A recent market poll showed that more than 70 percent of Croatian shoppers are cutting spending by saving on impulse buy products, state agency Hina said on Friday, carrying a press release from the local retail industry magazine Ja Trgovac and the Hendal market research agency.

Shoppers were asked whetherthe rising prices are having an affect on their impulse-buying habits, in a survey conducted in September on a “nationally representative sample” of shoppers over the age of 18. Hina did not clarify what “nationally representative” means.

According to the press release, 70.3 percent of respondents said they were now “forced to save” on impulse products, which, Ja Trgovac opined, “speaks clearly about the current consumer climate.”

Impulse buying has an important place in the consumer basket. Impulse products are usually products that are located near the cash register or are especially displayed in stores, and the survey showed that two our of every five Croatians have a habit of buying this type of products.

The most commonly bought impulse products in Croatia are chewing gum, bought by 47 percent of consumers. This is followed by chocolate bars (32 percent), candy (9 percent), wet wipes (7 percent), savoury snacks (3 percent), condoms (2 percent) and ready-made coffee (1 percent).

The survey also showed that impulse products are most commonly bought in supermarkets and hypermarkets.