Impact of situational variables and demographic attributes in two seasons on purchase behaviour

Explores seasonal differences in the purchase behaviour of shoppers in Cyprus. The analysis investigates situational factors and demographic/lifestyle attributes associated with consumers’ shopping behaviour in summer and winter. The situational factors include the frequency with which consumers shopped in a large Cypriot market, the usual time of day they shopped, their travel time to the market, the time they spent in it, and whether they were motivated by price/value considerations; the demographic/lifestyle elements encompassed age, gender, education, income, and the transportation mode consumers employed to reach the market. Differences were found in shopping patterns between the two seasons. For instance, in the winter, consumers purchased adult’s clothing to a greater extent than in the summer. In contrast, in the summer consumers purchased more food or beverage and spent more money than in the winter. Based on the findings, the paper includes explicit recommendations for marketing action. The results indicate that store managers can be proactive in their marketing efforts by being aware of situational influences on customers’ purchase behaviour.