PLANNING FOR UNPLANNED PURCHASES

Posted on Mar 17, 2010 - 02:39 PM

Those unplanned grocery purchases may well be unplanned, but it seems they may be mentally budgeted for.

According to a new study to be published in the Journal of Consumer Research, shoppers typically leave room in their budgets specifically for unplanned purchases. The researchers call this ‘in-store slack’.

During the field study, shoppers were asked what items they planned to purchase, how much they expected to spend on the planned items, and how much they expected to spend in total. After shopping, participants provided their receipts and answered questions about themselves and the experience.

More than 75% of the participants had specifically set aside a portion of their budget for unplanned in-store decisions.

Shoppers indicated that this was for two main reasons:

1. They anticipated ‘forgotten needs’
2. They realised that they would encounter ‘unplanned wants’

Some respondents even explicitly indicated that they expected to make impulse purchases when they went grocery shopping.

The finding bodes well for in-store media. The shopper is mentally prepared to make impulse in-store decisions and is open to visual cues serving to remind them of forgotten needs or unplanned wants.

A well-designed floor decal or shelf execution could be just the trigger to drive the shopper to spend their budgeted ‘in-store slack’ on a particular brand or category.

Research article reference:
Stilley, K. M., Inman, J. J. and Wakefield, K. 2010. “Planning to Make Unplanned Purchases? The Role of In-store Slack in Budget Deviation.” Journal of Consumer Research, August 2010.

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