Place/Distribution Distribution decisions in marketing include choosing and evaluating location, channels, and distribution partners. Retailers, including online retailers, undertake a wide variety of studies, but some needs of retailers are unique. Market research studies peculiar to retailers include trade area analysis, store image studies, in-store traffic patterns, and location analysis. Because retailing is a high customer-contact activity, much retailing research focuses on database development through optical scanning at the point of purchase. Retailers match data collected at the point of purchase with information on the media customers consume, type of neighborhoods they live in, and the stories they prefer to patronize. This information helps retailers select the kind of merchandise to stock and to understand the factors that influence their customers’ purchase