How Frustrated Are Shoppers With Items Under Lock and Key?
Data and tech company Numerator published a new report showing that three-fifths of shoppers encounter locked-up merchandise on a fairly regular basis and 27% would switch retailers or abandon a purchase altogether instead of waiting for assistance to access an item.
According to Numerator’s research, only 11% of survey respondents said they rarely see locked-up merchandise and nearly two-thirds (61%) report that they are seeing more items that are secured in this way. As for where this is taking place, shoppers in urban areas and in the western part of the United States report locked-down products more often than shoppers in other areas of the country.
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In addition, customers are more likely to come across these displays at drug stores and mass retailers. According to the report, 68% of consumers see locked-up products at mass stores and 62% find such displays at drug stores, well outpacing grocery stores at 31% and dollar stores at 18%.
Higher-ticket items like phones and tablets are mostly commonly secured, although some household essentials are out of easy reach. About 38% of shoppers see OTC medications locked up, while 34% notice secured personal hygiene products and 33% see makeup and cosmetics that can’t be taken off the shelf without assistance.
Frustration levels with these anti-theft measures vary. Per Numerator’s findings, CVS, Walgreens and Target had the highest net ratings for easy assistance in retrieving locked items, while Walmart had the lowest. In general, 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% to online sellers, 7% to other physical stores), and 10% say they will abandon the purchase altogether.
Chicago-based Numerator surveyed more than 5,000 consumers in September 2024 for its "Unlocking Shopper Reactions to Secured Products" report. It specified locked items as “items one may encounter when shopping in-store that are locked up for security measures and require employee assistance to get off the shelf or rack.”
