Impulse buyers—customers who make unplanned or spontaneous purchases—are among the types of shoppers you’ll encounter as a small business owner. Impulse buyers’ needs and motivations might seem tricky to predict, but they are a profitable demographic to tap into. A commonly cited statistic estimates impulse buying comprises 40% to 80% of all purchases.
Key Takeaways:
- Many shoppers still buy things impulsively, but the trend has decreased since around 2022.
- Millennials are the demographic that does the most impulse buying.
- Online selling is an effective method for getting customers to buy things impulsively.
- People are more likely to buy online if you offer free shipping and a buy now, pay later (BNPL) option.
- Many people feel regret after an impulse purchase, so take steps to mitigate this emotion for them.
Familiarizing yourself with these impulse buying trends and statistics will help you increase sales while also creating an enjoyable shopping experience.
1. Nearly three out of four Americans make most purchases impulsively
A 2023 annual survey commissioned by Slickdeals reports that impulse purchases among Americans decreased by 48% compared to 2022. This broke the trend of ever-increasing impulse purchases among US buyers since at least 2021.
Supply chain problems, environmental concerns, and political instability are among the possible reasons why many buyers are being more careful about their spending habits. Retailers who want to encourage more impulse shopping among buyers should take these realities into account.
2. American consumers spent an average of $150 on impulse purchases every month in 2023
Buyers in the US spent $150 on average while impulse buying for every month in 2023. While this may seem like a large amount to spend impulsively each month, it’s less than half of the amount that buyers were impulsively spending in 2022. While impulse buying is still alive and well in the US, it’s been on a downward trend in recent years.
3. Millennials are more likely to be spontaneous shoppers than other age groups
Conversion rate optimization organization Invesp reported in 2023 that 52% of millennials—people currently in their late 20s to early 40s—were more likely to make impulse purchases compared to other generations. Marketing and developing products with this age range in mind can help sellers promote even more impulse buying among millennials.
4. Millennials impulse-buy on Facebook while Gen Z prefers TikTok
Social commerce—the practice of buying products via social media platforms—can influence people to buy things more impulsively, due to instant gratification and peer pressure on these platforms.
Fifty-two percent of millennials said they used Facebook to buy something during the past three months, according to GoDaddy data. For Gen Z, TikTok is the platform of choice, with 52% having bought something within the past three months. Instagram is a middle ground, standing as the second-place choice for both millennials and Gen Z buyers.
5. More Americans impulse buy online rather than in physical stores
In 2023, Statista found that 37% of consumers in the US said that they were more likely to make impulse purchases online, slightly beating out the 35% who responded they would make impulse buys in person. Check out our guide to setting up an online store for your business if you’re looking to capitalize on an online presence.
6. Free shipping is the top factor motivating online purchases
Oberlo found that for over 53% of consumers, free delivery is the top factor that convinces them to buy something online. Free shipping was an even stronger persuasion tactic than offering a discount, which only motivated about 40% of potential buyers.
7. Buy now, pay later increases impulsive customer conversion by 13%
Researchers at the Humboldt University of Berlin found that making buy now, pay later (BNPL) available increased impulsive buyers’ purchase rates by 13%. This effect seems to be unique to impulsive customers; BNPL did not affect the conversions of other customers. The quick access to financial resources that BNPL provides can make customers more likely to think short-term and buy products immediately.
Check out our roundup of the /for small businesses.
8. More men than women admit to impulsively spending money online
A 2021 study found that more than 67% of men admitted to impulsive online purchases, compared to less than 63% of women. Men also tend to spend more money on each impulsive online purchase (about $105 on average) than women (about $71 on average).
While targeting men in particular for encouraging impulse spending might seem like a good idea, women aren’t far behind. A retailer looking to maximize profits from impulsive spending would be wise to target both men and women in marketing campaigns and advertising.
9. During Black Friday and Cyber Monday, more women consistently make impulsive purchases compared to men
In contrast to the previous statistic, Kaspersky research discovered that impulse buying during holidays is slightly higher for women—22% of women consistently buy things on impulse compared to just 17% of men during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Price cuts are the strongest factor that encourages this increased impulse buying. While other factors might also be involved, it’s clear that retail-focused holidays and events can be a powerful tool for convincing female customers to impulse buy.
