Considering Point-Of-Purchase Sales: How Candy Boxes Snag The Impulse Buyers

10 November 2017
 Categories: , Blog


If you've been taking marketing or business classes, you're probably learning a bit about consumer behavior. The psychology of consumers is quite interesting (maybe even a little scary), but it can definitely help if you want to go into business yourself.

One aspect that marketers try to optimize is point-of-purchase (POP) areas, or anywhere a sale is made. On a large scale, a POP area can be a large shopping center, like Walmart; and, on a smaller scale, POP areas are designated locations within a store that spur consumers to impulse buy—like by the cash register.

One fantastic tool that managers use to make a small POP sale is a candy box. Here's why:

Candy Boxes are Great for Decision Fatigue

An article at Medium.com describes a phenomenon called "decision fatigue." The idea is that retailers expect that if a customer is making a lot of decisions during a shopping session, that the quality of their decision making will eventually decline. The Medium.com article says that marketers consider willpower to a muscle, so if they put items near the checkout when you are exhausted from shopping, you may be more likely to give in to these purchases.

Candy boxes are fantastic for decision fatigue because they give buyers the impression that they are saving money since these displays let you pick one or two bars instead of an entire bag. Candy boxes are also great for decision fatigue because people tend to splurge on junk food or treats when tired.

Because marketers can take advantage of impulse fatigue with POP areas and candy, about $5 billion is generated in checkout aisle sales! Because impulse buys are so prevalent, some groups are encouraging stores to switch out candy with healthier options.

Marketers Take Advantage of Candy Boxes' Portability and Colors

Candy boxes are great for POP marketing since these displays can be placed near any check-out. And since most boxes are prefabricated by a manufacturer before they're distributed to a wholesaler, these boxes can be assembled easily and placed wherever POP sales are most common.

While products on shelves all blend together, candy boxes usually stand apart and are quite colorful, thus attracting customers' gazes. While you may think that some candy boxes have gaudy colors, these colors can actually increase brand recognition by about 80%!

So if a customer is having a hankering for a treat, he or she will be more easily drawn to a specific item since these boxes stand out with their colors. For instance, a large display box full of Reese's would likely use bright orange and yellow to catch a customer's eye.

When you are starting your own business, keep in mind what candy boxes could do for one aspect of your POP marketing. Contact a company like Northwest Paper Box MFRS INC for more information and assistance. 


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