A study says shopping locally can be about more than price. Why do familiar shops keep drawing us back?

You are on a trip and you love shopping. You decided to purchase a purse. You check on Google about good shops but you only get the locations of famous brands. At one point you think you should go and shop from these popular brand but then something in your minds keeps telling you to go and visit the local market, find something ethnic and original.

Similarly, a new shopping centre opens nearby. Your friends discuss the famous names inside. You still buy bread from the neighbourhood bakery. The owner remembers your usual order. You know which loaf you like. The visit feels easy.

This is not just about a habit, it is more about the social connection you have with the shopkeeper and the experience and familiarity you gain once you are there.



According to research , community attachment can be one way to explain some shopping decisions. It does not mean every local shopper dislikes famous brands.

What does research say about shopping locally?

A 2023 study by researchers Pingping Qiu, Jiemiao Chen and Ed Bruning examined local retail patronage. The term means why someone chooses to shop at a particular store.

This research consisted of 551 survey responses via telephone from two neighbouring communities in Winnipeg, Canada. The study was published in the International Journal of Consumer Studies.

The study focuses on a local food store. Residents who were of the same community shopped more frequently and were attached to the store. The reciprocated well to produce and shopkeeper.

However, when it came to shoppers of the neighbourhing community, the response and attachment as not that significant.

The findings suggest that where a shop belongs can matter alongside what it sells. However, a survey centred on one store cannot establish why everyone chooses local businesses.

What is social capital?

The above behaviour can also be explained by social capital theory which was mentioned in the study. It describes the value found in relationships and social networks.

The term reciprocity can be understood as providing support when you recieve the same kind of support. You may feel that buying from a local or a small shop instead of brand means your giving something back to the community. The idea of adding value makes the customer feel better about themselves.

Imagine a stationery seller who helps locate a schoolbook you urgently need. Returning for your next purchase may feel like acknowledging that effort.

The example shows a silent but possible relationship. You may iwilling to return the favour as they shopkeeper helped you in your time of need.

Why do familiar shops feel appealing?

Psychologist Robert Zajonc’s research offers another explanation for the shopping local behaviour. It is known as the mere-exposure effect. He published a paper in 1968 paper examining how being exposed to the same thing again and again may become more appealing to you compared to something which you may have seen once or twice. The evidence included experiments involving unfamiliar words and symbols.

The idea is simple. Familiarity can influence liking, even when there is nothing to compare during that time.

Think of a shop you pass daily. Its entrance becomes recognisable. After several satisfactory visits, choosing it may require less deliberation than trying somewhere unfamiliar.

Applying mere exposure to that example is an interpretation. Zajonc’s work did not establish that repeated visits make every shop preferable.

Familiarity also cannot prove quality. A widely advertised brand can become familiar through repeated exposure, too. The effect is not unique to neighbourhood businesses.

Why might people want a small business to succeed?

There is another research to explain this behavior. It is known as the underdog effect. The study explores on how a business story or a story of a brand can influence consumers.

In a 2011 paper, Neeru Paharia and her colleagues studies brands which were struggling but refused to give up.

They conducted four studies on the underdog businesses and people felt more drawn to those brands which reminded them of their own struggles.

Imagine a baker describing how she began with limited equipment and gradually built her business. A customer who remembers struggling to establish a career may relate to that account.

The purchase can then carry personal meaning beyond the cake.

However, the research concerned brand stories, rather than small shops alone. Large companies can tell underdog stories as well. A compelling history does not establish that a product is better.

Can a brief conversation change the shopping experience?

Psychologists Gillian Sandstrom and Elizabeth Dunn published a journal in 2014. In their paper, they studied everyday interactions on the topic Is Efficiency Overrated?

What they found was that people who had a normal casual conversation with the barista were more likely to return to the coffee shop than those whose transaction was more efficient but less friendly.

The researchers explained that here belongingness played a bigger role. People felt connected during the conversation which made a difference.

Such everyday acquaintances are sometimes called weak ties. It means we have people in our lives who we recognise. We become comfortable with their presence and familiarity without being close to them.

A familiar greeting may therefore have value within an ordinary purchase.

However, the experiment did not compare independent cafés with chains which may have produced a different result depending on the type of customer. Friendly interactions can happen in either. It supports the importance of human contact, rather than proving local ownership creates a better experience.