, because there are a lot of games and you canhave fun”. (Boy, 6)

Other-orientedvalue

Other gift value Social Value"I like doing things for my family (Girl, 6). "I liked it because it was umm well… friendly .I want to talk to other

people (Boy, 10)

F. Feenstra et al. / Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 26 (2015) 47–56 53

becomes increasingly mature, independent and pragmatic,seeking to remove him-/herself from parental influence inmaking his/her choices as a consumer.

8.

Reverse Socialization Value-The experience also offers new op-portunities for exchange with parents by sharing experienceslived in-store. The parent, one of the first agents of the child'ssocialization (Caruana and Vassalino, 2003; Kerrane and Hogg,2011), is in a reverse situation: s/he learns technical or con-sumer behavior acquired by the child during the latter's in-store experience.

This new role of the child within the family is an extrinsic valueindirectly expressed in the parent's narratives:

“They come back and it is the opposite: they bring me the recipes.So, we have to make the recipe again on the weekend, and theythemselves show us how to do it. That empowers them.” (Mother ofsix-year-old girl)

The children's educational experience contributes to the de-velopment of the parent-child relationship on specific topics (artsand crafts, cooking), leading to greater reciprocity in the familyenvironment and reinforcing the notion that in today's societychildren have won the right to be recognized and listened to byadults.

To conclude, the children's educational experience in-storerepresents a specific developmental process in consumer sociali-zation, through self-experience with products and exchanges withsales staff. The education experience may continue to take placeoutside of the retail setting via the parent's agency. The children'sin-store educational experience responds to their willingness togrow and enhance their social status in their daily lives. Despitetheir ability or desire to engage in autonomous behavior, as ob-served by Ironico (2012), children remain dependent subjects, andin terms of consumption, their decisions are influenced by adultattitudes to retail.

4.2.2. The active participation orientation of value sources: fun, en-tertainment, indulging oneself or others

Seven values from the children's “active participation” in theexperience are highlighted with a strong prevalence of fun andenjoyment that concerns all activities and all age groups (Table 2).

Five benefits are self-oriented and two benefits are other-oriented.

1.

Escape Value (self-oriented)-The children's experience can beseen as a response to some children who feel the need to take abreak from their daily lives, or to avoid boredom at home or inthe store. This escape value concerns all ages. Parents see it asan opportunity to remove the child from his/her ordinary,

repetitive routine, and the in-store experience is a source ofnew and meaningful activities“I prefer her to do activities like this rather than playing videogames or watching TV.””[It's] very good because it opens theirmind to activities that um … I do not necessarily do with them athome. It is an extra activity that is good. “” It's a way for them notto stay in the store for an hour and a half and get bored.” (Motherof 7-year-old girl)

2.

Playful Practice Value (self-oriented)-The educational experi-ence is enhanced for the enjoyment in doing it oneself, hand-ling the materials used in the activity. The child's pleasure issought in the experience itself through his/her intrinsic interestin the activity. The activity is a way for the brand to offer anopportunity for the child to express his/her artistic talent andculinary skills, a source of gratification and self-worth. Thisvalue depends on the choice of activities, which have to fit theself-interest of the child.

3.

Enjoyment Value (self-oriented)-Playing and having fun is an-other valued aspect of the experience for all types of activitiesand at any age. This is a particularly relevant value for birthdayexperiences. The point of sale becomes a playground suitablefor unwinding and the staff are appreciated as play partners:«Well ….um… To have fun (Girl, 8), you can also play with thesales personnel” (Girl, 12).

4.

Aesthetic Value (self-oriented)-The assessment of the child mayfocus more on the sensory stimulation offered by the re-tailtainment at the point of sale. Here, the activity's value lies inits esthetic appeal.

5.

Social Value (other-oriented)-Children have the opportunity tohave a good time with friends, as well as rich emotional re-wards and interactions with their peers. The experience is va-lued from a social perspective. This interpersonal dimensionemerged particularly for group commercial events and birthdayservices, which are usually intended to be social occasions.Here, a friendly atmosphere and the opportunity to meet otherchildren contribute positively to the value of the experience.

6.

/ 7. Gift Value (self- or other-oriented value)-Lastly, one parti-cular group of children, often the youngest (the 6-8 year-olds)enjoys coming home with a souvenir, new toy or surprise. Thegift's value may purely express the desire of “receiving” and“owning”, but can otherwise express altruism. In this case, themotivation for the experience is linked with making their re-latives or other people in their lives happy, as confirmed by theparents:

“So the project is to make different cupcakes and make a gift fortheir teacher.” (Mother of 6-year-old girl)

Finally, the benefits associated with pleasure, fun and

F. Feenstra et al. / Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 26 (2015) 47–5654

enjoyment are strongly stressed on this axis by the child targetsand appear as relevant motivations to visit the store. This argu-ment led us to justify the interpretation of the children's educa-tional experience as an “edutainment” experience with both funand educational purposes. In addition, following the edutainmentlogic, where developing consumer skills and playful experienceshappen to be closely linked, children's educational in-store ex-periences offer the opportunity to play and learn, two activitieswhich happen to be mutually beneficial. These two experienceshelp children to create an understanding of the consumer worldand involve them in a social environment that is compatible withthe parents' interest for their children.

