Study Finds 90% of Shoppers Make Impulse Purchases
Posted on April 20, 2012
A new study from The Checkout, an ongoing shopper behavior study conducted by The Integer Group and M/A/R/C Research, has found that nine out of ten shoppers buy items not on their shopping list. Of shoppers who do purchase off-list items, 66% say the reason was a sale or promotion, 30% say they found a coupon, and 23% say they simply wanted to pamper themselves.
Craig Elston, senior vice president, Integer, says, "Our data shows that 61 percent of off-list shoppers purchase an additional 1-3 items. This shows that if you reach a particular shopper at the right moment with the right message, for example - using in-store signage to play into their desire to pamper themselves - it can end with that item being added to their basket."
Integer says that when shoppers make shopping lists, they generally list the product type not the brand names. When it comes to list-making, 61% of shoppers are influenced primarily by the brand of product they currently use, 57% report that coupons influence their list, and 56% say store ads or circulars influence their list. This means manufacturers can use coupons and in-store advertising to influence shoppers - except for the unwavering 10% who claim they never make impulse buys.
Data for The Checkout comes from a national survey conducted by Integer and M/A/R/C where consumers are asked about their shopping attitudes, shopping behaviors, and economic outlook.