ABSTRACT
Large amounts of data are collected by market research companies describing store choice; these show where consumers shop, how often, whether a product is bought at several stores, and whether they return to the same outlets as before. This chapter describes some patterns of consumer behaviour which are relevant to retailers and marketers. Retailers, therefore, need to determine how often buyers patronise their stores, and then distinguish between 'heavy' and 'light' buyers. The main scope for retailers is to achieve more, or to defend, patronage. New evidence from the United States is used to study some aspects of store choice. Indeed, store choice is regular in a way that has been established over many years for brand choice, and this is true of the UK and US. Apart from store choice, the law has been observed across a wide range of product fields and brands.
