The Shopping Momentum Effect & Your Bottom Line

Are you building shopping momentum or destroying it? The answer to that question has a lot to do with the mindset of your visitors and the influence of a first purchase on subsequent purchases.

The central idea is researched in The Shopping Momentum Effect in the August 2007 edition of the Journal of Marketing Research.

Shopping momentum arises from the idea that shopping has an inertial quality and that there is a mental hurdle in the shift from browsing to shopping, which makes further purchases more likely when it is crossed.

That’s an intuitive idea for non-academics to grasp: just think of the last time you went into a store to browse for something, say a travel book, and once you found the item you wanted walked out with three more you never intended to purchase. At the core of this change is a shift from what the authors call a deliberative mindset and an implementation mindset.

A deliberative mind-set weighs the pros and cons of pursuing a specific action, wheres an implementation mindset focuses on the timing and sequencing of goal-oriented actions … This implementation mind-set then evokes feelings of commitment to purchase by reducing the psychological barriers to action.

Through a series of studies (see original), the authors then go on to test and validate their hypothesis that “activating an implementation mind-set leads to greater purchase”. Even finer, the indicates that that shopping momentum may include big purchases after small purchases, not just a purchases of high price that serve to make a secondary purchase of complementary items (e.g. when you buy a suit and they try to sell you shirts and ties).

The authors offer a few ideas about how to stimulate the implementation mindset or avoid returning the customer/prospect to a deliberation mindset

A [deliberation mindset] can arise when the second purchase requires spending money from a source that is different from that of the first source.

Deep discounts [generate] a counterproductive contrast effect that [makes a second item] appear relatively inferior … The best driver of subsequent purchase is likely to be a highly desirable item (e.g., a seasonal or and emergency good) offered at a discount similar to that of other items in the store.

Additionally, the authors suggest that further research whether guilty pleasure items, like candy and cigarettes, will not inspire shopping momentum at all or as well as utilitarian items. The key here, in my opinion, is to help people rationalize their purchases and mitigate any guilty feelings.

This research challenges some commonly held notions among marketers. First, that a loss leader is a good strategy to get people in the door. It may, in fact, create a negative price contrast effect. Second, that a big purchase represents the best opportunity to cross-sell. It’s possible that a small purchase could trigger enough shopping momentum to inspire bigger purchases.

There are 2 key takeaways to benefit from the shopping momentum effect:

1. Avoid Things That Would Trigger Deliberation - If you’ve got your users clicking, browsing and even adding items to cart make sure you review and test anything that might give users pause, such as:
   - Shipping, privacy and return policies
   - Brand credibility and trust worthiness
   - Safety, privacy and security
   - Speed and usability
   - Unnecessary forms, such as registration for checkout
2. Try Remarketing After First Purchase - If you’ve already captured the sale, momentum is on your side and it’s the best opportunity to remarket your products. Try different tactics that might give you a boost:
   - Suggested similar products on the checkout screen
   - Cross-sell in the confirmation and shipping emails
   - Tailored promotions post-purchase via email or on-site targeting

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