The majority of convenience store shoppers are led by mission-based behaviour, without a plan to purchase a specific product or brand, a new study from Co-op Media Network (CMN) has found.
The study, in partnership with research consultancy Trinity McQueen, involved a combination of accompanied shops and post-purchase interviews in three large and three small Co-op stores to understand the psychology and habits of shoppers across both formats.
Over two thirds (68%) of shoppers visit a convenience store with no set list – written or mental – and instead shop with a mission or need in mind e.g. ‘something for dinner’ or ‘I’m thirsty’, revealed the study. It claimed that convenience shoppers had a stronger reliance on in-store prompts – such as retail media – to guide their decision making and that they were more open to guidance from in store advertising campaigns. By contrast, the study found that larger store customers showed the opposite pattern, with more planning, stronger intent and less behavioural flexibility when shopping.
Furthermore, the research uncovered that shoppers in smaller convenience store formats underestimate how much they will purchase on their trip, with many customers picking up a basket mid-shop after selecting more products than initially planned.
The data also revealed that the first brand or product a shopper sees in store largely influences their final purchase, reinforcing the importance of brand visibility at fixture in smaller formats. CMN claimed that this insight challenged the current assumption in marketing strategy that brands appear in the minds of consumers as the need for a shop visit arises, e.g. ‘I feel hungry, I’m going to purchase X brand’. Instead, the study found that most of the time brand selection happened during shopper’s experience in store.
The study revealed that 88 percent of shoppers will complete their mission in-store and purchase a substitute product if their planned product is not available, rather than seeking other options elsewhere.
Convenience stores were also highlighted as a prime location for brand discovery with shoppers expecting to find choices that were new and different
Kenyatte Nelson, Chief Membership & Customer Officer at Co-op, said: “Convenience is different and this new behavioural study further supports the importance and influence of small store advertising campaigns. We take pride in our expertise in convenience, enabling us to effectively understand the needs of our shoppers and significantly enhance the ROI for the brands that partner with Co-op Media Network.”
Becki Jarvis, Research Director, at Trinity McQueen, said: “Our behavioural study with Co-op shows that convenience store shoppers arrive with fewer fixed plans, greater openness to persuasion, more willingness to experiment and a stronger reliance on in-store to guide their decisions.
“The result is higher levels of brand switching, trial and unplanned spend. What brands can do is influence behaviour in the moment, when decisions are still being formed. The reality is that physical cues in the instore environment do the heavy lifting.”
