Shopping Lists Become Tool to Save as Recession Lingers

DENVER, Aug. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The shopper experience study currently underway by The Integer Group ® and M/A/R/C ® Research revealed in their recent newsletter, The Checkout, that 43 percent of general market shoppers report that they "always" rely on a shopping list while in the store.

With a prolonged recession, it's no surprise that consumers want to save money. They are coping by shifting to a home-centric and self-sufficient lifestyle — trading nights at the movies for DVD rentals, restaurants for home cooked meals, and specialty treatments for home remedies. This has also carried over to their shopping lists. The study shows more consumers are pre-planning their shopping trips at home by making a shopping list with the intention to save money, navigate the store faster and avoid impulse purchases.

"We've found that the lines between what we call Pre-Tail™, which are those activities that involve the preparation, seeking, and selection of a product or store — and retail, where the purchase is made — are blurring as decision-making is moving from the store to home," said Craig Elston, SVP of The Integer Group. "This blurred area is where brands and marketers need to position themselves to reap rewards now, and more important, when the economy recovers."

The downside for brands with products not on the list is that they risk being overlooked by a consumer who is on a mission to get in the store, buy cheap and get out.

However, on the upside, 81 percent of those list-makers do not record specific brands on their shopping list, providing marketers with the opportunity to use at-shelf messaging to lure the consumer to buy their product over another brand. The study also shows that shopping lists are not always a barrier to impulse purchases. According to respondents, 78 percent of shoppers were enticed to buy something not on their list by either a sale or special promotion, and nearly a fourth of people noted they shop off-list because something on-shelf convinced them.

"Two thirds of respondents said they typically include quantity of a product needed but not details like the brand, size, or price, which demonstrates these decisions are often made at the shelf," said Randy Wahl, EVP, M/A/R/C Research. "This provides brands with the opportunity to persuade price-conscious consumers to reconsider one brand over another by enticing a unit size trade-up, for example."

Data for The Checkout comes from a national survey conducted by Integer and M/A/R/C where consumers are asked about their shopping attitudes, shopping behaviors, and economic outlook. Topics range from criteria shoppers use to select retailers, to which in-store stimulus is most likely to drive purchase, to factors that might lead shoppers to leave an aisle empty-handed. The Checkout is available for download at Integer's blog www.ShopperCulture.com or M/A/R/C's web site www.MARCresearch.com/thecheckout.

About The Integer Group

The Integer Group (www.integer.com) is one of the world's largest promotional, retail, and shopper marketing agencies, and a key member of TBWA Worldwide. Integer lives at the Intersection of Branding and Selling® and creates strategic marketing solutions for clients in categories that include retail, beverage, packaged goods, telecommunications, home and shelter, automotive aftermarket, and power sports. Integer has more than 1,200 employees, with global offices in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East. Join the conversation on shopping culture and brand strategy at www.shopperculture.com.

About Omnicom

Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company.  Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations, and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

About M/A/R/C ® Research

M/A/R/C ® Research (www.MARCresearch.com) is a brand development firm dedicated to helping clients create, evaluate, and strengthen their brands. Our teams design and execute qualitative and quantitative, traditional and online solutions while adhering to a client-service ethic built on being easy to work with and delivering what is promised. Our core competency is measuring attitudes and behaviors to accurately explain and predict market share, revenue, and bottom line impact of a client's actions. We help our clients address consumer, channel, and B2B marketing issues to launch better products and services, attract and retain valuable customers, and build stronger brands. Our proven, marketing-issue focused solutions, support clients' brand building efforts.

SOURCE The Integer Group