Variations in Buying Habits of Different Consumer Groups.

The article discusses the variations in the buying habits of different consumer groups in the U.S. Consumer buying habits will constitute the core of any changes in the conditions of distribution. It would obviously be inadvisable to attempt to embrace the entire field of consumer buying habits in a short paper, so these remarks will be confined to consumer variations which affect their buying habits, with particular emphasis on retail trading areas. The fact that different types of customers have widely different buying habits will quickly be discovered in any retail trading area analysis. This fact is recognized by all retailers, but its effects upon the extent of areas of trade influence are not so self-evident. Consequently, in order to select his clientele, the progressive merchant will usually break down the total population of his trading area into subdivisions of one or more of the following groups: occupation, social status, education, wealth and income, size of family, type of residence, religion, race and nationality, age and sex, and location.