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Impulse purchases at all time high

May 18, 2012

More shoppers are utilizing in-store marketing and branding cues to make an overwhelming portion of their purchase decisions, according to Point of Purchase Advertising International's (POPAI) 2012 Shopper Engagement Study. Today's in-store decision rate has reached an all time high of 76 percent.

Toops Scoops

The study found that nearly one in six brand purchases are made when a display with that brand is present in store. The product categories in supermarkets with the highest brand lift were toaster pastries, pickles/relish, dishwashing soap, and pet supplies.

Overall, a clear pattern emerged suggesting that displays in general are best targeted to a core group of loyal, female stock-up shoppers, even when she shows elements of high degree of pre store planning in the form of list making and circular use.

Shoppers fare poorly at accurately predicting how much they are going to spend at the store today. The average shopper misjudges the amount he or she will spend -- either high or low -- by 35 percent. Even when accounting for impulse purchases, 57 percent of shoppers still spend more than they planned. Not surprisingly, shoppers are least able to accurately predict how much they are going to spend on items they do not plan to buy. Those who "overspend on impulse items" do so by more than 200 percent of what they expected to spend on impulse buys.

www.popai.com/engage.