Tempt the Right Shoppers in the Right Ways

What are the signs you can use to tempt the right shoppers at the right times? The most recent Shopper Engagement Study from Point of Purchase Advertising International (POPAI) sketches out four types of shopping behavior, each with a distinctive approach to temptation, along with other characteristics a retailer can use to categorize. Here’s my interpretation of the study findings:

• Time Stressed Shoppers. These shoppers’ mantra is, “I need to get in and get out.” Still, the POPAI study concluded they are easily tempted. A combination of reasons accounts for this: Always in a rush, they are the least likely of the four types to prepare a shopping list. Plus, perhaps the chief reason they’re in a hurry is that they’re likely to be shopping with children and often are employed full-time. Time Stressed Shoppers use circulars and coupons only rarely. Tempt them with point-of-purchase displays. 
• Explorers. Impulsive and easily tempted, these shoppers do depend on circulars in making purchase decisions. Therefore, push the temptation button before their store visits and also have circulars available at your store entrance. Of the four types, Explorers have the lowest average household income, so feature tempting items which both serve a useful function and carry low price points. Watch how Explorers come back to your store and spend long periods there if you carry a variety of product types and product sizes. 
• Trip Planners. Trip Planners are not impulse shoppers and may very well be irritated by personal selling which they view as trying to tempt them. They seem to pride themselves on being controlled and restrained. You’ll see Trip Planners looking at their shopping lists while moving briskly and systematically through the aisles, shelves, or racks. As experienced retailers might expect, Trip Planners are more likely to be male than female. 
• Bargain Hunters. Like Explorers, these shoppers peruse circulars. They also have the highest coupon use of the four types. Importantly, Bargain Hunters often change their minds. Before coming to your store, they’ll use media to plan their shopping trips, but then there’s a good chance they won’t buy items they planned to buy. For a set of reasons, you might choose not to tempt the Bargain Hunters: Their purchase habits aren’t highly predictable. They have low store loyalty and get dissatisfied with minimum provocation. And, being Bargain Hunters, they have the lowest total basket expenditure average of the four types. 

Click below for more: 
Structure Your Layout for Shopper Mission 
Clench Your Fists to Fight Temptation