Spatial analysis of consumer behavior in a food products market

Abstract

Market is a spatial reality characterized by two factors influencing the demand: the distribution system and the geographic component of the market. The aim of this article is to analyze the spatial behavior of consumer food products within a geographic market area including two different zones: urban and rural. Academic literature has developed several models based on the distance and the size of the store, as the basic but not unique variables that explain consumer behavior in retailing. This paper deals empirically with these postulates to verify if, at present time, they continue to be effective in the grocery sector, and to develop a framework to analyze the market from a geographic perspective. Telephone surveys were carried out to determine the degree of attractiveness of the stores, coming to the conclusion that in the geographic scope studied a substantial change had taken place in the behavior of the consumers of food products. The study demonstrates that attraction increases with proximity and the fact that the large size of the stores is no longer decisive in the buying decision. It also analyzes the best dimension range for the retailers. The results obtained represent a spatial restructuring of the demand that has effects in companies’ strategies, urban planning, geomarketing and location decisions applied to consumers and retailers of food products.