2. The Methods Applied In the Study
The research was conducted in two basic stages. The first stage consists of the data collection process. In this
process, we used both primary and secondary data. The primary data was collected through questionnaires while
the secondary data was obtained from the Census Bureau of Sivas. In the second stage, data was analyzed using
GIS and consumption and optimum location maps were produced. The survey questionnaire consisted of two
parts. The first part included statements that pointed out demographics (income level, household population etc.).
The second part covered statements regarding consumption levels related to specific consumption items such as
education, health, clothing, etc. In this study, the “Optimum Location” query was processed for a supermarket
investment. Thus, we have chosen expenses, which include food, cleanliness, personal care, smoking and alcohol.
The primary data was collected from consumers who live in Sivas City, Turkey. The main reasons for selecting
Sivas City is the easy access to the participants and to easily gather data. A quota sampling technique was used in
the data collection process. The main population researched consisted of 80,238 households