Candy at the checkout counter
The front end remains critical and the largest impulse area of the store.

CHICAGO — Mars, Inc., through two of its business units, Wrigley and Mars Chocolate, has identified three shopper mindsets it believes retailers should focus on to help capture more impulse purchases across transaction zones. The three shopper mindsets are refresh, reward and remind.

To capture those purchases, Wrigley and Mars said they are taking a fresh look at where shoppers purchase goods and services, calling them collectively “transaction zones.” According to the companies, the front end remains critical and the largest impulse area of the store, but shoppers also are checking out via other transaction zones, including the pharmacy, cafe, on their mobile phones and via “buy on-line, pick-up in store” models. As shopping continues to evolve, retailers and manufacturers must increase conversion of impulse items across all transaction zones, regardless of channel, Wrigley and Mars said.

“It’s no secret that people don’t shop like they used to, and the traditional mix of impulse items in transaction zones needs to better meet consumer needs,” said Kurt Laufer, vice-president of U.S. sales for Wrigley. “By tapping into our deep understanding of the shopper and taking a hard look at what items are performing and why, we believe our strategies can help our retail partners capture valuable impulse sales.”

Through their research, Wrigley and Mars said they have identified a consistent element: checkout is the emotional low point of the shopping journey, no matter where or how you pay. Retailers can help shoppers overcome this low point and capture more impulse purchases by merchandising to better satisfy three key shopper mindsets or need states:

• Refresh: “Shopping can be stressful and tiring, so shoppers look to refresh or recharge themselves once the job is done,” according to Wrigley and Mars. “Items fulfilling the Refresh need state, like gum, mints, beverages and snacks, should occupy 51% of total space.”

• Reward: “Shoppers often seek a treat or reward, like chocolate and non-chocolate candy, after the ‘chore’ of shopping,” the companies said. “Items fulfilling the Reward need state should occupy 39% of total space.”

• Remind: “It is helpful for shoppers to find items they forgot to add to their lists, like batteries and lip balm, in the transaction zone,” Wrigley and Mars said. “Items fulfilling the Remind need should occupy about 10% of total space.”

Wrigley and Mars Chocolate said they are working with retailers on customized solutions.

Tim LeBel, Mars
Tim LeBel, v.p. of sales, Mars Chocolate North America
“We’ve found that satisfying these three distinct shopper mindsets is key to promoting conversion for categories like chocolate, gum, mints and candy,” said Tim LeBel, vice-president of sales, Mars Chocolate North America. “Mars Chocolate and Wrigley are working with retailers across channels to ensure current and future check out choices satisfy their shoppers’ needs during checkout and drive impulse purchases.”