With uncertain times still in the air due to the Omicron variant, new research from Vericast reveals that 65 percent of consumers plan to prioritize their expenses this year and will work on building up their savings. That being said, 52 percent of shoppers said a sale would drive an impulse purchase, which is exactly the type of wiggle room indie retailers need to keep customers coming back.
Reach Your Customers Where They Want to Be Influenced
The Vericast data found that there are several ways to make deals more enticing and drive impulse purchases:
- 63% of buyers want advertisers to make coupons and discounts easier to find
- 42% like online ads that have the option to add items directly to their cart
- 50% of consumers want to receive communication about sales and deals from places they shop at least once a week
“Retailers can make their coupons and discounts easier for shoppers to find by surrounding them in their natural habitat, across all viable media outlets,” Matthew Tilley, Executive Director at Vericast, said. “Shoppers want coupons, discounts, or deals delivered through multiple channels including direct mail, online, and digital paperless/print at home. Think about how to connect coupons and discounts to other shopping tools like in-store flyers, inserts, loyalty communications, and more that customers will likely use to plan their shopping trips.”
Consumer Emotions Help Drive Impulse Buys
Impulse purchasing is arguably something all adult consumers have indulged in at some point. In fact, a parcelLab survey found that 62 percent of U.S. consumers have made impulse purchases in the last six months, and within that group, nearly half (43%) stated they were celebrating when making their purchase and another 34 percent experienced feelings of happiness or excitement. Understanding the emotions behind an impulse purchase can be an opportunity for retailers. There is a trend among impulse purchasers that brands should look to capitalize on, such as loyalty program rewards or birthday offers, to find ways to create the moments that this group craves.
“While we often speak about the customer experience as making a purchase and ensuring an order has been delivered, there is an additional layer, driven by customer emotions, that can make or break that experience,” Tobias Buxhoidt, Co-Founder and CEO of parcelLab, said. “Retailers should view this as an opportunity to strengthen their communication processes, keeping customers informed every step of the way, but especially during the last mile of their journey.”
Bring Back Old Customers with Impulse Purchase Rewards
Savvy retailers are teaming up with cash back programs to offer rewards and cash back to incentivize impulse buys. One of these programs, called Fluz, is a virtual card that offers consumers a rewarding way to shop from different brands, both big and small. This downloadable app has partnered with over 630 retailers, and users can simply click the desired brand icon, select their desired purchase amount, and then use the virtual card that pops up in their digital wallet at checkout — whether it be in person or online — which allows them to receive cash back with every purchase.
“It is really important for retailers as they participate with programs to have the ability to define a new customer that they would not have gotten without the rewards program, and this is something that Fluz can do with our data,” Maurice Harary, Founder of Fluz, said. “It is also great for identifying customers that have stopped shopping from you and help to bring them back with new rewards and incentives.”
Now that you have some expert tips to increase impulse buys in your store, here are a few great impulse items to leave near the register and garner even more sales:
Face & Body Bar Soap
Small bars of soap are perfect to prop on counter displays or on a shelf near the register. Proudly made in the USA, The Grandpa Soap Co. offers a wide variety of great smelling soaps, including Witch Hazel, Epsom Salt, Pine Tar, Rose Clay, and more. They are all simply scented and made without phthalates, sulfates, parabens, edta, glutens, animal by-products, artificial fragrances, or colorants.
Lotus Light Enterprises, Inc.
800-548-3824
www.lotuslight.com
Packaged Starter Incense Kit
This display can easily be placed near the register for consumers to just grab and go. This kit contains eight best-selling packaged incense stick varieties, with 12 packages of each variety.
Wild Berry Incense
800-346-2367
wholesale.wild-berry.com
Jerky Display
Sometimes the best impulse purchases are snacks that consumers can munch on while on the road. This spinning display offers a wide variety of elk, buffalo, venison, and wild boar packaged jerky snacks — equaling 188 packages in total.
Pearson Ranch Elk & Bison Jerky
505-994-2544
www.wholesalecentral.com/pearso0001
The Mandalorian Travel Cosmetic Bags
Show off your Star Wars fandom with this The Mandalorian Grogu Travel Cosmetic Bag. It includes three different cosmetic bags, and each bag is a different size to meet all your customers’ traveling needs. It can also be easily cleaned by wiping with a damp cloth.
EE Distribution
818-255-0095
www.eedistribution.com
Jet Black Designer Starfish Ring
The Starfish represents the Virgin Mary (Stella Maris which means Star of the Sea) who lovingly creates safe travel over troubled waters and is also seen as an emblem of salvation during trying times. This lovely ring features a starfish made with black and silver gemstones and will go great in any beachy, tourist, or resort shops.
Designer-Jewelry
305-278-7770
www.designer-jewelry.com