Understanding Shopper Transaction Data

Abstract

This paper applies the D Duplication Coefficient from the Duplication of Purchase Law as a benchmark to help investigate patterns in simultaneous product category purchases. Shopper transaction data enable a deep analysis of what goes into shoppers' baskets; however, robust benchmarks are critical to see patterns in such rich data. We demonstrate the application of D Duplication Coefficient data to 30,000-plus UK and US supermarket transactions. The cross-category benchmarks allow meaningful deviations to be identified, isolating categories that are more or less intensely co-purchased than expected, which can then be used to guide decisions regarding store layout, prioritise in-store activations and plan product category promotions.