Did you know that impulse purchases make up 62% of all supermarket sales?
If you don’t understand the psychology behind impulse buying, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to increase your grocery store’s revenue.
In this blog, we’ll cover the basics of grocery store impulse buying and share how you can take advantage of it to delight customers, increase your average basket size, and boost overall sales.
Grocery Store Impulse Buying 101
It’s happened to all of us: You walk into a store with a short list, and by the time you reach the checkout counter, you have a cart full of things you didn’t know you needed.
That’s impulse buying psychology at work.
When customers walk into a store, they don’t take a direct path to the items they need. Instead, they wander around, letting the displays tell them what to buy.
Here’s how this phenomenon affects their grocery shopping habits:
- 50% of customers report making impulse purchases during their regular grocery shopping trips.
- Consumers spend $281 on impulse purchases each month.
- 36% of customers say they don’t plan their purchases at all when shopping for food, clothes, or other essentials.
Source: Capital One Shopping
Knowing these statistics can help you make informed display and promotion decisions to drive sales. Let’s look at six specific strategies to try in your grocery store.
1. Create a Smart Floor Plan
Designing a smart grocery store floor plan is the most effective way to drive impulse purchases.
Your store’s layout should gently encourage customers to move through the aisles in a specific pattern — ensuring they see your most exciting (and most profitable) products during their shopping trip.
For example, most grocery stores place essentials like meat, dairy, and bread at the back of the store. That way, customers pass by the rest of your departments before reaching the items on their lists.
Related Read: How Are Grocery Stores Organized? (+ How You Can Optimize Your Layout)
2. Rotate Your Endcap Displays
Endcaps are prime retail real estate. Customers see them right at your entrance, pass by them as they wander your aisles, and peruse them while waiting in the checkout line.
This high visibility makes endcaps an excellent place to display impulse items. Here are a few examples of how to use your grocery store’s endcaps to drive sales:
- Highlight easy dinner and snack ideas: Display pasta and sauce, chips and salsa, and peanut butter and crackers right next to each other to catch the attention of hungry customers.
- Promote seasonal items: Draw attention to pumpkin treats in the fall or peppermint goodies near the holidays.
- Spotlight on-sale products: Use signage and strategic placement to drive sales of discounted items.
Most importantly, you need to rotate these endcap displays regularly, giving customers something new to look at every time they stop by your grocery store.
Related Read: Stocking Seasonal Products in Your Grocery Store: 5 Tips
Ice cream and sprinkles, peanut butter and jelly, tortilla chips and salsa — customers are more likely to purchase complementary items like these if they’re right next to each other.
This strategy is called cross-selling, and it’s a highly effective way to drive impulse purchases. Here’s how to do it:
- Check your sales reports: Your point of sale (POS) system should help you identify items frequently purchased together.
- Adjust your displays: Designate permanent or seasonal displays featuring complementary products.
- Get creative: Inspire customers to try new recipes or seasonal favorites. For example, you might create a summer camping-themed display featuring marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers.
Cross-selling is a win-win for you and your customers. You’ll enjoy increased revenue, and they’ll avoid the second trip to the grocery store for a forgotten item.
Related Read: Grocery Store Merchandising: How To Display Your Products for Maximum Sales
4. Offer Free Samples
Customers rarely turn down a free sample, and they’re much more likely to purchase a product after they’ve tried it. That’s why samples are another one of the best ways to drive grocery store impulse buying.
Here are a few of our top tips for turning samples into sales:
- Choose the right products: Shoppers are drawn to samples that look and smell delicious, like boneless wings or artisan cheeses.
- Present samples correctly: Customers should be able to eat their samples on the go. Use bite-sized portions, toothpicks, sampling cups, and cocktail napkins to keep things clean and convenient.
- Train your staff: Make sure your employees know how to handle food safely and talk to customers about the product.
Free samples work especially well around the holidays! Highlight appetizers like brie bites, premade charcuterie plates, and cocktail meatballs to simplify their preparations.
5. Highlight Hot, Ready-To-Eat Meals
Hungry customers can’t ignore the aroma of a fresh rotisserie chicken — which is why ready-to-eat foods are one of the most popular grocery store impulse buys.
Along with rotisserie chickens and precooked proteins, shoppers reach for hot sides like potato wedges, premade sandwiches and wraps, and baked goods.
The right promotional strategy encourages customers to turn these ready-to-eat foods into full meals. For example, you might offer a bundle deal where customers can get a made-to-order entree, single-serving side, drink, and dessert for a special price.
6. Leverage Your Checkout Counter Displays
The checkout counter is your last opportunity to drive sales. As customers wait in line, they let their eyes wander — and putting impulse items within easy reach can turn these looks into revenue.
Here’s what to stock in the displays near your cash register:
- Candy: Gum, mints, chocolate bars, lollipops
- Snacks: Single-serving chip bags, beef jerky, granola bars, trail mix
- Travel-size toiletries: Single-dose pain reliever packets, hand sanitizer, lip balm
- Convenience items: Batteries, phone chargers, miniature flashlights
Shoppers shouldn’t have to think about or budget for these items, so stick to products under $10.
Increase Your Grocery Store’s Sales With Expert Insights
Looking for more tips to maximize your revenue? Check out our comprehensive guide to the top products sold in grocery stores!
This free resource covers:
- National grocery industry trends
- Tips for expanding into high-margin, ready-to-eat foods
- Best practices for pricing and displaying goods
- How to balance name brands with private-label products
- Seasonal stocking ideas and tips
- Must-have inventory management strategies and tools
by Margaret Thacker
