Shopping missions and their impact on assortment organization: An analytics-informed shopper marketing approach

Abstract

This doctoral dissertation provides the theoretical basis for the concept of shopping mission and studies its impact in the area of assortment organization by following an analytics-informed shopper marketing approach. In particular, it evangelizes that instead of seeking to buy a set of individual (and often isolated) product categories, consumers mostly look for cross-category solutions that address their household and consumption needs. These need-states form the basis for triggering precise “shopping missions.” Examples of grocery shopping missions are “breakfast,” “lunch meal,” “birthday party,” etc. This dissertation develops and tests a conceptual framework that models the effects of the congruence between assortment organization and shopping mindset on a number of consumer behavioral variables, such as basket size, shopping duration and unplanned purchases. The empirical research of this doctoral dissertation is divided into exploratory and explanatory phases.