Quantitative and Spatially Explicit Clustering of Urban Grocery Shoppers in Montreal: Integrating Loyalty Data with Synthetic Population

This study integrates customer loyalty program data with a synthetic population to analyze grocery shopping behaviours in Montreal. Using clustering algorithms, we classify 295,631 loyalty program members into seven distinct consumer segments based on behavioural and sociodemographic attributes. The...

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Main Authors: Duo Zhang, Laurette Dubé, Antonia Gieschen, Catherine Paquet, Raja Sengupta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/14/4/159
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author Duo Zhang
Laurette Dubé
Antonia Gieschen
Catherine Paquet
Raja Sengupta
author_facet Duo Zhang
Laurette Dubé
Antonia Gieschen
Catherine Paquet
Raja Sengupta
author_sort Duo Zhang
collection DOAJ
description This study integrates customer loyalty program data with a synthetic population to analyze grocery shopping behaviours in Montreal. Using clustering algorithms, we classify 295,631 loyalty program members into seven distinct consumer segments based on behavioural and sociodemographic attributes. The findings reveal significant heterogeneity in consumer behaviour, emphasizing the impact of urban geography on shopping decisions. This segmentation also provides valuable insights for retailers optimizing store locations and marketing strategies and for policymakers aiming to enhance urban accessibility. Additionally, our approach strengthens agent-based model (ABM) simulations by incorporating demographic and behavioural diversity, leading to more realistic consumer representations. While integrating loyalty data with synthetic populations mitigates privacy concerns, challenges remain regarding data sparsity and demographic inconsistencies. Future research should explore multi-source data integration and advanced clustering methods. Overall, this study contributes to geographically explicit modelling, demonstrating the effectiveness of combining behavioural and synthetic demographic data in urban retail analysis.
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publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information
spelling doaj-art-bbb22dbbc6d64e75b1b079cab4f5e1622025-08-20T02:28:14ZengMDPI AGISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information2220-99642025-04-0114415910.3390/ijgi14040159Quantitative and Spatially Explicit Clustering of Urban Grocery Shoppers in Montreal: Integrating Loyalty Data with Synthetic PopulationDuo Zhang0Laurette Dubé1Antonia Gieschen2Catherine Paquet3Raja Sengupta4Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, CanadaDesautels Faculty of Management, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, CanadaBusiness School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JS, UKDepartment of Marketing, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, CanadaDepartment of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, CanadaThis study integrates customer loyalty program data with a synthetic population to analyze grocery shopping behaviours in Montreal. Using clustering algorithms, we classify 295,631 loyalty program members into seven distinct consumer segments based on behavioural and sociodemographic attributes. The findings reveal significant heterogeneity in consumer behaviour, emphasizing the impact of urban geography on shopping decisions. This segmentation also provides valuable insights for retailers optimizing store locations and marketing strategies and for policymakers aiming to enhance urban accessibility. Additionally, our approach strengthens agent-based model (ABM) simulations by incorporating demographic and behavioural diversity, leading to more realistic consumer representations. While integrating loyalty data with synthetic populations mitigates privacy concerns, challenges remain regarding data sparsity and demographic inconsistencies. Future research should explore multi-source data integration and advanced clustering methods. Overall, this study contributes to geographically explicit modelling, demonstrating the effectiveness of combining behavioural and synthetic demographic data in urban retail analysis.https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/14/4/159customer shopping behaviourfood retailingspatial segmentationcustomer typologyagent-based model
spellingShingle Duo Zhang
Laurette Dubé
Antonia Gieschen
Catherine Paquet
Raja Sengupta
Quantitative and Spatially Explicit Clustering of Urban Grocery Shoppers in Montreal: Integrating Loyalty Data with Synthetic Population
ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information
customer shopping behaviour
food retailing
spatial segmentation
customer typology
agent-based model
title Quantitative and Spatially Explicit Clustering of Urban Grocery Shoppers in Montreal: Integrating Loyalty Data with Synthetic Population
title_full Quantitative and Spatially Explicit Clustering of Urban Grocery Shoppers in Montreal: Integrating Loyalty Data with Synthetic Population
title_fullStr Quantitative and Spatially Explicit Clustering of Urban Grocery Shoppers in Montreal: Integrating Loyalty Data with Synthetic Population
title_full_unstemmed Quantitative and Spatially Explicit Clustering of Urban Grocery Shoppers in Montreal: Integrating Loyalty Data with Synthetic Population
title_short Quantitative and Spatially Explicit Clustering of Urban Grocery Shoppers in Montreal: Integrating Loyalty Data with Synthetic Population
title_sort quantitative and spatially explicit clustering of urban grocery shoppers in montreal integrating loyalty data with synthetic population
topic customer shopping behaviour
food retailing
spatial segmentation
customer typology
agent-based model
url https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/14/4/159
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AT antoniagieschen quantitativeandspatiallyexplicitclusteringofurbangroceryshoppersinmontrealintegratingloyaltydatawithsyntheticpopulation
AT catherinepaquet quantitativeandspatiallyexplicitclusteringofurbangroceryshoppersinmontrealintegratingloyaltydatawithsyntheticpopulation
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