Impulsive behavior

One in eight people in South Korea buy cigarettes on impulse after seeing cigarette advertisements or cigarette packs on display at convenience stores, according to a story in The Korea Bizwire citing the results of a new study.
The study showed also that 1.9 percent of non-smokers purchased cigarettes on impulse.
The study, carried out by Professor Cho Seong-il and his team at Seoul National University, surveyed 1,047 young people and adults at five convenience stores in the Gangnam region of Seoul.
Of the respondents, 12.9 percent said they had bought cigarettes on impulse after seeing a cigarette advertisement at a convenience store or cigarette displays shelves.
The study showed also that the higher the number of visits by respondents to convenience stores, the higher the chance of them buying cigarettes impulsively.
People who visited convenience stores five times a week on average were found to be 12.4 times more likely to make impulsive purchases than those whose visits numbered just once or twice a week.
“The results that show a significant number of impulsive purchases of cigarettes signify that ads and product placement can affect purchasing patterns regardless of whether one is a smoker or not,” said Cho.
The story said that, in contrast to tobacco producers’ claims that advertisements and product placements simply provided information to consumers, the study had confirmed that advertisements and products actually facilitated the sales of cigarettes.