ABSTRACT
It is widely recognized that empirical research is invaluable to the study of consumptive behavior, as it provides marketing practitioners with a means to predict buyer behavior and in turn use this data to understand and positively influence consumer.(Ehrenberg, 1993) Despite this significance, many empirical studies undertaken in the field of marketing have fallen prey to ‘the cult of the isolated study,’ (Hubbard, 1994)(Hunter 2001), or investigations of an empirical nature that tend to focus on singular results, producing theories that are of no practical use to marketers as they can only be applied to individual circumstances (Wright, 1998). A successful way of circumventing this imprecision is by approaching the data in a scientific manner, and replicating it under a range of varied conditions. If in this instance a pattern is found to occur it can be formally represented, giving it a ‘law-like’ property, with accurate predictive abilities (Uncles, 2004). These patterns or relationships are called Empirical Generalization’s (EG’s) and can be used by marketing managers to construct theories regarding buyer behavior (Uncles, 2004), which as a result can be practically applied to improve marketing strategies and actions. EG’s have several definitive characteristics including replicability, scope and the existence of boundaries (Uncles, 2004)( Ehrenberg, 1994). These aspects should be considered when marketers are attempting to identify an EG, as they provide evidence for validity. When discussing the importance of empirical patterns in relation to consumer behavior, it is useful to observe leading EG’s and how they compare to the typical beliefs on the subject. One area in which many EG’s have been established is that of multi-brand or frequent pu ...