An Empirical Test of Households' Participation in the Distribution Supply Chain Process

This study characterizes households/ participation in the distribution of physical products. Here, the segments that are recognized reflect shoppers/ typical performance of marketing functions adapted from previous scholarly work involving the distribution/supply functions of business firms. This study tests the proposed framework using grocery-shopping behavior of 476 shoppers. The empirical findings identify six characteristic patterns of participation in ten functions performed by shoppers, as elaborated using patterns of shoppers' self-perceptions, food preparation activities, and demographic characteristics. The report shows how these joint patterns of behavior and personal characteristics define segments in the retail grocery market that have meaningful implications for marketing strategy. From a conceptual perspective, an attempt is made to further our understanding of the distribution/supply chain process.