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Wanted: Impulse-buy killer

November 22, 2011 by Dale Furtwengler — President, Furtwengler & Associates, P.C.

I entered my favorite office supply store looking for paper for my inkjet printer. As good fortune would have it they had it on sale — buy 2 reams get 1 free. Great deal, right? For me, maybe; not so much for the seller.

Since most of my materials are sent electronically these days, I don't use much paper. Three reams will be a 4 to 6 month supply for me. I took advantage of the offer to save me a couple of trips to the store.

Let’s think about that for a moment. I took advantage of the deal to save myself a couple of trips to the store. If I’m not going to the store, what are the odds of my making an impulse purchase? Zero, right?

There’s no opportunity for that sleek new computer or digital device to catch my eye, no chance for those "cool' desk accessories to grab my attention, no question in my mind about whether or not I'm running low on padded envelopes. Any of those could translate into additional sales, but my absence from the store precludes these possibilities.

To make matters worse, to get me back into the store they're going to have to market to me more frequently. In essence, they're paying me (vis-a-vis discounts) to stay away, then your spending money to get me back. Talk about a vicious cycle.

Oh, by the way, the more I spend on quantities I don’t need, the fewer dollars I have left for the impulse buys. If you’re looking for the killer of your customers' impulse buys, look in the mirror.

About Dale Furtwengler

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