Retailers across all channels strive to keep in-store shoppers engaged for as long as possible, believing longer visits lead to higher spending. To this end, stores are designed with intentional distractions, sprawling layouts, and vast product choices. However, research on shopper behavior suggests the opposite is true.

Dr. Neale Martin, in Habit: The 95% of Shopper Behavior that Marketers Ignore, explains that most purchase decisions are driven by the subconscious mind, shaped by prior experiences with the store and its products. Similarly, Dr. Herb Sorensen, in Inside the Mind of the Shopper, notes that the faster a shopper makes their first purchase, the more likely they are to make additional ones during the same trip.

The subconscious mind is highly efficient, saving time when allowed to operate uninterrupted. Yet, retail merchandising often disrupts this process with signs, displays, and media, aiming to engage the slower, deliberate executive mind to alter behavior. This “disruptive” approach is the core of marketing and merchandising, but it only works when disruptions are relevant, meaningful, and used sparingly, aligning with how shoppers navigate the store. Overloading stores with distractions can reduce transaction sizes within the same shopping time.

Smart merchandising balances convenience and suggestion. Even on time-constrained trips, shoppers are open to a few well-placed disruptions if they don’t delay their mission. Retailers who make frequently purchased items easily accessible often free up time for shoppers to browse additional products. Shoppers operate on an internal time limit, and when it runs out, they head to checkout—whether they’ve found all potential purchases or not, as Martin and Sorensen emphasize.

To increase basket size and build loyalty, retailers should let the subconscious mind guide the shopping experience, using thoughtful, relevant disruptions to enhance, not hinder, the journey.