Tag Archives: at the shelf purchase

Are You an Impulse Buyer?

shopcartYou didn’t plan to buy it, but you saw it on the shelf and you had to have it. That’s the impulse buy or, as the retail industry likes to call it, the At-the-Shelf purchase. What triggers these purchases?

It’s not just shiny packaging and placing popular items at eye level that triggers an impulse buy. According to the 2015 American Pantry Survey, over 4000 respondents said there are several reasons, some price-related and some not. Some highlights…

Price Related Impulse Buys:

  • 89%: Discounted price
  • 49%: Free samples
  • 37%: Saw the product and remembered I had a coupon
  • 36%: Smartphone app alerted me in-store

Non Price Related Impulse Buys:

  • 81%: Saw it and remembered I needed it
  • 63%: Just wanted to try it
  • 52%: A new product by a trusted brand
  • 41%: Health and wellness claims

There’s actually a bunch more info and a cool graphic to go along with this piece (yes, I say that every time!) so check it out!

How about you? Do you stick to your shopping list religiously, or do you indulge in the occasional impulse buy? Let us know at the MindField Online Facebook page!