Beauty and impulse: how body image influences impulse buying

The main subject of this study is impulsive buying and compulsive buying behaviors that can occur in consumers’ online shopping and are considered as the unusual or irrational aspects of purchasing. The study mainly focused on personal factors that may be the precursors of these behaviors. In this respect, the study aims to statistically analyze the relationships between the five-factor personality traits, consumer decision-making styles, impulsive buying, and compulsive buying variables based on the relational screening model. It aims to determine which personality and decision-making styles are associated with impulsive and compulsive buying. Within the scope of quantitative research, data was obtained through a survey method from 478 participants, which was determined through convenience sampling and analyzed. The findings from the analyses showed a significant negative relationship between agreeableness and impulsive buying behavior regarding personality traits and, similarly, between openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness and compulsive buying behavior. It has been revealed that consumers who buy brand consciousness, fashion consciousness, recreational orientation, indecisiveness, impulsive, and habitual decision-making styles are more prone to impulsive and compulsive buying. The study’s findings are expected to contribute to understanding the personality and characteristic features of consumers’ behaviors.

PurposeThis study aims to examine the effects of cruise attributes on impulse buying of service customers through impulsive buying tendency. Specifically, this study investigates whether service attributes (variety of selection and price) influence the impulsive buying behavior of customers by stimulating their impulsive buying tendency.Design/methodology/approachPartial least squares-structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesis using a sample of 143 cruise customers. Mediating analysis was conducted to examine whether customer personal traits (impulsivity) mediated the relationship between service attributes and impulsive buying behavior.FindingsThe findings showed that price attributions had a significant positive direct impact on impulsive buying tendency and behavior, while a variety of selections had a significant direct effect on impulse buying behavior. The results revealed a significant mediating role of impulsive buying tendency in the relationship between price attributions and impulse buying.Originality/valueAlthough studies on the decision-making style of service customers have been widely discussed, a limited number of studies has examined customers’ impulsive buying behavior in the service sector. Considering the importance of impulsive purchasing as a valuable marketing tool, the results of this study can help service providers and researchers enhance their knowledge of the mechanism of impulse buying behavior.

The concept of impulsive buying is important because it offers an opportunity to enhance profits. Despite the effect of impulsive purchase in the service environment, limited research has been conducted to understand customers’ impulsive buying behavior. Given the unique characteristic of cruise experience, this study aims to investigate the relationship between individuals’ traits, emotions, and impulsive buying behavior. PLS–SEM tests the hypotheses using a sample of 143 cruise customers. Based on trait activation theory, results reveal that impulsive buying tendency has an impact on positive and negative affects and impulsive buying behavior. Furthermore, customers’ emotion mediates the relationship between impulsive buying tendency and behavior. Findings improve the understanding regarding the psychological mechanism of cruise customers’ impulsive buying behavior.

The transformation in consumer purchasing patterns and the corresponding factors is a pertinent issue and a captivating subject for further examination by marketers and scholars in contemporary times. Within this context, the impulsive and compulsive buying behaviors among young individuals in Tebing Tinggi who utilize halal cosmetics have become the focal point of this research endeavor. The primary objective of this study is to ascertain the potential impact of hedonic motivation on impulsive and compulsive buying tendencies. The methodology adopted involves the utilization of accidental sampling technique encompassing a total of 200 participants. The data analysis procedure employed is Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings indicate a positive and noteworthy correlation between hedonic motivation and impulsive buying behavior. Moreover, there exists a constructive and significant association between impulsive buying and compulsive purchasing patterns. Conversely, hedonic motivation does not exhibit any influence on compulsive buying behavior.

