Here’s a fascinating article from the New York Times that suggests online retailers benefit from drunk consumers:
“Post-bar, inhibitions can be impacted, and that can cause shopping, and hopefully healthy impulse buying,” said Andy Page, the president of Gilt Groupe, an online retailer that is adding more sales starting at 9 p.m. to respond to high traffic then — perhaps some of it by shoppers under the influence.
On eBay, the busiest time of day is from 6:30 to 10:30 in each time zone. Asked if drinking might be a factor, Steve Yankovich, vice president for mobile for eBay, said, “Absolutely.” He added: “I mean, if you think about what most people do when they get home from work in the evening, it’s decompression time. The consumer’s in a good mood.”
Obviously, people are in a good mood at nighttime because they tend not to be working. So the data here might be kind of hazy.
Have you ever ordered something online when you were drunk? Ever get something you don’t remember ordering? Should retailers try to exploit this mindset?
About Dan Goldgeier
