Abstract
Although previous studies have identified several regularities in buying behavior, no integrated view of individual differences related to such patterns has been yet proposed. The present research examined individual differences in patterns of buying behavior of fast-moving consumer goods, using panel data with information concerning purchases of 4 product categories by approximately 1,600 British consumers, over 52 weeks. Eight measures of buying patterns were adopted, and their stability across time and products was examined, based on within-measure between-period Pearson correlations. Correlations between all pairs of measures within periods were also examined. Results showed positive and significant correlations, across periods, for all measures, indicating stable individual differences in buying patterns. Some correlations, across measures, were also significant. Such results replicated previous findings concerning buying patterns and suggest that individual differences are stable over time, forming higher level purchase patterns that result from the combination of different measures of buying behavior.
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Paulo R. Cavalcanti received a student stipend from Capes (Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education) during the development of this research. Jorge M. Oliveira-Castro received a research grant (#308859/2011-1) from CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, Brazil). The authors thank such financial support.
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Cavalcanti, P.R., Oliveira-Castro, J.M. & Foxall, G.R. Individual Differences in Consumer Buying Patterns: A Behavioral Economic Analysis. Psychol Rec 63, 259–276 (2013). https://doi.org/10.11133/j.tpr.2013.63.2.003
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.11133/j.tpr.2013.63.2.003