NPD: Shopping lists influence buying decisions

CHICAGO Most consumers stick to their lists when buying groceries, according to new research by the NPD Group.

In the NPD Group's "Before the Store" report, 94% of households prepared shopping lists before heading to the store, and 72% of those surveyed rarely bought items not on the list. The report also noted that there usually is one person responsible for food and beverage shopping as well as meal preparation: a woman.

Meanwhile, the "Before the Store" report also found that even though most shoppers don’t purchase unplanned items while in the store, approximately 1-in-4 primary grocery shoppers are more impulse-driven while grocery shopping. The top reasons for an impulse purchase were: saw it on promotion (80%), saw it in the store and remembered it was needed (67%), and looked like a good meal or snack solution (37%).

“For food and beverage manufacturers and retailers, it’s all about getting on the list,” said Ann Hanson, executive director of product development at NPD and author of the report. “With so many purchasing decisions being made at home where meals are being planned and shopping lists assembled, it’s important to focus on the consumer at home before they leave for the store. While most grocery shoppers shop for their food items around once a week, consumers decide what to eat, drink or serve many times a day. It’s these daily activities, and the needs behind them, that drive their purchase decisions.”