List in Hand, Majority of Shoppers Make Impulse Buys

DENVER -- Consumers continue to go shopping armed with a list, but new research finds that doesn't stop them from straying.

According to "The Checkout," a shopper behavior study, nine out of 10 shoppers still purchase items not on their lists. Of those who responded they sometimes go rogue, 66 percent cited a sale or promotion, 30 percent cited they found a coupon and 23 percent said they wanted to pamper themselves. The study was conducted by The Integer Group and M/A/R/C Research.

"Our data shows that 61 percent of off-list shoppers purchase an additional one to three items," said Craig Elston, senior vice president, Integer. "This shows that if you reach a particular shopper at the right moment with the right message, for example -- using in-store signage to play into their desire to pamper themselves -- it can end with that item being added to their basket."

When it comes to making a list, 61 percent of shoppers responded they were influenced primarily by the brand of product they currently use, 57 percent reported that coupons influence their list, and 56 percent said store ads or circulars influence their list.

However, the research showed that when shoppers are making lists, they typically do not write down brand names of a product, they write the product type. This means that although they may have their brand of choice in mind, there are factors that can influence a shopper to select one brand of a product over the other, telling marketers they need not worry that a shopping list excludes certain brands or creates a barrier to purchase, according to an Integer release.