Joan Treistman

TPMA Outlook: Do Shoppers Plan Their Impulse Buys?

March 2, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
Do shoppers plan their impulse buys? Maybe not, but they do in many cases budget for them, according to a new research study that will be published in the Journal of Consumer Research this summer. Are shopper marketing and other in-store programs adequately set up to appeal to consumers who make 'planned' impulse buys?      [more...]

There's a difference between consumers setting aside or expecting unplanned expenditures and identifying the unplanned purchase in advance. Based on the article/study it would seem retailers could be conducting themselves as they currently do, thinking of unplanned purchases as moving targets, i.e. it's all random. Drilling down into the categories related most often to unplanned purchases will provide more strategic guidelines as to what and where to display products.

However, there's another perspective that is needed if the strategy is to be effective. Retailers have to better understand the process of making the unplanned decision. Does the display trigger the response or does the related product purchase signal an unplanned need or want?

In other words, if I buy lettuce, does it remind me that I need salad dressing? Or do I realize I need salad dressing when I pass through the aisle of salad dressings?