How many times can you say you’ve made it through an entire shopping trip without making one unnecessary purchase? For most people, that number would be a big fat ZERO. Most people can’t resist the pull of the impulse buy, whether online or in a brick and mortar store, because we all love stuff.
Whether we need it or not, if a product is packaged properly and placed strategically on the checkout page or at the checkout line, most people will have a hard time saying no. Especially if the voice asking isn’t inside your head, but rather coming out of your sweet small child to whom you simply cannot say no. There’s a reason why so much research has gone into product placement in brick and mortar stores and online retail sites: because it works.
What is an Impulse Buy?
To determine if impulse buys would benefit your online store, you need to know what they are. These are the products that we as a people don’t really need, but at that particular moment, the stars aligned and a ray of sunlight landed right on a product your brain absolutely insisted you needed. Before you can even comprehend what’s happening, your hand reaches over and drops it in the cart.
The reasons behind impulse buying can vary from wanting to save money to just a true love of shopping. No matter what the reason may be, it’s obvious that everyone has this problem at least some time in their life. Look around your kitchen or bathroom and pick out all the things you’ve purchased but never used. Those items are just a few of the types of impulse buys consumers gravitate towards.
Can it Work Online?
The answer would be a resounding “YES!” Rather than putting products at different eye levels for different targeted age groups, an online retailer would instead draw customers into an impulse buy with website layout, eye catching imagery, advertisements, and promotional marketing. Since people can’t touch and feel the items they’re going to hopefully impulsively purchase, online retailers must make everything as appealing to the eye as possible.
The copy content on your website can also do wonders for getting people interested in your products. In addition to describing the product in an attention grabbing way, be sure to include discounts, coupon codes, and gift ideas as well as sponsored products to intrigue people into making that last minute click on a product they never thought they needed until that moment.
Amazon and Impulse Buys
Amazon has it figured out when it comes to impulse buys. Not only do they offer “add-on” products at deeply discounted rates that can be added to orders over $25, they also have a “New and Interesting Finds” section that introduces people to those unique and obscure products that make up vast majority of impulse buys.
The add-on options are probably one of the biggest ways to get people to purchase your private label products. If you tell someone they can’t buy a super cheap item without spending a certain dollar amount, most will spend that $25 just to get the discount. Upselling an item right before checkout or cross selling to another high-end product is another way to draw a consumer’s attention to an item they hadn’t originally planned on buying.
In Closing
Long story short, you should definitely incorporate impulse buys into your online private label product line. You’ll be surprised at how many new and existing customers will keep coming back to spend their money with you once you bring in a few products known to peak their attention. With around 40% of Americans buying online rather than in stores, and 31% of those impulse purchases are made through a mobile device, we can say pretty confidently that impulse buys are the next step to increasing your company’s profits.
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