Customer research has paid a lot of attention to consumer impulse buying. The phenomena is intriguing since it is influenced by both external, market-related inputs and a number of internal psychological elements. The research attempts to comprehend the factors affecting impulse buying behaviour of consumers typically when they consider purchasing new products. Furthermore, the effects of different concepts on the impulse buying are discovered, such as impulse buying intention, new product knowledge and promotional signage in the Pakistani context. This study uses a survey method to test a theoretically grounded set of hypotheses. Using a 22 items questionnaire, the data were obtained from 200 respondents and the data were analysed using SPSS. This study findings reveal that new product knowledge and promotional signage has positive and significant influence on consumers’ impulse buying behaviour as well as impulse buying intention, similarly our mediator that is impulse buying intention also has a positive significant influence on consumers’ impulse buying behaviour. There lies a partial mediation between the promotional signage and impulse buying behaviour in the presence of mediator but impulse buying intention has no significant mediating impact between new product knowledge and impulse buying behaviour. The paper supports the importance of new product knowledge and promotional signage as key drivers of consumer’s impulse buying behaviour. It further underlines the importance of consumer’s impulse buying intention with a mediating effect between new product knowledge, promotional signage and consumer’s impulse buying behaviour. Marketers, retailers, executives and managers can have advantage from these findings for future marketing strategies and can acquire new customers by retaining the old ones to achieve long-term performance objectives. Keywords: Impulse Buying, Behaviour, Purchase Intention, Product Knowledge, Promotional Signage.

Background The existing research on impulse buying behavior mainly discusses the influence of external stimuli on impulse buying intention, while there is less research on the internal psychological factors of impulse buying behavior. This paper aims to explore the psychological process of consumers' compliance with impulsive purchase after reading online word-of-mouth, as well as the regulatory effect of impulsive purchase intention and purchase constraint. Research Objects and Methods Taking belief, desire and willingness behavior as the research object, this paper discusses the influence of conformity psychological process on impulsive purchase behavior, as well as the regulatory effect on product demand cognition and purchase constraints. We design a structural equation model from four dimensions: compliance, product desire, impulse purchase intention and product demand cognition. Through this model, we verify the causal relationship between dimensions, the impact of impulsive purchase intention on impulsive purchase behavior and the adjustment of purchase constraints. Through an online survey, 616 valid questionnaires were collected from consumers who had at least online word-of-mouth experience in the past six months. Results Consumers' compliance after reading online word-of-mouth had a positive impact on product desire. Consumers' product desire has a positive impact on impulse purchase intention. Impulse purchase intention has a positive impact on impulse purchase behavior. Purchase constraints have a negative regulatory effect on the impact of impulsive purchase intention on impulsive purchase behavior. Product demand cognition has no moderating effect between conformity and product desire. The results showed that impulse purchase was significantly negatively correlated with economic support ability, self-control and emotion perception, emotion evaluation, emotion control and emotion regulation reflex, emotion regulation self-efficacy (P < 0.01), and emotion regulation self-efficacy (P < 0.05); It was positively correlated with self-care ability, emotion regulation ability and all dimensions (P < 0.01); Incentive autonomy and emotion regulation ability were significantly positively correlated with each dimension (P < 0.01); The ability of self-control and emotion regulation were significantly negatively correlated with each dimension (P < 0.01). Conclusion The same online word of mouth has different effects on different consumers. This influence depends on the conformity degree of consumers, which affects consumers' product desire and indirectly increases the possibility of consumers' impulse purchase through the increase of impulse purchase intention. Purchase constraint can inhibit impulse buying behavior. If enterprises can effectively connect online word-of-mouth with the product purchase process, when consumers have product desire due to the integration effect caused by online word-of-mouth, they can directly guide consumers to the purchase step, so that consumers can complete the purchase in a short time. Therefore, effectively linking the herd effect of online word-of-mouth with consumers' browsing word-of-mouth is an effective way for enterprises to stimulate herd consumers' impulse buying behavior. From a sequential perspective, this paper discusses the psychological process of consumers' impulse purchase and the role of regulatory variables under the background of the popularity of mobile Internet, and discusses the internal changes of positive and negative emotions in the process of consumers' impulse purchase. This is an in-depth study of online impulse buying behavior. Acknowledgements The work is supported by Science and Technology Planning Project of Henan Province of China (soft science research), grant number 212400410095.

