Every time you go to the supermarket with a shopping list, 90 per cent of the time you will buy something that’s not on that list. This happens for a number of reasons. Maybe you forgot to write something down, or you saw something that you realised you need. A lot of the time these ‘off the plan’ buys simply happen because shoppers see something they wouldn’t think of writing down. This behaviour is commonly known as impulse purchases: buying something because the immediate d
esire outweighs your judgement of whether this item is necessary.
Impulse purchases are mostly unavoidable decisions, as almost anyone that has been to the supermarket will know.
More than 75 per cent of decisions are made instore. This opens up huge opportunities for retailers and brands to encourage shoppers to buy outside their intended lists.
Advertising plays an enormous role in impulse shopping because it helps shoppers take notice and make the leap.
The majority of impulse purchases are confectionery, gum, mints, and soft drinks, which are usually displayed near the tail end of the shopping journey to trigger the desire to purchase.
The product could also be something that the shopper may not have considered before arriving instore or complementary to what is already in the basket through a suggested meal solution or recipe.
The power of instore advertising and the allure of discounts have even led to cases of people walking out of the store with nothing they intended on purchasing.
Instore advertising interrupts the logical flow of shopping and instead sparks the irrational side of the brain that satisfies some kind of emotional response or moment of self gratification.
The impulse epicentre
One of the most common sites for impulse shopping is petrol stations.
Petrol convenience has changed significantly over the past few years to become more innovative in order to generate new revenue streams.
In fact, many petrol convenience sites are now a proxy newsagent, cafe, local grocery store, DVD rental site, bank, pharmacy and, in some cases, even a photo lab and dry cleaner.
Petrol ‘stores’ come with the added convenience of parking by the door, quick service, and extended trading hours, which makes them shopper friendly and an ideal place to capture the impulse dollar.
Research shows that almost 40 per cent of consumers purchase items other than petrol from these service station stores. One in three motorists buy confectionery and snacks when stopping to fill.
It’s amid this playing field that car to counter point of sale (POS) plays a significant role in building awareness. Retailers and brands especially seek to influence impulse demand during summer.
Car to counter POS is strategically placed to capture attention throughout the customer’s journey. This maximises captive audiences filling up their cars and then follows them as they enter the store to pay.
From entry posters and petrol pump toppers to window decals and instore media; clever creative with the right cues can deliver a need the customers never knew they had.
Throughout all outlets and even online, impulse shopping will happen, but there are ways the flow of shopping can be directed to get the most out of the shopper (mainly through instore advertising).
It is a sad truth for traditional above the line advertising that people rarely impulsively buy something instore because they saw it on television.
It is seeing something on the path to purchase that makes them want to go away from their intended list and put something extra in their basket.
Kirsty Dollisson is the GM of TorchMedia; a shopper specialist that holds the exclusive rights to Woolworths’ instore media. Contact her on kirsty.dollisson@torchmedia.com.au or (02) 8404 3900.
