The role of local government in marketing small city retailing: Examining the gap between perception and reality

The role of local government in ensuring cities and town centres are attractive options for shoppers is well documented in the international literature. However, there is a paucity of research on the role and responsibility of local governments in tackling the complex marketing issues facing town and city retailing, particularly in regional and rural areas in Australia. Australian retailing differs markedly from retailing in the UK, U.S.A and Europe in a number of ways including fewer large, global retail stores, fewer large shopping centres and malls, and a slower uptake of online shopping. This paper reports a set of findings from a larger published study on consumer and retailer perceptions of the role of local government in the marketing of city-centre shopping and improving the overall experience for visitors in a regional Australian city. This research was commissioned by the local council. Traders and shoppers (N = 367) were surveyed on their perceptions of various aspects of city shopping. Qualitative data were analysed using the software program Leximancer to extract themes and concepts regarding specific actions the local council should take to improve city shopping and market the CBD to better attract shoppers and visitors. Findings show four main themes requiring council attention, as well as four additional and important retail-related factors identified by participants as the responsibility of the local city council, but which are actually not within the remit of local government. The findings of this study extend existing literature on town centre and small city retail marketing and are valuable for local governments, business associations, marketing organisations and individual business owners. Findings will assist efforts in two crucial activities: the marketing of cities and towns as attractive destinations for shoppers and visitors and improving and enhancing communication between councils and key stakeholders about the role of local government in marketing city-centre retail places