Patterns of store patronage in urban China

Reported is a formal investigation of store patronage in urban China. Using consumer panel data for sales of packaged goods through store types and named store chains, patterns of sales, loyalty and duplication are examined. Observed patterns are benchmarked against predictions from the NBD-Dirichlet model. Findings are generalized across six product categories in the packaged-goods retailing sector of Shanghai. Crucial aspects of store type/chain patronage are shown to be regular and predictable: patronage levels co-vary with market shares, average frequencies of patronage do not vary as much, few consumers are exclusively loyal, a majority of consumers are divided in their loyalty, and they patronize other store types/chains in line with market shares. Special groupings of store types/chains are not found. All these results occur for the buying of both contemporary and traditional products.