Impulse buying is a well-known fact. With the increase in internet users and growth in e-commerce, consumers have more opportunities for impulse buying. Over $4 billion US economy is based on impulse buying. This study explored the direct and indirect effects of dispositional variables (Impulse buying tendency, Shopping excitement trait and Lack of self-control) and situational variables (Time availability and Money availability) on consumers’ impulse buying behavior. Moreover, the mediation role of impulse buying tendency between dispositional and impulse buying behavior, and situational variables and impulse buying behavior has also been analyzed. The hypotheses were tested using partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results confirmed the direct effects of antecedents on impulse buying behavior. Whereas, the mediation role of impulse buying tendency is only confirmed between shopping excitement trait and impulse buying behavior. The findings have important managerial implications. Keywords: dispositional, situational, impulse buying, impulse buying tendency, lack of self-control DOI : 10.7176/EJBM/11-1-11

The rapid growth of the retail market, coupled with increased consumer income, has led to a surge in impulsive and unplanned shopping. This study aims to examine the relationships between multi-sensory marketing, customers' moods, impulsive buying traits, and impulsive buying behavior, using the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model. Customers' mood acts as a mediator and impulsive buying traits as a moderator. The researchers surveyed 450 consumers in Vietnam using the method of non-probability sampling and analyzed the data using SPSS and Smart PLS 4.0. The results show that customers' moods and impulsive buying traits positively influence impulsive buying behavior, with impulsive buying traits also significantly moderating the relationship between mood and impulsive buying. Additionally, customers' moods mediate the relationship between multi-sensory marketing and impulsive buying behavior. This research fills gaps in previous research by incorporating multi-sensory marketing and impulsive buying traits as variables and provides managerial implications for businesses and retailers to develop effective marketing strategies to encourage impulsive purchases and increase sales. Academically, the research reaffirms the relevance of the S-O-R model in the retail context and paves the way for future investigations into consumers' impulsive buying behavior. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2024-08-05-05 Full Text: PDF

Purpose The purpose of the current exploratory study is to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the essence of impulse buying and postulate the drivers behind it for Azerbaijani consumers who practice Islam. Though there are numerous factors that impact impulsive buyer tendencies, current empirical research focuses on demographic indicators and persona characteristics that influence impulsive buying, which are considered as internal factors. Design/methodology/approach The current research is exploratory and uses the quantitative research method. A total of 442 responses were collected from the surveys between April 6th and May 6th, 2022, with random sampling. The collected data was analyzed with the SPSS Statistics software and the SPSS AMOS 26 version. Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to measure the reliability of the scales. The construct validity of the questionnaire was measured with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The correlation among variables was measured by calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient. The structural equation model was run to determine the structural relationship between latent variables and test the proposed hypotheses. Findings According to the regression weights, all the latent variables, excluding materialism, have a statistically significant impact on the impulsive buying tendency. Hedonic motivation and self-esteem have a positive relationship with hedonic buying tendency, while self-control is inversely related. In terms of the impact of demographic indicators on impulsive buying tendency, for Azerbaijani consumers, impulsive buying behavior, differs based on age, education and marital status. However, contrary to previous research, impulsive buying behavior does not change based on income level. However, based on the squared multiple correlations, the predictive power of the model is 24%. Research limitations/implications The current study measured the general impulsive behavior of the local population. Analyzing impulsive buyer behavior toward particular products or product categories might lead to different results. Therefore, other researchers can focus on studying impulsive buyer behavior toward different product categories. Practical implications Understanding consumer buyer behavior, including impulsive buyer behavior, is among extensively researched subjects. However, studies examining the state of impulsive buyer behavior in Azerbaijan and, most importantly, measuring the impact of the numerous factors behind it are lacking. The majority of the available empirical research in Azerbaijan analyzes consumer behavior from a different perspective. However, none of them approaches it from the perspective of analyzing and measuring impulsive buying. Hence, understanding the motivations behind impulse buying behavior can benefit both businesses and consumers, though for contrasting reasons. The former can use the data to determine the triggers for impulse buying, while the latter can be more conscious of their purchasing behavior to avoid unfavorable financial consequences. The primary implication for businesses is that they will be equipped with empirical evidence on which factors and to what extent they influence consumer buying behavior. Subsequently, they can use it while developing marketing and customer relationship strategies. Originality/value There are countless studies focused on defining and measuring impulsive buyer behavior; however, there is a gap in measuring the impulsive buyer behavior of Muslim consumers and, most importantly, understanding the underlying factors. In addition, empiric research examining the state of impulsive buyer behavior of local Muslim consumers in Azerbaijan and, most importantly, measuring the impact of numerous factors behind it is absent. The majority of the available empirical research in Azerbaijan analyzes consumer behavior from a different perspective. However, none of them approaches it from the perspective of analyzing and measuring impulsive buying. The current study analyzes the impact of consumers’ hedonic motivations, materialist values, ability to retain self-control and psychological state on their impulse buying tendency.

