Explanation:

Buying behavior patterns are not synonymous with buying habits. Habits are developed as tendencies towards an action and they become spontaneous over time, while patterns show a predictable mental design.

Each customer has his unique buying habits, while buying behavior patterns are collective and offer marketers a unique characterization. Customer behavior patterns can be grouped into:

1. Place of purchase
Most of the time, customers will divide their purchases between several stores even if all items are available in the same store. Think of your favorite hypermarket: although you can find clothes and shoes there as well, you’re probably buying those from actual clothing brands.

When a customer has the capability and the access to purchase the same products in different stores, they are not permanently loyal to any store, unless that’s the only store they have access to. Studying customer behavior in terms of choice of place will help marketers identify key store locations.

2. Items purchased
Analyzing a shopping cart can give marketers lots of consumer insights about the items that were purchased and how much of each item was purchased. Necessity items can be bought in bulk while luxury items are more likely to be purchased less frequently and in small quantities.

The amount of each item purchased is influenced by the perishability of the item, the purchasing power of the buyer, unit of sale, price, number of consumers for whom the item is intended, etc.

3. Time and frequency of purchase
Customers will go shopping according to their feasibility and will expect service even during the oddest hours; especially now in the era of e-commerce where everything is only a few clicks away.

It’s the shop’s responsibility to meet these demands by identifying a purchase pattern and match its service according to the time and frequency of purchases.

One thing to keep in mind: seasonal variations and regional differences must also be accounted for.

4. Method of purchase
A customer can either walk into a store and buy an item right then and there or order online and pay online via credit card or on delivery.

The method of purchase can also induce more spending from the customer (for online shopping, you might also be charged a shipping fee for example).

The way a customer chooses to purchase an item also says a lot about the type of customer he is. Gathering information about their behavior patterns helps you identify new ways to make customers buy again, more often, and higher values.