Association Rules and the Apriori Algorithm: A Tutorial

When we go grocery shopping, we often have a standard list of things to buy. Each shopper has a distinctive list, depending on one's needs and preferences. A housewife might buy healthy ingredients for a family dinner, while a bachelor might buy beer and chips. Understanding these buying patterns can help to increase sales in several ways. While we may know that certain items are frequently bought together, the question is, how do we uncover these associations? Besides increasing sales profits, association rules can also be used in other fields.