James Tenser

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...]

I love the smell of a good oxymoron in the morning. Planned impulse smells like ... reality.

Contrary to the oft-published statistic, it's self-evident that 100% of purchase decisions are made in the store. It's also quite clear that 100% of purchase decisions are influenced in some way outside of the store.

Even "impulse" purchases like candy bars at the check stand are subject to pre-existing shopper preference. If I hate toffee but love dark chocolate, no quantity of display pizazz is going to influence me to buy a Heath's and not a Special Dark.

At times, the not-so-hidden persuaders in store may sway me to try a new-to-me product or to re-purchase a non-staple item. But when I make that choice, I take a dollar from my all-too-finite wallet that might have been spent on something else.

For the retailer, then, the real questions about impulse items are approximately as follows: (1) Are they incremental with respect to my share of the shopper's wallet or the size of her basket, or am I just trading off? (2) Do they shift some of the same shopper dollars into higher-profit items? (3) Do impulse items enhance perception of the shopping experience in a way that helps my business? (4) Do manufacturers pay me so well for impulse display placement that I can afford to ignore questions 1-3?