LONDON – New research on the habits of convenience store shoppers in the United Kingdom shows that those who frequent their local corner shops are heavily influenced by the role of advertising on the path to purchase.

The research, conducted by iReach on behalf of advertising agencies Kinetic and Group M, used a combination of eye-tracking technology and interviews to determine the shopping habits of a selection of 200 convenience store shoppers.

Some 50 shoppers were intercepted before entering the store and asked to wear eye-tracking glasses, which measured point of gaze, length of gaze and eye pupil fixation at various points during the shop. Further, 150 shoppers were asked to take a “virtual visit” to a convenience store by watching video footage of a typical shopping trip from the shopper's perspective.

The research found that “impulse” shoppers, those who enter the store without having determined what exactly they will purchase (for example, may wish to purchase a snack, but not sure what type), will be more heavily influenced by out-of-home advertising throughout their shopping journey. Formats influencing these shoppers range from on-street billboards to bus shelters and in-store advertising.

However, those who entered the store with a purchase in mind had a much shorter path to purchase, responding particularly to advertising in-store.

Some 61% of those who wore the eye-tracking device admitted to purchasing an item on impulse, with more than a third of these purchases being sweets or chocolate. For those that did purchase on impulse, it accounted to 38% of the overall spend.

Other findings of the research include:

• 68% of convenience shoppers shop at a convenience store to do a top-up shop, 64% to buy meal solutions and 42% for special treats
• 69% travel by car to the c-store, 31% walk
• Location is the most important factor in the choice of convenience store at 69%, followed by price at 31%
• 10% of eye-tracked shoppers were influenced to stop and shop by an ad format
• Late afternoon /evening is the busiest time for c-store shopping, with 53% of respondents visiting during this time
• Average spend at a convenience store is €8.30 (about $9.40) and the average impulse spend is €3.18 (about $3.60)
• 61% of eye-tracked respondents purchased an item on impulse
• 38% of impulse purchases were sweets or chocolate