The influence of advertising on compulsive buying - The role of persuasion knowledge

Psychosocial Functioning of Individuals at Risk of Developing Compulsive Buying Disorder

(1) Background: This study aimed to establish the connection between depressiveness, workaholism, eating disorders, and personality traits, according to the five-point model called the Big Five, in women with a risk of compulsive buying disorder. (2) Methods: The study was conducted on 556 Polish women from the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. The study employed the diagnostic survey method using a questionnaire technique including Personality Inventory NEO-FFI, the Buying Behaviour Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory I-II, the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, and a self-questionnaire. (3) Results: The analysis revealed the risk of compulsive buying being accompanied by a higher median score for depressiveness, neuroticism, Cognitive Restraint of Eating, Uncontrolled Eating, and a risk of workaholism. A lower score in the respondents in the compulsive buying risk group was observed in an assessment of agreeableness and conscientiousness. Work addiction was exhibited by 26% of people with compulsive buying disorder vs. 12% of people without it. (4) Conclusion: This study found that a high risk of compulsive buying disorder is accompanied by a high risk of moderate depressiveness, neuroticism, Cognitive Restraint of Eating, Uncontrolled Eating, and workaholism. It also confirmed the view that compulsive buying is a behavioural addiction which is a consequence of ineffective coping and being dissatisfied with one's social life.

Exploring the Impact of Social Media Sites on Compulsive Shopping Behavior: The Mediating Role of Materialism

Purpose

This study aims to examine the influence of social media sites and television advertisements on compulsive shopping behavior, and whether this influence is mediated by materialism in the university students of Saudi Arabia.

Methods

Data was collected from 487 students at Saudi universities. AMOS and Structural equation modeling (SEM) were utilized to examine the data. The research supports the Hypothesis that adolescents who are more materialistic are more prone than less materialistic adolescents to engage in compulsive shopping behavior.

Results

The findings were consistent with other research, suggesting that the same remains true in the culture of Saudi Arabia. The research's findings show that television advertisements and the use of social media sites positively related to compulsive shopping behavior among university students, and materialism mediated the relationship between television advertisements and social media sites.

Conclusion

The research emphasizes the significance of comprehending the materialistic attitude and consumption choices of adolescents and offers crucial information for scholars, decision-makers, and management of top companies.

Online Interpersonal Relationships and Data Ownership Awareness Mediate the Relationship between Perceived Benefits and Problematic Internet Shopping

Maladaptive and problematic buying/shopping has been the subject of a considerable amount of research over the last few decades. This research exploited the stimulus–organism–response (S-O-R) theory to evaluate the mediating effects of online interpersonal relationships and data ownership awareness on the relationship between consumers’ perceived benefit of online shopping and problematic internet shopping behavior. A total of 409 internet shoppers participated in this study. The authors performed all the analyses using the statistical package SPSS. The bootstrapping method used parallel and serial mediation models to assess whether OIR and DOA mediate the relationship between PBOS and PIS. The analysis results indicate that PBOS has a negative influence on PIS. In addition, OIR and DOA sequentially and partly mediate the relationship between PBOS and PIS. Pairwise comparisons amongst the three indirect effects suggest that OIR affects the PBOS-PIS relationship more than the other two effects. These results furnish substantial contributions that may advance a coherent theoretical framework on the pathways in which OIR and DOA may influence problematic internet shopping. Limitations of the current study and the implications of these findings are delineated.

General rather than specific: Cognitive deficits in suppressing task irrelevant stimuli are associated with buying-shopping disorder

Objective

To investigate associations between buying-shopping disorder (BSD) propensity and the performance in the Stroop Matching Task. This task measures stimulus interference, one specific component of behavioral impulsivity, using neutral (i.e. not buying related) stimuli. Deficits thus mirror a general rather than a specific deficit to resist task-irrelevant stimuli.

Method

222 participants completed the Stroop Matching Task, the Pathological Buying Screener, and various questionnaires assessing clinical background variables as well as trait-impulsivity.

Results

Correlation analyses showed that BSD propensity was associated with poorer performance in the Stroop Matching Task. Multiple regression analyses controlling for related disorders and trait-impulsivity indicated that BSD was the only significant predictor.

Conclusion

These findings indicate that BSD propensity is associated with deficits in the stimulus interference component of behavioral impulsivity, mirroring a general cognitive deficit. Since no other disorder significantly predicted the performance in the Stroop Matching Task, this deficit seems to be unique for BSD.

Shopping list development and use of advertisements' pre-store food-buying practices within different socio-economic status areas in South Africa

PURPOSE

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether there is a difference in the development of shopping lists and use of advertisements as pre-store food-buying practices in terms of planned shopping by South African consumers who dwell in different socio-economic status (SES) areas. The paper also considers the influence of shopper and socio-demographic characteristics on pre-store food-buying practices in a developing country.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey 1 200 consumers in retail stores in low, middle and high SES areas in South Africa. A generalised linear model was employed for the statistical analysis of pre-store food-buying practices within the SES area groups in a developing country.

FINDINGS

South African consumers that reside in high SES area displayed the largest of shopping list development, while consumers who dwell in low SES areas showed the highest incidence of advertisement usage. Several shopper and socio-demographic characteristics were also found to have an influence on pre-store food-buying practices in different SES areas in South Africa.

RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS

A qualitative approach would offer a deeper understanding of consumers' pre-store food shopping predispositions as opposed to the quantitative approach, which was adopted for this study. A longitudinal design would also provide a more extensive representation of pre-store food shopping practices over a longer time frame than cross-sectional research. The survey was conducted on Saturdays, whereas consumers who shop during the week may have different shopping and socio-demographic characteristics.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Astute food brands, marketers and grocery stores could use the findings of this study to assist with their marketing efforts that they direct at consumers in different SES areas in South Africa and other developing countries.

SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The findings of this study may assist consumers in developing countries, especially those who reside in low SES areas, with food-buying strategies to reduce food costs, make wiser purchase decisions and reduce shopping.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

No study (to the best of the researchers' knowledge) has considered shopping list development and use of advertisements' pre-store food-buying practices in different SES areas in a developing country. Furthermore, there is a dearth of research analysing shopper and socio-demographic characteristics in relation to pre-store food-buying practices among different SES areas in developing and developed countries.

The prevalence of compulsive buying: a meta-analysis

AIMS

To estimate the pooled prevalence of compulsive buying behaviour (CBB) in different populations and to determine the effect of age, gender, location and screening instrument on the reported heterogeneity in estimates of CBB and whether publication bias could be identified.

METHODS

Three databases were searched (Medline, PsychInfo, Web of Science) using the terms 'compulsive buying', 'pathological buying' and 'compulsive shopping' to estimate the pooled prevalence of CBB in different populations. Forty studies reporting 49 prevalence estimates from 16 countries were located (n = 32,000). To conduct the meta-analysis, data from non-clinical studies regarding mean age and gender proportion, geographical study location and screening instrument used to assess CBB were extracted by multiple independent observers and evaluated using a random-effects model. Four a priori subgroups were analysed using pooled estimation (Cohen's Q) and covariate testing (moderator and meta-regression analysis).

RESULTS

The CBB pooled prevalence of adult representative studies was 4.9% (3.4-6.9%, eight estimates, 10,102 participants), although estimates were higher among university students: 8.3% (5.9-11.5%, 19 estimates, 14,947 participants) in adult non-representative samples: 12.3% (7.6-19.1%, 11 estimates, 3929 participants) and in shopping-specific samples: 16.2% (8.8-27.8%, 11 estimates, 4686 participants). Being young and female were associated with increased tendency, but not location (United States versus non-United States). Meta-regression revealed large heterogeneity within subgroups, due mainly to diverse measures and time-frames (current versus life-time) used to assess CBB.

CONCLUSIONS

A pooled estimate of compulsive buying behaviour in the populations studied is approximately 5%, but there is large variation between samples accounted for largely by use of different time-frames and measures.

Prevalence and construct validity of compulsive buying disorder in shopping mall visitors

Compulsive buying is a relatively new psychopathological concept and very few data are currently available regarding the prevalence and validity of compulsive buying disorder. In this cross-sectional study, we establish the prevalence of compulsive buying disorder in shopping mall visitors and explore the construct validity of the concept using the revised version of the Edwards Compulsive Buying Scale in 1441 shopping mall visitors looking at shopping habits, current substance use (smoking, alcohol and illicit drug) and various psychological characteristics. Overall, 8.7% (95% CI: 7.3-10.3) of our sample was classified as having a compulsive buying disorder. Compulsive buyers were younger, less educated and more likely to be female than non-compulsive buyers. They were also more likely to have used licit and illicit substances. Compulsive buyers also reported higher levels of impulsivity and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, lower levels of well-being and self-esteem and more psychological distress. Finally, compulsive buyers were five times more likely to meet criteria for borderline personality disorder than non-compulsive buyers. Compulsive buying is a frequent disorder in shopping mall visitors and is associated with important and robust indicators of psychopathology thus supporting the validity of the construct.

How the economic situation moderates the influence of available money on compulsive buying of students - A comparative study between Turkey and Greece

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Few studies about compulsive buying consider the economic framing situation. This study is concerned with the impact of different economic environments - the crisis in Greece vs. the boom in Turkey - on compulsive buying tendencies of students, while taking the role of gender and available money into account.

METHODS

Compulsive buying was measured by a Greek and Turkish translation of the German Compulsive Buying Scale (Raab, Neuner, Reisch & Scherhorn, 2005) in Greece and Turkey, which enabled an identification of compulsive and compensatory buyers. The questionnaires were administered to 119 Turkish and 123 Greek students (n = 242) enrolled in several universities in Athens and Istanbul. The data collection was conducted in a controlled and standardized way, namely in group-sessions lasting about 5 minutes, which were conducted and supervised by co-workers of the involved universities.

RESULTS

The results have shown that the percentage of compensatory buyers, but not compulsive buyers, within the Greek students sample was significantly smaller than within the Turkish student sample. Further as assumed the moderation of the economic situation could be confirmed: More available money only has a facilitating effect on compulsive buying tendencies under a positive economic environment.

CONCLUSIONS

Anticipations about the financial situation and the general economic climate are more relevant for compulsive buying tendencies than one's actual available money. Compensatory, but not compulsive buying was significantly smaller under crisis.