New Year's Resolution: Lose Up to 4.1 lbs Simply by Avoiding Impulse Items at the Checkout
FRANKLIN, Tenn.--(Business Wire)--Looking to shed a few pounds in the New Year? The average American
woman could lose up to 4.1 pounds a year simply from resisting the
urge to purchase impulse items such as chocolate candies, chips, and
soda once they are in the checkout line, according to a new study from
IHL Group. Men could lose 3.1 pounds. These were ancillary findings
from IHL's Self-Checkout Study, which researched consumers and their
impulse purchases at staffed and self-checkout devices.
"The average woman in the study claimed to purchase and consume
over 14,300 calories from calorie impulse items over the period of a
year (3,500 calories per pound)," Buzek said. "While women have an
overall higher average, men under the age of 25 years old are the
heaviest consumers of caloric impulse items, consuming enough calories
each year for an additional eight pounds! Retailers could do a great
service to consumers by providing lower calorie options such as
100-calorie packs or fresh foods as impulse items."
According to the study, self-checkout systems have a dramatic
impact on the purchase of impulse items at checkout. Impulse purchases
among women drop 32.1 percent and men 16.7 percent when self-checkout
is used instead of a staffed checkout. The primary cause of the drop,
according to the study, comes from the fact that self-checkout devices
are not as merchandised as staffed lanes in most retailers.
Additionally, there is usually a shorter line at each unit, removing
the captive audience with the tempting impulse items in front of them.
In the market study, 2007 North American Self-Checkout Systems,
IHL examines the consumer acceptance of self-checkout technologies,
what consumers like and dislike about the systems, and what impact
they have on their shopping behavior. A summary of the results is
available at www.ihlservices.com.
About IHL Group
IHL Group is a global research and advisory firm headquartered in
Franklin, Tenn., that provides market analysis and business consulting
services for retailers and information technology companies that focus
on the retail industry. For more information, see www.ihlservices.com,
call 615-591-2955 or e-mail ihl@ihlservices.com.
IHL Group, Franklin
KetnerBarnes Inc.
Jeff Ketner, 512-794-8876
jeff@ketnerbarnes.com
Copyright Business Wire 2008
