Shopping: Impulse Buying

Shopping is a moment in one's life when either items like foodstuff or furniture, electronics are bought. In most families, the common shopping is done usually once or twice in a month or on a daily basis and mostly involves replenishing foodstuff and detergents. To families who have large income, once in a while shopping might be done abroad and in this case a lot of expenses including air ticket are incurred.

However with the advance in technology, there is the emergence of e-commerce which facilitate trading through the Internet. An individual can shop for a commodity in the other parts of the world through the use of available information on the websites. Shoppers can either carry liquid cash or use plastic money like smart cards to buy few items. The advantage of carrying plastic money is that one avoids cases associated with the loss of liquid cash like burglary besides the cards being trendy.

However irrespective of technological advancement, impulse buying is not yet over. Impulse buying is the result of unplanned purchase. Most shoppers have a list of items they give priority while going to supermarkets but many do fall in trap, buying few extra items that did not appear in the list. The decision to buy such items comes within a twinkle of an eye. Some people would avoid such temptations by carrying the exact amount of money for the budgeted items.

Impulse buying is driven by consumer emotion. Sample a situation where a man sees trendy shoes, next step is to imagine the magnitude of love he will get on delivering such shoes to a girlfriend, he will buy it. Traders come in handy in promoting impulse buying. In triggering the emotional reaction from buyers, they will place some commodities in very strategic places. The theory is that buyers do make their decisions on the spot. If you fail to be strategic then no business. Impulse does not work on second thought quotes brand experts.

In most supermarket outlets, certain goods like chocolate, sweets, pens and batteries are placed at the paying counter. This increases the vulnerability of impulse buyers. It is also worth noting that certain commodities like razor blade can only sell well as a result of impulse buying. The aged are less susceptible to unplanned buying as compared to younger generation 18 to 24 years. Commodities like computer, fridges and cars do not attract impulse buying. They involve a lot of haggling before the purchase