More than a quarter of shoppers say a retailer loses their purchase when items are locked up, according to “Unlocking Shopper Reactions to Secured Products,” a new report from Numerator, based on a survey of over 5,000 consumers.
Among the results:
Sixty-two percent 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.
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, according to the survey.
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%).