Impulse buying refers to the act of buying an item without any previous thought as to the purchase of that item. Impulse buying has to do with spontaneous unplanned on-the-spot buying. It refers to an individual buying an item for which he or she did not originally plan to buy or set out to buy but decided at the last minute to get it at the sight of such an item because of its physical appeal or the thought that the item would prove to be valuable at some point in time. Buyers may sometimes regret buying on impulse but as a businessperson impulse buying is to your advantage. How then can you encourage shoppers to buy on impulse from you?

Before we delve into the steps, we can take to encourage impulse buying let us take note of some items that can be bought on impulse. It is important to note that it is not every item in your outlet can be bought on impulse. For example, people would hardly buy a television set, or a refrigerator based on impulse as those items are expensive and the purchase of such items requires a lot of thought and careful planning. Items that are bought on impulse are usually cheap and would only cost a few bucks. Such as processed food, clothes, toys, books, shoes etc

Encouraging impulse buying.

The following are factors that encourage impulse buying:

• Store/environment outlook: your store should have a pleasant look that encourages shoppers to walk around more leisurely and so spend more time in your store. Spending more time in your store would also mean they are buying more things on impulse. If the store has a disorganized and uninviting arrangement or outlook it would make shoppers unconsciously be in a hurry to just buy what they came for and leave. Glance through these amazing store design ideas. https://www.vendhq.com/blog/store-layout-design/

• Have salespersons around: positioning seal species at strategic locations around your store is also a great way to encourage impulse buying. Sometimes people would pick up an item they did not plan to buy, would look it over and then return it to it place on the shelf. If you have salespersons around, they would be vigilant to such shoppers and would take up their opportunity to convince them to buy the product rather than return it to the shelf. Your salesperson can also talk about scarcity and the money-back guarantee. They could also offer free samples where possible. Nonverbal communication skills are essential if your salespersons are to succeed, see how they can improve their nonverbal communication skills. https://smartsmssolutions.com/blog/121-sms-marketing/business-communication/1671-how-to-improve-nonverbal-communications-skills

• Window display: attractive window display would draw the attention of people who are just passing by and they would be tempted to buy on impulse. Just seeing an item beautifully displayed from the window would tempt lots of people to come in and get those items for themselves.

• Block placements/Bundling: block placements are a kind of arrangement or set-up where complementary products are placed close to each other. For example, placing baby wipes beside baby powder. Parents might not plan to buy both items but would see no harm in buying the two. Bundling is the act of placing or putting complementary products together and selling them at a cheaper rate than if they were sold as singular items

• Use promos and discounts to boost impulse buying. If people are going to buy something they did not intend to, they would want to get a good deal for it. Check out these ideas on ads for small businesses. https://smartsmssolutions.com/blog/118-sms-marketing/small-business/1734-15-small-business-advertising-ideas

• Display items that are commonly bought on impulse close to payment points so that as customers wait in line to pay, they can decide to add an item or two to their cart.

• Train your staff to suggest complementary products for customers

While impulse buying is not where the major of your sales would come from, it accounts for a significant part of your sales. You should give the points mentioned above a second thought and see how you can structure your store to lure people into buying on impulse.

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