Most shoppers make impulse purchases

A study looking at consumer shopping behavior found that nine out of ten shoppers purchase something not on their intended list, according to The Integer Group and M/A/R/C Research. 

Among shoppers who 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, The Checkout study found.

"Our data shows that 6% of off-list shoppers purchase an additional 1-3 items," said Craig Elston, senior VP, 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."

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% are swayed by store ads or circulars. However, when shoppers are making lists, they typically do not write down brand names of a product, they write the product type. This means that although they may have their brand of choice in mind, there are factors that can influence a shopper to select one brand of a product over the other, telling marketers they need not worry that a shopping list excludes certain brands or creates a barrier to purchase. 

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. Topics range from criteria shoppers use to select retailers, to which in-store stimulus is most likely to drive purchase, to factors that might lead shoppers to leave an aisle empty-handed. The Checkout is available for download at Integer's blog www.ShopperCulture.com.