4.3. The children's experience: compelling children to create a bondwith tomorrow's consumer

Retailers' marketing efforts often initially target the adultshopper. They are based on a clear statement that the parent needsa break from the burden of taking care of the child. The com-mercial purpose is to enable them to make their purchases inbetter conditions:

“Initially, it was more to help moms make their purchases in thestore, because the children are there and so it allows mothers to bealone.” (Retailer manager)

This economic vision of retail experiences is not a new practice.As observed in a report on Japanese society (Creighton, 1994) or ina historical analysis of business practices (1910) in the textile in-dustry in the United States (Cook, 2004), retailers set up play areasin-store to allow mothers to shop more comfortably.

The secondary business objective is to increase the frequency ofstore visits and stimulate the children's purchasing desire to re-peat the activity at home: “A good way to attract customers” (Mo-ther of 6-year-old boy).

Yet beyond a purely mercantile purpose in the short term,the child's experience during the workshops/events lays thefoundation for a long-term relationship with the child consumerof tomorrow through four elements: the value derived fromthe experience, the satisfaction, and because it helps develop arelationship of trust and commitment to the sales staff and theretailer. Children actually appreciate that these initiatives servetheir own interests, though only the oldest age group (11–12years) is able to grasp the retailers' indirect commercial intentions.The credibility of the service through the expertise of the salesstaff is also apparent to the oldest children (11/12) who expect tofind answers to practical questions.

“Because it's, um … for children um … to please them” (Girl, 9)“To make you willing to do it again at home, to buy materials, it is

a good idea I think…. It is a good idea yes, to attract customers and intheir place, I would have done it too” (Boy, 11).

A rewarding experience incites the child to seek more oppor-tunities to return to the store. Children may become attached tothe sales staff, and this may lead to a close relationship. Regularworkshops and store visits help the child to be more trusting. Thechild will consider the sales employee as a reference person towhom s/he may open up to in-store.

“Karen!”… She tells me about herself! She talks about her boy-friend, school … Yes, the little girl told me why she is there. What shewants to buy.””I try to create real relationships with children. And Isee that it works, for example with the girl who returns from fouryears earlier, Orianne, she comes into the store” (Retail salesemployee).

Such a relationship can be developed during workshops thatare planned regularly throughout the year. These commercialevents involve suppliers or service providers for one specific op-eration, which may not be intended to build a long term re-lationship with the child.

5. Discussion and conclusions

Despite a significant amount of research on entertainingshopping experiences in recent years, understanding the child'sperspective remains a challenge for researchers. In this study, weemployed the experiential typology of strategic experientialmodules (SEMs) in Schmitt (1999) and the three core dimensionsof the in-store educational experience proposed by Humeau-Feenstra (2010) to examine first the nature of the experience,second the benefits the children derived from the edutainmentexperience. While these previous marketing studies are focusedon adult consumers, they offer a worthy theoretical framework tobroaden with a child-centric analysis.

5.1. Theoretical and managerial implications

The findings presented in this paper reveal how educationalexperiences in-store are a source of many rewards for the child. Bycreating a space for self-fulfillment, a playground and socializationarea in-store, these experiences meet the criteria of edutainmentby serving the children's well-being, personal pleasure and theirgrowing consumer development and awareness. The study pro-vided evidence that children enjoy acquiring consumer knowledgeand a consumer attitude autonomously, by practicing their activerole as consumers. Children appreciate both mental activity tochallenge and build their knowledge and physical activity withtrial products. Consistent with the cognitive and social develop-ment literature and marketing research (Ironico, 2012, Roedder-John, 1999), play and learning emerged as primary activities po-sitively assessed by children, who perceive stores not only asplaces where products can be bought, but also as places in whichto play and have fun. As in Poris (2005), we observed that fun is auniversally appealing concept for children. In-store edutainmentexperiences offer children opportunities for a deviation fromroutine.

These experiences indirectly participate in a purchasing pro-cess and lead to consumer desire through product testing. The in-store edutainment experience becomes a key agent of socializa-tion. Despite him/herself the child influences store visits andpurchasing decisions. Consistent with previous research (Caruanaand Vassallo, 2003; Nørgaard et al., 2007), children exert influenceon family purchases of various products in many ways: the reversesocialization highlighted in this study is possible because parentstoday pay more attention to children and their opinions (Caruanaand Vassallo, 2003).

Moreover the edutainment experience in retail stores modifiesthe nature of children's influence on the purchasing process in-store. Traditionally described with a negative slant as “pesterpower” (Lawlorand and Prothero, 2011), which represents theconflict generated by tension between parents and children, itendorses a positive vision of “fun power” in a win-win perspective.Store visits are characterized by the pleasure of the child partici-pating in the edutainment experience, and on the other hand theparents are freed from their parental constraints, happy and guilt-free when affording the child an opportunity for self-development.Both the parents' and the children's goals are met.

