Affinity analysis is a
data analysis and
data mining technique that discovers co-occurrence relationships among activities performed by (or recorded about) specific individuals or groups. In general, this can be applied to any process where agents can be
uniquely identified and information about their activities can be recorded. In retail, affinity analysis is used to perform
market basket analysis, in which retailers seek to understand the purchase behavior of customers. This information can then be used for purposes of
cross-selling and
up-selling, in addition to influencing
sales promotions, loyalty programs, store design, and
discount plans.