Holiday impulse purchases leave consumers with heartburn

By

Dani Greene

Published
Jan 22, 2016

Similar to indulging in that extra slice of pumpkin pie and ignoring pleas for restraint from your belly, it looks like some shoppers indulged in impulse purchases resulting in heartburn. According to a survey by the NPD Group, Inc., 17% of shoppers planned to return their own purchases whereas 12% planned to return gifts from others.

 
Over 70% of those surveys admitted to taking advantage of holiday sales, which were offered particularly early in 2015. This may have been one reason for returns and re-purchasing of items that dropped even lower in price. The survey results hint that 2015’s strategy of heavy and extended promotions might have backfired. NPD has some suggestions for retailers to curtail shoppers’ remorse for the 2016 holiday season: pace yourselves, use sales more strategically, and offer new and exciting merchandise. Perhaps the first two also hold true for avoiding those post-holiday meal bellyaches.

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The NPD Group conducts approximately 12 million consumer interviews annually and collects data on purchasing habits of over 50,000 consumers. The company is a leader in analyzing and leveraging market data to help businesses make more informed decisions.