Many people fall victim to the last-minute impulse purchase. In fact, 90 percent of shoppers buy items not on their shopping list, indicating that the impulse buy is alive and well, according to a new survey.
That survey, conducted by shopper marketing agency The Integer Group, found that shoppers make impulse buys for a variety of reasons. The most popular reason given is that there was a sale or promotion on a given product. That reason was followed by shoppers finding a coupon to make a purchase and shoppers wanting to pamper themselves.
This means that even at a time when many shoppers are looking to save money, they are still making impulse purchases. The main beneficiaries may be stores that are able to take advantage of these impulsive purchase habits.
"Our data shows that 61 percent of off-list shoppers purchase an additional one to three items," said Craig Elston, senior vice president of Integer. "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."
The survey also examined several factors regarding how shoppers compose their shopping list. Just over 60 percent of shoppers stated they were influenced by the brand of product they currently use, while 57 percent stated that coupons influenced their list. Additionally, 56 percent of shoppers said that store ads or circulars influenced their shopping list.
This survey was part of an ongoing series of surveys called The Checkout. The research is based on the shopping behaviors and attitudes of consumers. The survey was conducted by The Integer and M/A/R/C Research.