A new survey commissioned by crowdsourced shopping platform Slickdeals of 2,000 Americans found that the COVID-19 pandemic has consumers shopping more impulsively than prior to the pandemic, with impulse spending up by 18%.
In January, the average American was found to spend $155.03 monthly on impulse buys. In a new poll in April, during the pandemic, that number jumped up 18% to $182.98. Both polls of 2,000 Americans were commissioned by Slickdeals and conducted by OnePoll.
According to the respondents, nearly three in four (72%) said that buying something impulsively during the pandemic has positively affected their mood.
The top item Americans have bought impulsively during the pandemic was found to be cleaning supplies, followed closely by hand sanitizer and toilet paper. However, consumers also report impulsively buying other goods, with nearly one in four saying they’ve bought themselves a treat that they’ve had their eye on for a while. Nearly one in five have impulsively purchased a new video game console, with 22% purchasing clothing and 18 percent spending on home improvement.
In fact, impulse spending does not mean just buying random, unneeded items. According to the results, more than half of Americans polled credit impulse buying with actually saving them money in the long run. When impulsively shopping, 52% of respondents said they typically take advantage of a deal rather than buying at retail price.
“In these uncertain times, consumers are looking to stretch their dollars even further, and impulse purchasing can actually serve as a tool to do so,” said Slickdeals CEO Josh Meyers. “While someone may not plan to buy laundry detergent or groceries on a given day, stocking up on these everyday items when there’s a great deal available can help your budget. As such, impulse spending can be associated with saving money in the long-run as opposed to being wasteful.”
While the majority of impulse buys tend to be for oneself, getting things for their children was also a top response, with gifts for friends, and their partner scoring high marks as well. Nearly one in five say they impulse spend on their pet.
Since the pandemic began, 46% say they’ve ordered online groceries for the first time, with 47% trying a new streaming service and 35% being a first-time customer with a restaurant delivery app.
Nearly three in four (71%) say that they plan to continue the increased rate of online shopping even after the stay-at-home order is lifted for them.
“At Slickdeals, we’ve assembled the largest community of super savvy shoppers and we’ve created a platform for them to share timely information about finding the best deals, on the best products, at optimal times throughout the year,” said Meyers. “More than ever, the Slickdeals community is working together to identify the best prices, tips and even hard-to-find inventory to better cope with the rapidly changing world in which we now find ourselves.”
Top Pandemic Impulse Buys:
- Cleaning supplies: 42%
- Hand sanitizer: 38%
- Toilet paper: 35%
- Hand soap: 32%
- Canned food: 31%
- Dish detergent: 30%
- Clothing: 22%
- A treat you’ve had your eye on for a while: 21%
- Video games: 20%
- Home improvement: 18%
- Headphones: 18%
- Video game console: 17%
- Books: 17%
- Shoes: 17%
- School supplies: 16%
