It may be that consumers are clipping coupons and making shopping lists that they stick to more closely than ever before. But, new research claims, it is also true that almost all shoppers go off their lists to make unplanned purchases.
According to the research conducted by Miller Zell, nearly two-thirds of consumers make shopping lists before going to the store. Once in the store, roughly 90 percent make a decision to buy something on impulse.
Curt Johnson, SVP for Miller Zell, told Marketing Daily, "We were surprised. Because while we've been hearing so much lately about how careful shoppers are being, making lists and doing research on purchases beforehand, there's still a lot of impulse buying."
The group most likely to make unplanned purchases is Gen Y, which is particularly drawn to advertising messages (in-store and out) and end-caps.
"People talk so much about this generation researching everything online before they buy it," Mr. Johnson said, "but this study showed that they actually index much higher than other age groups in terms of finding all advertising -- both in-store and outside the store -- as 'very effective'."
"Gen Y is, in fact, a lot more malleable inside the store than many marketers think," he added.
Discussion Questions: What do you take from the Miller Zell research in terms of what retailers can be doing inside and out of stores to drive unplanned purchases with Gen Y and other demographic groups? What in your experience are the most effective tactics for driving unplanned purchases in (you name the channel) stores?