Demographics and patronage motives of supercenter shoppers in the United States

Purpose – This paper seeks to provide an updated, general understanding of supercenter shopping behavior in the USA.Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a sample generated from Retail Forward panel data to assess the impact of demographic variables, including gender, age, ethnicity, education, income, marital status, and household size, on supercenter shopping frequency across four product categories (apparel, health and beauty, home furnishings, and consumer electronics). Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques (regression, ANOVA) are used to evaluate the data.Findings – The paper identifies demographic groups who frequent supercenters and examines patronage motives as drivers of supercenter shopping behavior.Research limitations/implications – Generalizations of the findings of this study to markets outside the USA are limited due to the differences in consumers and retail formats available in various countries. Future research could compare shopping behavior within large formats a...