Consumers Willing to Wait for Locked-Up Electronics and Over-the-Counter Meds, Unwilling to Wait for Bath & Body Products

CHICAGO, Nov. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Numerator, a data and tech company serving the market research space, has issued a new report-Unlocking Shopper Reactions to Secured Products-sourced from verified purchase data and a sentiment survey of over 5,000 consumers on their awareness of and reaction to merchandise being locked up in stores. Three-fifths of shoppers reported seeing locked-up merchandise on a regular basis, and 27% said they would switch retailers or abandon the purchase altogether instead of waiting for assistance for a locked-up product.

Key findings include:

• 60% of shoppers report seeing locked-up merchandise on a regular basis. Among shoppers who encounter locked-up products, 28% report seeing them every time they shop, 32% see them sometimes, and 29% see them often. Only 11% of shoppers say they rarely see locked-up products.
  • Shoppers are noticing more locked-up products than ever before. 61% of shoppers reported seeing an increase in the number of products under lock and key over the past year. 33% have not noticed a change, and 7% say there are fewer items locked up now.
  • Fewer than a quarter of shoppers are encountering locks on items they are looking to purchase. Although many shoppers are noticing locked products, only 21% say the locks are on products they're actively trying to purchase.
  • Consumers in urban areas and the Western U.S. are encountering lock-ups more frequently. 35% of Western consumers say they encounter locks on the items they are trying to purchase almost every time they shop and 30% of urban consumers say the same. Over half of shoppers in some major Western metro areas report high levels of product locking: 54% in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area, 51% in Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, and 45% in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim. Metro areas with the lowest levels of reported product locking are Cleveland-Elyria (5%), Cincinnati (9%), Pittsburgh (11%), Columbus (13%) and Austin-Round Rock (13%).
• Shoppers most often see locked-up items at drug stores and mass retailers. The stores where consumers see the most product lock-ups are mass retailers (68% of consumers), drug stores (62%), grocery stores (31%), department stores (25%), and home improvement stores (23%). Dollar stores (18%) see the lowest levels of lock-ups.
  • Drug stores provide better assistance accessing locked-up merchandise. At a retailer level, CVS (+16%), Walgreens (+12%) and Target (+12%) had the highest net ratings for easy assistance retrieving locked items, while Walmart (-13%) had the lowest. Net ratings showcase the difference between the percent of consumers who say getting assistance is easy and the percent who say it is difficult.  
• Phones and tablets are often under lock and key. The most commonly observed locked-up items are personal electronics (58% of consumers report seeing), OTC medications (38%), physical media (36%), personal hygiene products (34%), makeup & cosmetics (33%), large electronics (32%), and accessories (29%).
  • Rural and urban areas see different locking measures in place. Rural shoppers are more likely to report locks on electronics (62%) and physical media (41%), while urban shoppers are more likely to encounter them on personal hygiene products (41%), makeup (37%), and bath & body products (22%).
• More than a quarter of shoppers say a retailer loses their purchase when items are locked up. 62% of shoppers say they typically wait for assistance when they encounter locked up merchandise, and 9% say they order the item online from that same retailer. However, 17% say they will switch retailers (10% online, 7% in-store), and 10% say they will abandon the purchase altogether.
  • Shoppers are less willing to wait when everyday goods are locked up. Only 53% of shoppers say they'll wait for assistance if bath & body products are locked up, 56% for makeup and cosmetics, and 57% for personal hygiene products.
  • Willingness to wait varies by generation, ethnicity, guardianship, and retailer memberships. 69% of Boomers will wait for assistance, compared to only 57% of Millennials. 71% of Black consumers will wait, compared to 58% of Asian consumers. Among shoppers with children, those with kids in the 6-12 age range are the least likely to wait for assistance (58%). Shoppers with retailer memberships such as Amazon Prime or Walmart+ are more likely to shift their purchases online when faced with locked products (22% vs. 19% for the average consumer).
  • Shoppers unwilling to wait spend more online. Shoppers who are not willing to wait for assistance when encountering a locked-up product spend 21% of their dollars online, compared to 18% for those who are willing to wait. Top banners also differ slightly between the groups, with non-waiters spending more at Amazon, Target and Walmart.com.

About Numerator:

Numerator is a data and tech company bringing speed and scale to market research. Numerator blends first-party data from over 1 million US households with advanced technology to provide 360-degree consumer understanding for the market research industry that has been slow to change. Headquartered in Chicago, IL, Numerator has 2,000 employees worldwide; 80 of the top 100 CPG brands' manufacturers are Numerator clients.

CONTACT: Bob Richter

Numerator

212-802-8588

press@numerator.com