This study aims to examine the role of environmentally induced stimulation in influencing impulse buying. In addition, the authors seek to investigate the impact of two situational factors (availability of time and money) on impulse buying. The present research empirically tests a theoretical model of impulse buying by examining the associations between impulse buying and environment of store, visual merchandising, promotions, impulse buying tendency (IBT), examination goods and availability of time and money. A total of 329 customer surveys were collected and these were analyzed using partial least squares (PLS). Findings show that promotion environment of store and examination of goods have most related with impulse buying behavior. On other hand, results prove that there is not significant relationship between customers’ impulse buying behaviors and two situational factors (availability of time and money) and visual merchandising. This study provides insights to retailers about types of environment of store that can influence consumers’ impulse buying behaviors. Key words: Impulse buying, customers, environment of store, visual merchandising, impulse buying tendency (IBT), promotions.

Impulsive buying behavior has increased alongside the growth of digital transactions and technological advancements that simplify purchasing. Psychological studies have scientifically demonstrated that e-commerce website design and enjoyable online shopping experiences can trigger positive emotions that drive impulsive buying behavior, especially in women where self-esteem and body image have been proven to be contributing factors. The urgency to examine this issue has been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been found to stimulate impulsive buying. With self-control and financial literacy as moderating factors, researchers are focusing on the phenomenon of impulsive buying among women in their early adulthood, as this age group is considered the most vulnerable to impulsive buying behavior. Researchers aim to investigate how self-control and financial literacy might mitigate the influence of parasocial relationships on impulse buying tendencies, with the ultimate goal of preventing individuals in early adulthood from getting trapped in the cycle of impulsive buying and its long-term ripple effects. Participants in this study are 195 women aged 18 to 25 who have a favorite celebrity figure and had purchased beauty products in the previous two months. According to the findings of simple regression analysis, parasocial relationships affect impulsive purchasing tendencies (F(1.191) = 12.100, p < .05, = .059, = .054). It was also discovered that self-control has a moderating role on the influence of parasocial relationships toward impulse buying tendencies (R =.4172, F(1.191) = 13.4189, p < .05), but financial literacy has no moderating role.

