INFLUENCE OF TEMPORAL FACTORS ON CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR IN CHAIN SUPERMARKETS IN KENYA

Purpose: The global retail market is currently a most promising business owing to the growth it is experiencing. In 2016, Kenya's retail spending hit Sh1.8 trillion as the sector expanded by 13 per cent. Chain supermarkets have been growing rapidly over the years attracting local and foreign players. Currently Kenya retail has expanded extensively and is experiencing huge consumer footfalls but dismal sales performance. In a fast-changing world, emerging consumer buying behavior trends require supermarkets to stay close to the consumers. Maximum flexibility in response to dynamic consumer behavior is vital to give the retailers a competitive edge for exploiting such opportunities profitably. The objective of the study was to establish the effect of temporal factors on consumer buying behavior in in supermarkets in Kenya. Methodology: The target population consisted of 33 chain supermarkets in Kenya. The target population comprised of 634 employees from these supermarkets. Descriptive research design was used for this study. In addition regression and correlation analysis was used to link the relationships between the dependent and the independent variables. Results: The study found out that there was a positive and significant relationship between temporal factors and consumer buying behavior(r=0.600, p=0.000). Recommendation: It was found out that temporal factors have a positive and significant effect on Consumer Buying Behavior. Therefore, the study recommends for chain supermarkets to provide promotional discounts to consumer so as to increase their business sales. Further, chain supermarkets need to work towards having a corporate brand name renown for high quality brands. Good displays of products are also an added advantage. These insights will enable supermarkets to enjoy benefits of high sales.