In addition, as discussed in the literature review section, theexchanges with the salesperson (during or after the experiencewhen the child comes back to the store) seem to be a way to de-velop long term child-retailer relationships though cumulativesatisfaction, trust and attachment (Ganesan, 1994; Garbarino andJohnson, 1999; Vargo and Lusch 2004; Ville (de La) 2009). Theseresults highlight the limitations of current retail approaches thatfirst target parents and are often focused on a time-limited re-lationship with the children.

F. Feenstra et al. / Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 26 (2015) 47–56 55

The success of the children's experiences with the 6–12 yearold age spread is based on the implementation of the three pillarsbelow:

(1) Enhancing their cognitive development through the acquisi-tion of know-how in terms of consumption. The activities orga-nized by retailers can stimulate analytical reasoning to assess theproducts that the children test in order to use them at home in thefuture. Beyond cognitive development, this experience contributesto a reverse socialization process, and the emergence of a “childplayer” who becomes part of the household consumer decisions,and consumer knowledge acquisition.

(2) Improving their social development in the self-expression orin the social exchanges generated during or thanks to the ex-perience. Children have the ability to go beyond their own ex-periences to project themselves in social comparisons–i.e. theyacquire different skill sets from their parents or can judge bythemselves when compared to peers. They are capable of taking analtruistic approach, taking into account the welfare or desires ofothers after the experience.

(3) Contributing to their own entertainment by offering a re-creational space, and shared pleasure or fun. The motivation forvisiting the store is part of the child's search for an entertaining orsimply different experience. In-store edutainment experiencesgive them an opportunity to step outside of their daily routine bysurprising them through the discovery of new social activities orplay.

Retailers have an interest in understanding children throughin-store recreational activities, playful and discovery spaces. To thetraditional objection of retailers who maintain that the purpose ofa point of sale is first to sell, it should be emphasized that a sus-tainable perspective could consider these experiences as obviouspurchasing vectors: (1) because the child appropriates productsthrough his/her direct experience, (2) because the educationalexperience allows children to discover new products, helping him/her grow as a consumer, (3) because they provide pleasure andfeelings. These can influence brand preference which, as is wellknown, is based on emotional connections made in childhood. Theedutainment experience also helps increase his/her desire to pa-tronize the store.

Although retailers are aware of the importance of the pre-scriptive role of children, they still often express reluctance to setup dedicated spaces and fear of potential nuisances due to thebehavior of young customers (Barrey et al., 2010). The observedphenomenon of reverse socialization where the child becomes anactor in adult consumer learning is justification in itself to focus onthe child in the retail environment. In addition, edutainment ex-periences stimulate positive family exchanges during – or after –

the store visit. The “fun power” concept of children's influence onthe adult purchasing process may offer new opportunities for re-tailers to develop store traffic and lead customers (both parentsand children) to spend more time in their outlets, be it together orseparately.

By promoting regular contact with sales staff, whose role goesbeyond that of a simple guide to that of playmate as well, theretailer might create a strong emotional bond that continues overthe long term. However, this assumes there is a genuine approachfrom the retailers to serve the interests of the child and a respectfor ethical rules with a child target who is too innocent to un-derstand the commercial purpose of marketing events.

Finally, retailers should reflect on how to build a bond with thechild beyond the in-store experience. The retailer's strategy is stillfocused on a goal of profitability in a short term perspective,looking only at turnover/square meters. Nonetheless, when part ofthe products may be available in-store via digital tools and notonly on shelf spaces, cross-channel distribution could make itpossible in the future to create non-merchant in-store spaces.

5.2. Limits and directions for further research

Although the results and findings contribute to the academicliterature, children's experiences in the commercial sphere still raiseawkward questions not dealt with in this research. While the ex-perience is considered as the result of a co-production actively in-volving the company and its client, this production must first be seenas proactive and organized as part of the educational process. Behindthese marketing practices, the commercial issues remain. Sometimesthe purchase of the products is a condition for participating in theworkshops. By placing shelving space in the heart of the store, re-tailers offer a “playful show” for all customers, with “kid actors” whothrough their enthusiasm and their involvement will encourage thedesire of the other children to purchase these products.

This raises questions about the handling of individuals gener-ated by the experience and the freedom of the consumer in the co-production of the experience. This subject is all the more sig-nificant for the children as they are only partially aware of thecommercial nature of objects and spaces they interact with inretail settings, and they are restricted by physical, cognitive andsocial constraints (Ville (de La) 2009; Ironico, 2012). The ethicalquestion of these marketing efforts is an interesting line for futureresearch.

Moreover, this study's results suggest a need to explore in-storeedutainment experiences not only regarding the benefits but alsoconsidering the potential costs for the children during the con-sumer experience in order to provide a holistic view of the globalperceived value antecedents and measure its effects on the re-lationship building.

In addition, this research highlights the fact that edutainmentexperiences can stimulate bi-directional exchanges within the fa-mily unit. But there clearly remains an urgent need for furthertheoretical definition of the “fun power” notion of children's in-fluence over adult purchasing and store visit motivations. This is achallenging area for further research.

Acknowledgments

This research is based on a research project ‘Kids & Retailing’funded by the French competitive cluster NovaChild(FAC00140400-767-884-1025).

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