The Nature of Consumer Behaviour: An Investigation of the Determinants of Store Loyalty

Abstract

<p>In recent years there has been a growing interest regarding the nature of consumer behaviour at the retail level. This interest is a result of a desire to understand the movement patterns of urban dwellers by both academics and the commercial sector of society. By using the Cardiff Consumer Panel as a data source for investigation this research paper examined the purchasing behaviour of consumers in the United Kingdom. Implementation of a simple operational model called the 'run test', indicated the degree of store loyalty that individuals exhibited. The results of this research identified an inconsistency between shopping behaviour at an aggregate level and behaviour at the individual level. In an attempt to explain this inconsistency, further analysis was carried out and the results suggested that store loyalty may be linked to various aspects of household characteristics, including vehicle ownership and life-cycle stage.</p>