Kapil Bawa

A Model of Household Grocery Shopping Behavior

The shopping trip to the grocery store is one of the most basic elements of consumer behavior. The authors seek to provide an understanding of the factors that account for variations in shopping behavior across households. They present a model of shopping behavior that assumes that households seek to minimize the travel cost associated with shopping and the cost of holding goods in inventory. As in the classic EOQ model, observed shopping behavior reflects the manner in which households balance these costs while meeting their consumption needs. A number of propositions derived from the model are tested using data on shopping trips made by households over a one-year period. The results support the model and indicate that the relationship between household characteristics and shopping behavior can be fairly complex: for some households shopping may have a recreational aspect while for others it may compete directly with wage-earning activity.

Influences on consumer response to direct mail coupons: An integrative review

A substantial and growing body of research on coupons and coupon effectiveness has emerged in the marketing literature. The objective of this paper is to review and consolidate the findings of previous studies to provide a better understanding of the factors that influence consumer response to direct mail coupons. The effects of coupon, brand, product category, and consumer characteristics on redemption behavior and incremental sales are examined, and their implications for the effectiveness of direct mail coupon promotions are discussed. Based on the findings of prior studies, a theoretical model of coupon effects on purchase behavior is proposed. Several key issues that need to be addressed in future research are identified.

Examining the dimensionality of coupon proneness: a random coefficients approach

Abstract Many previous studies have sought to measure consumers’ coupon proneness but have tended to assume that this trait is unidimensional in nature, i.e., an individuals coupon proneness is the same for all types of coupons. It is argued in this study that because consumers differ in the products they shop for and in the types of coupons they are exposed to, their coupon proneness is likely to vary across different coupon types, i.e., is likely to be multidimensional. The authors test this proposition using the item response theoretic (IRT) model proposed by Bawa et al. (J. Marketing Res. 34 (1997) 517). In the Bawa et al. study a single coupon proneness parameter was estimated for each individual. The current study extends the IRT model via a random coefficients approach and estimates separate coupon proneness parameters for different coupon types. The results indicate the presence of distinct segments among consumers, with some consumers displaying a generalized coupon proneness tendency across coupon types and others displaying type-specific coupon proneness.