Impulse buyers—customers that 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:
- Nearly 3 out of 4 Americans make most purchases on impulse
- The average person spends over $300 on impulse purchases monthly
- Clothing is the leading category for impulse purchases
- Free shipping is the top motivator for online impulse buys
Familiarizing yourself with these impulse buying statistics will help you increase sales while also creating an enjoyable shopping experience.
1. Nearly three out of four Americans make most purchases impulsively
In a 2022 annual survey commissioned by Slickdeals, 73% of respondents said that most of their buying is unplanned. This is a large boost from the 59% of respondents who said the same thing the previous year.
2. Gen Z buyers are more likely to be spontaneous shoppers than other age groups
Market research and audience targeting company GWI noted that Americans aged 16 to 25—the Gen Z demographic—were the most likely group to make impulse purchases; 23% of them would buy things spontaneously. (The next most impulsive group was millennials at 22%.)
3. Free shipping is the top factor motivating online purchases
GWI also found that for 50% of consumers, free delivery is most likely to convince them to buy something online. Free shipping was an even stronger persuasion tactic than offering a discount, which only convinced 39% of potential buyers.
Read our guide on how to offer free shipping without losing money.
4. The average person spends over $300 on impulse purchases every month
According to Slickdeals, the average person spends $314 every single month, consistently, on impulse buying. This monthly spend has been increasing steadily since at least 2020.
5. 34% of Americans have spontaneously bought food or drink while in a restaurant
Research company Ipsos pointed out in a 2022 study that impulse buying of food and beverages can happen in restaurants as well as grocery stores. Around a third of respondents spontaneously purchased from restaurants in the past month. This means that restaurants can and should also be working out how to encourage this behavior from sit-down diners. Sixty-one percent, meanwhile, made impulsive F&B purchases from groceries or convenience stores.
6. Customers’ desire to treat themselves drives a third of impulsive online purchases of grocery products
A 2022 Statista report found that one of the strongest drivers of impulsive grocery purchases was the desire to treat oneself. A grocery business could capitalize on this reasoning by marketing some of their products as ways to treat yourself or something you deserve after a long work week, for example. The effect becomes even stronger when coupled with a price that buyers consider too good to pass up.
7. Buy Now, Pay Later encourages 4.9% of buyers to make an impulse purchase
A survey by Finder discovered that the most common regret of customers who used buy now, pay later (BNPL) as a payment option was making an impulse purchase. While we don’t advocate making your customers regret their purchases, it’s worth noting that BNPL does increase their tendency to buy something on the spot.
Learn more in our guide to BNPL for small businesses.
8. Most men (49%) impulsively purchase electronics, while most women (57%) purchase clothes or shoes
According to a 2022 Statista study, men and women both impulse shop, but they don’t always buy the same things. Men tend to focus most on electronics (and least on personal care products), while women prioritize clothing and shoes (and don’t impulse-buy many home or garden products).
9. Clothing is the overall leading category for products bought on impulse in 2022
Statista also found that US shoppers most frequently impulse-bought clothing, among all products. When considering impulse buyers as a whole (combining both men and women), clothes led the pack, beating groceries, household items, and tech products.
10. A third of 2022 holiday season buyers did comparison shopping to find the best prices and deals
Consumers often try to avoid impulse buying by planning their purchases more carefully, especially during holidays. In fact, Digital Commerce 360’s survey noted that 30% of respondents were willing to spend time comparing prices between retailers in order to get the best possible prices.
11. During Amazon Prime Day 2022, only 16% of shoppers made at least one impulse purchase
Digital Commerce 360 also found that a surprisingly small percentage of online shoppers made an impulse purchase during Amazon Prime Day 2022—an event designed to entice shoppers to buy more. This could be due to a number of reasons; for instance, consumers weren’t spending enough time on the site. Finding and addressing root causes like this will ultimately help retailers get customers to buy more.
12. 17% of consumers turn to curbside pickup to avoid impulsive in-store purchases
In order to curb their own impulses, some customers turn to curbside pickup or a buy online, pick up in-store option. As a business owner, this gives you options to present to customers: If you don’t want to capitalize on their impulse buying habits, you can offer something like a premium BOPIS option to make it a win for both parties.
13. More than half of the global population are active on social media, which encourages greater impulse buying
Deloitte reports that as of 2022, almost 60% of the global population are highly active on social media, spending a couple of hours per day on these sites. Worldwide social commerce sales are expected to exceed $2 billion in value by 2025—retailers can maximize the rise of social commerce by driving impulse or spontaneous buying.
14. Over 40% of global shoppers want the option of purchasing quickly and easily from social media influencers
Forty-one percent of shoppers reported that they would like to be able to buy items directly from influencers they discover and follow on social media. Again, this opens a potential avenue for increased purchases and more impulsive buying by customers, especially as they become more comfortable with and trusting of those influencers.
Influencer-hosted livestream selling is one of the most popular social selling outlets. Learn more in our compilation of livestream selling statistics.
15. By 2024, more than a third of purchases are forecast to be made from mobile devices
The Worldpay 2021 Global Payments Report predicts that by 2024, 37% of all sales will be done via mobile devices. When buyers do this kind of transaction, called mobile commerce or m-com, they expect the process to be fast and efficient. Popular social and media sharing sites also fuel impulse buying via mobile, with Facebook having a particularly large impact.
Learn more about ecommerce and online shopping data here:
16. Almost 70% of buyers who applied for a retail-branded credit card did so impulsively
A 2021 survey by creditcards.com found that 68% of people who signed up for a retail credit card did so spontaneously at the checkout counter. The fact that it was credit cards and not retail products should get business owners thinking about how to capitalize on impulse purchases in other ways than just selling products or services.
Impulse Buying Trends Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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.
Very often; the average American’s monthly spending on impulse purchases is over $300 at the moment. This amount has been increasing for years, which means that the frequency has likely been increasing as well.
In the United States, Gen Z buyers (age 16–25) are the most likely demographic to buy something on impulse; nearly a quarter of them exhibit this behavior. In general, the younger the customer, the more likely they are to purchase things on impulse.
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.
