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Marketing vocabulary · Consumer Behaviour

Impulse buying

Meaning in marketing, with examples

nounCommon term

In marketing, impulse buying means: Buying something suddenly without planning to, often because of a display, a special offer or a strong feeling in the moment.

In Turkish: anlık satın alma, dürtüsel satın alma, plansız alışveriş

How it is used

Studied in consumer behaviour and used in retail planning. Shops place sweets, magazines and small items near the checkout to encourage impulse buying. A single item bought this way is an impulse buy or impulse purchase.

Example sentences

  1. Chewing gum is a classic impulse buying product, so it sits right next to the till.

  2. The “only 2 left” message is designed to trigger impulse buying.

Common collocations

  • encourage impulse buying
  • impulse buy
  • impulse purchase
  • checkout display
  • consumer behaviourHow people choose, buy, use and stop using products and services, and the personal, social and psychological reasons behind those choices.
  • point of saleThe place where a customer pays for a product, such as a shop checkout or an online payment page; also the promotional materials placed there.
  • purchase decisionA customer's choice about whether to buy, what to buy, and where and when to buy it, usually made after comparing options, prices and needs.
  • packagingThe box, bottle, bag or wrapper that holds and protects a product, and the design on it that attracts buyers and gives information.

More terms: Consumer Behaviour

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