Businesses that want to take advantage of this should adjust their marketing and advertising campaigns leading up to, and during, these particular days.
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10. Customers mostly use their smartphones when impulse buying on Black Friday and Cyber Monday
A full 79% of consumers use their smartphones to shop during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, per Kaspersky research. Buyers use smartphones more frequently than laptops (47%) and PCs (44%) when shopping during these events. This is likely because shopping via smartphone is the most convenient method; buyers can access the entire marketplace from their own pocket.
11. Fewer than 10% of survey respondents made an impulse purchase on Amazon Prime Day 2024
In contrast to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, only 9.39% of surveyed buyers made an impulse purchase during Amazon Prime Day in 2024, according to Digital Commerce 360. However, around 23% still bought at least one item for themselves, with nearly 12% using their mobile device for these purchases.
12. Mobile payments for in-store purchases are expected to grow for at least another two years
Worldpay’s 2024 Global Payments Report found that customers’ use of mobile payments for in-store purchases is on the rise—in fact, it’s projected to grow at a 22% compound annual growth rate through 2027. Digital wallets are expected to reach a point-of-sale value share of 28% by the same year.
It’s always a good idea to offer multiple payment methods to your buyers, including mobile payments and digital wallets. The more convenient you make things for them, the more willing they’ll be to buy from your business (including impulse purchases).
13. The most common emotion a buyer feels after an impulse purchase is regret
More than 44% of buyers feel regret predominantly after making an impulse purchase, according to Finder. About 42% feel contentment, and almost 32% feel indifference.
You don’t want your customers to feel bad about buying your products, so take steps to minimize negative emotions after you sell them things. Consider offering discounts, adjusting your advertising and marketing campaigns, and staying in touch to answer questions about how to maximize the product once they’ve bought it.
14. Nearly a fifth of buyers prefer curbside pickup shopping to avoid impulse buying while in-store
According to Digital Commerce 360, 17% of buyers prefer to buy items online and then pick them up at the store, because this method helps them resist the temptation to impulsively buy more items while inside the store. Nearly half of respondents also believe that this method is more convenient and time-efficient.
As a retailer, it’s up to you whether you want to provide customers the option of buying online and then picking their items up at your store. You’ll need to balance your customers’ preference for doing this vs the opportunity for you to tempt them with additional purchases inside your store.
15. Customers tend to spend up to 20% more when paying for purchases via credit card
Buyers spend around 18% to 20% more on purchases if they pay with a credit card, according to Management Study Guide. Credit cards make it easier for customers to buy things on impulse because they can pay via a card even if they don’t have cash or other payment options in their pockets at the moment.
As a retailer, not only will you definitely want to offer easy card payments, but you should also consider selling or offering store-branded credit cards that customers can buy right at the counter. You can set up these cards so that they allow for special discounts and deals on products that are frequent impulse purchases in your store.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Click through the sections below to learn more about why and how people indulge in impulse buying.
People become more likely to impulse buy when they are presented with free shipping and low prices, because they want to treat themselves, or because an item generally looks too good to pass up.
Quite often; the average American’s monthly spending on impulse purchases was at around $150 as of 2023. Beforehand, this amount had been increasing for years, which meant that the frequency had likely been increasing as well. However, impulse buying has been on a downward trend for the past two years or so, likely due to difficult economic conditions during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Millennials (people aged late 20s to early 40s) were the most likely demographic to buy something on impulse as of 2023; according to one report, over half of them were more likely to make impulse purchases compared to members of other demographics.
Bottom Line
Impulse buying is here to stay; the desire to spontaneously treat yourself or capitalize on an unexpectedly good deal is ingrained in human nature. By familiarizing yourself with impulse buying statistics and impulse buying trends and encouraging this behavior in your customers, you’ll go a long way toward keeping your buyers happy and building strong brand loyalty.
