Almost Half of U.S. Supermarket Purchases are Sold on Promotion

According to Nielsen, the percentage of items sold on promotion rose from 40.8% last year to 42.8%; an additional 1.3 billion items purchased on promotion. A few other factoids, the markets where the most purchases are on promo are Chicago (56%), Phoenix, Oahu, and Indianapolis. The least promotional markets are San Antonio, Oklahoma City/Tulsa, and Birmingham. The items that sell the most on promo are (not surprisingly) impulse items: ice cream, crackers, and soft drinks. Those that sell the least on promo: magazines, ice, and tobacco.