Beatty and Ferrell (1998) define impulse buying as a sudden and immediate purchase without pre-shopping intention to either buy a specific product or fulfill a task. Several studies have been conducted to understand the factors that encourage/ affect impulse buying (Lim and Yazdanifard, 2015). Muruganantham and Bhakat (2013) state impulse buyers are influenced by several factors that could be either related to the shopping environment, shoppers' traits, situational factors, or cultural factors. Cultural aspects of impulse buying can help both practitioners and researchers to develop a better understanding of impulse buying (Muruganantham and Bhakat, 2013; Park and Choi, 2013; Kacen and Lee, 2008). Typically, the focus of marketers has been only on the individualism/collectivism or power distance dimensions at the cultural level (Zhang et al., 2010; Shoham et al., 2015); therefore consumer behavior researchers call for further research that includes several dimensions of Hofstede's cultural model which may reveal essential insights about the understanding of consumers' impulse buying behavior (Park and Choi, 2013; Shoham et al., 2015). This paper fulfills this gap and explores the impact of culture on impulse buying behavior in an emerging economy like Bangladesh. The study also expands the understanding of the insights gained by considering all six cultural dimensions of Hofstede, which has not been previously conducted in the context of an emerging economy. Bangladesh, with a GDP growth rate of more than 6% over the last decade along with an increasingly growing affluent middle-class consumers, has become a hotspot of global companies as more and more of these companies are expanding to the Bangladesh market. Thus marketers need to have some comprehension of the cultural context of the target market to formulate the right marketing strategies. Keywords: Impulse Buying Behaviour, Culture, Emerging Economy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the impact of social media and materialism on impulsive buying decisions and real estate. Furthermore, the paper examines whether social media correlates with materialism and provides insights that will facilitate a better economic climate.Design/methodology/approachThe data for the study was collected using an online survey circulated among young immigrants in Canada. A five-point Likert scale was used, followed by structure modeling to test the hypothesis.FindingsThe findings reveal how impulsive buying behaviors are influenced by materialism and social media among young immigrants. The data support two hypotheses since it confirms that social media affects the amount of materialistic wants possessed by respondents and that the higher their levels of materialism, the more likely they are to make impulsive buying decisions, especially when it comes to buying real estate.Research limitations/implicationsAs the data was limited to Canada, the findings are limited to this region and could vary across geographic regions. The age group was not considered as a huge factor as minors do not always have the purchasing power in terms of housing.Practical implicationsMaterialism, social media and impulsive buying may not always lead to purchasing a home spontaneously. However, one must still consider their financial situation before purchasing anything. The findings in this paper will help customers and consumers of social media to understand what truly drives impulsive buying, resulting in unnecessary purchases.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the factors affecting impulsive real estate buying decisions among young immigrants in Canada, including social media and materialism.

Livestreaming e-commerce has emerged as a highly profitable e-commerce that has revolutionized the retail industry, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, research on livestreaming e-commerce is still in its infancy. This study sheds new light on impulsive purchase behavior in livestreaming e-commerce. Based on stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory, this study introduces the “People-Product-Place” marketing strategy for livestreaming e-commerce from the perspective of consumer perception and aims to understand the impact of marketing strategy on impulsive purchase behavior in e-commerce livestreaming shopping scenes, and to examine the mediating effect of involvement. The study conducted SEM analysis, in Amos, on 437 response sets from an online anonymous survey. The results show that perceived e-commerce anchor attributes, perceived scarcity, and immersion positively influence impulsive purchase behavior; that “People-Product-Place” marketing strategy is important; and that effective marketing triggers impulsive purchase. Perceived e-commerce anchor attributes, perceived scarcity, and immersion positively influence involvement, which positively influences impulsive purchase. Involvement mediates between perceived e-commerce anchor attributes, perceived scarcity and immersion, and impulsive purchase. These findings guide marketers to improve the profitability of livestreaming e-commerce and provide some references of economic recovery for many other countries that also suffered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Culture plays a significant buying role in shaping different aspects of consumer behavior such as rational, impulse, and compulsive buying behavior. Impulse buying is one of the prevalent phenomena that significantly affect the sales revenue of companies. This study focuses on unveiling the interaction between cultural factors and impulse buying behavior. For this systematic literature review, 112 significant articles were examined to understand the relationship between various aspects of culture and impulse buying behavior in both online and offline contexts. Further investigation of impulse buying in cross-cultural context helps to understand and classify different theoretical perspectives to study impulse buying behavior and cultural factors. This study offers practical implications for retail professionals and e-commerce strategists to design and implement viable cross-cultural marketing campaigns. Academic researchers may also understand research gaps and contribute further to understanding cross-cultural impulse buying.