The role of impulsivity and of self-perceived attractiveness in impulse buying in women

Exploring the associations between early maladaptive schemas and impulsive and compulsive buying tendencies

The main purpose of this preliminary study was to investigate a potential relationship between early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) and impulsive and compulsive buying tendencies in a sample of young adults (college students). This research adds to the cognitive perspective of consumer behavior that the cognitive schemas putatively associated with early experiences may have a strong impact on impulsive and compulsive buying. Data was obtained from 365 participants in a cross-sectional study design. Participants completed an online survey with the following instruments: Young Schema Questionnaire; Impulsive Buying Tendency Measurement Scale; Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale; and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Using multiple linear hierarchical regressions, we confirmed that the domain of over vigilance and inhibition schemas was positively associated with impulsive and compulsive buying tendencies, while an opposite association was found for the domain of impaired limits. Being a female was also a predictor of impulsive buying and compulsive buying. The results were discussed in terms of the coping mechanisms to deal with negative emotions, as a way to obtain rewards, or as a way to escape painful self-awareness. Other mechanisms related to the internalization of perfectionist expectations and the propensity to shame were also explored.

The Effect of Social Appearance Anxiety on the Online Impulse Purchases of Fashionable Outfits Among Female College Students During Pandemic Periods: The Mediating Role of Self-Control and the Moderating Role of Subjective Socioeconomic Status

Purpose

With the rise of social media, an increasing number of young females have focused more attention on their body image, leading to social appearance anxiety. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate a moderated mediation model of social appearance anxiety and online impulse purchases of fashionable outfits through self-control moderated by subjective socioeconomic status during the pandemic.

Methods

A total of 1651 female college students (Age = 17-24, M_age = 19.30, SD = 1.14) with more than one month of closed-off management experience completed self-report questionnaires concerning social appearance anxiety, self-control, online impulse purchases of fashionable outfits, and subjective socioeconomic status.

Results

After controlling for the potential influence of coronavirus stress, the results indicated that social appearance anxiety was positively related to online impulse purchases of fashionable outfits among female college students during the pandemic, mediated by self-control. Furthermore, subjective socioeconomic status moderated the indirect link between social appearance anxiety and the online impulse purchase of fashionable outfits. Specifically, subjective socioeconomic status buffers the negative effect of social appearance anxiety on self-control and the risk effect of low self-control on the online impulse purchases of fashionable outfits.

Implications

The current study deepens the research on the relationship between social appearance anxiety and online impulse purchases during pandemic periods; meanwhile, it provides evidence for preventing excessive online impulse purchases of fashionable outfits among young females.

The Determinants of Impulsive Buying Behavior in Electronic Commerce

Consumers’ online impulsive buying behavior has become more and more frequent in the digital era. There is increasing concern regarding the adverse consequences that impulsive buying has generated for consumer wellbeing and the sustainability of our society and environment. In search of a way to decreasing impulsive consumption, this article proposes a comprehensive framework to explore the potential determinants of online impulsive buying behavior from the perspective of consumer characteristics grounded on the literature on sustainability, psychology and consumer behavior. Through an online survey, a total of 425 valid responses were obtained. Extroversion and neuroticism in personality, negative emotions, collectivism in culture and the cognitive and affective factors of impulsive buying tendency are found to be positively correlated with impulsive buying behavior, whereas self-control shows a negative impact on impulsive buying behavior. Furthermore, this study identifies the mediating roles that negative emotions and collectivism play. Specifically, in addition to the direct routes, neuroticism, self-control and the affective factor of impulsive buying tendency can indirectly influence impulsive buying behavior through the mediation of negative emotions, whereas extroversion can indirectly affect impulsive buying behavior with collectivism as the mediator. To conclude, theoretical and practical implications of this research are elaborated to promote sustainable consumption from both the micro and macro perspectives.

Effects of Negative Emotions and Cognitive Characteristics on Impulse Buying During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously disrupted the individual buying habits along with their consumption patterns. Previous studies indicated that anxiety and depression were related to impulse buying. However, no research has explored the mechanism possibly underlying the association between anxiety, depression, and impulse buying. Based on the regulatory focus theory and the emotion-cognition-behavior loop, this study aimed to examine the impacts of negative emotions on impulse buying and the mediating role of cognitive characteristics during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2021, 734 Chinese undergraduates were recruited by cluster sampling and they completed self-report measures of anxiety, depression, intolerance of uncertainty, cognitive flexibility, and impulse buying. Results showed that impulse buying was positively associated with anxiety, depression, and intolerance of uncertainty, while it was negatively associated with cognitive flexibility. Cognitive flexibility fully mediated the effects of anxiety and depression on cognitive facet of impulse buying. Meanwhile, intolerance of uncertainty fully mediated the effects of anxiety and depression on affective facet of impulse buying. Overall, this study shows that different pathways can explain how anxiety and depression exacerbate two aspects of impulse buying, and it highlights the importance of cognitive characteristics for the link between negative emotions and impulse buying. Intervention programs should focus on increasing cognitive flexibility and tolerance to uncertainty of high-risk individuals, so as to strengthen their adaptive purchase behaviors.

Does Product Semantics Matter in Stimulating Impulse Buying Behavior for Internet Products?

Design-driven innovation has become the source of the third-dimensional innovation driving force behind technology and outside the market, aiming to explore breakthrough innovation in product semantics for Internet products. This research tries to define the concept of product semantics and construct a consumer purchase decision model for Internet products with product semantic perception as the antecedent variable. In addition, how product semantics could stimulate consumers' expected regret and impulse purchase for Internet products is explained. The research finds that product semantic perception significantly affects consumers' expected inaction regret, which promotes their impulse purchase intention for Internet products; and expected inaction regret partially mediates between product semantic perception and impulse purchase intention. Self-control ability of consumers negatively moderates the relationship between their expected inaction regret and impulsive purchase intention for Internet products. Thus, the "non-use function" design of product semantics can effectively meet and lead the spiritual and cultural needs in hedonistic Internet shopping for consumers.

Past, Present, and Future of Impulse Buying Research Methods: A Systematic Literature Review

Impulse buying (IB) represents a pivotal subject in consumer psychology. A general agreement on its core elements and their relationship is arguably established. So far, however, there has been little discussion about how to assess impulse purchases, leading to a potential divergence of practise from theory and complexities in cross-study comparability. This systematic literature review investigates the research methods and metrics employed in high-quality literature to evaluate impulse shopping behaviours across different environments, including online, offline, and multichannel settings. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria, the literature search has been conducted on databases relevant for scientific literature, including Scopus, Web of Science, and ProQuest. Fifty-four articles were included in this systematic review. Findings show the existence of four methods to investigate IB, namely quantitative self-reports, laboratory investigations, fieldwork observations, and qualitative interviews. A comparison of the four methods in terms of fit highlights that self-reports and interviews provide a significant contribution in assessing the cognitive facet of impulse purchasing. Laboratory investigations and fieldwork observation find a better fit with the conative and visceral facets of impulsive buying. Considering the major role of affective charges occurring during impulse shopping, complementary research approaches, and metrics belonging to applied psychophysiology and consumer neuroscience are examined. Three opportunities for future research are discussed, including theory building and refinement, understanding individual differences, and honing behavioural predictions.