Impulse buy

Kids choosing stuffed baskets.

The impulse purchase is a type of purchase that is made spontaneously, without premeditated. Items that have been bought on impulse correspond to a behavior of the type:

I saw it, I liked it and I bought it.

Impulse buying is generally linked to small, low-priced and easy-to-consume products: pens, razors, etc. Whimsical products are also usually the subject of impulse purchases, either directly or at the suggestion of children: toys, calendars, trinkets, etc. that is, products that pose a low risk to the final consumer.

Planned buying and impulse buying

Studies on consumer behavior in self-service establishments show that the act of purchase can follow a rational pattern (planned purchase) or an irrational pattern (impulse purchase).

• Planned purchase: occurs when the customer has foreseen the items he will buy. In a free service establishment (supermarket, hypermarket, large surface, category killer) represents 45% of a customer's purchases.
• Purchasing by impulse: the stimuli of the point of sale awaken the desire to buy items that are not strictly necessary. They are key purchases in a free service establishment because they represent 55% of the customer's purchases.

Influence of the commercial establishment on impulse buying

The strategies at the point of sale and the closed “merchant” deal with influencing the consumer to increase impulse buying. In the purchasing process, the emotional part of the consumer is especially important. Although the purchase is spontaneous, the choice of the product or service does not necessarily have to be random.

To do this, the products must stand out from the rest, trying to emotionally appeal to the consumer. It is about selling benefits, emotions and feelings; products and services are only means to achieve them. To stand out, it is key to captivate the client, even momentarily. A good brand image is ideal.

Strategies to influence impulse buying are mainly based on two aspects: price and advertising at the point of sale. An example of this are the products that are usually placed on the counters or next to the cash registers in supermarkets and department stores.

Impulse buying pathologies

Sometimes they can generate serious psychological illnesses, causing the consumer to impulse buy, not only cheap and low-value products, but also very expensive products. As well as unnecessary products.