Compulsive buying among young consumers in Eastern Europe: a two-study approach to scale adaptation and validation

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how young Chinese consumers' money attitudes influence their compulsive buying behavior.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 303 undergraduate students from Tianjin and Ningbo (two major cities in coastal China) answered a self‐administered questionnaire.FindingsMoney attitudes were found to significantly affect young Chinese consumers' compulsive buying behaviour. Specifically, the Retention‐Time dimension significantly affected both male and female consumers' compulsive buying. However, the Power‐Prestige dimension only affected male consumers' compulsive buying. Finally, the Quality dimension had a greater impact on male than on female consumers' compulsive buying.Research limitations/implicationsThe data were collected in two major cities in the coastal region of China. Given the differences between coastal and inland China, caution must be taken when generalizing the research results to young consumers from inland China.Practical implicationsThe discussion of the relationships between young Chinese consumers' money attitudes and their compulsive buying will help marketers and policy makers to better understand these consumers' spending behaviour. Thus, marketers can identify new market opportunities and form marketing strategies to target young consumers in China. On the other hand, policy makers can also form more effective education strategies to help young consumers to spend wisely.Originality/valueDifferent from previous research in money attitudes and compulsive behaviour, the research provides an in‐depth overview of how male and female young Chinese consumers perceive money and how their beliefs about money affect their spending.

ABSTRACTThe current study explores the intersection of personal values theory, consumer culture, and compulsive buying behavior theories. By examining the importance of different values types, we aim to understand the extent to which specific values influence individuals' tendency to either embrace or resist maladaptive behaviors like compulsive buying. This study postulated that one's values can both contribute to the development of compulsive buying tendencies and act as a protective factor. Importantly, we explored this values‐compulsive relationship within the contrasting consumer cultures of the United States characterized by individualism, and Poland, which predominantly exhibits collectivistic trends. In this work, we utilized two distinct samples/studies of American (n = 367) and Polish (n = 370) consumers and employed two key measurement tools: the Portrait Values Questionnaire and the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale. The research findings revealed that values such as self‐direction, stimulation, hedonism, power, and achievement tend to promote compulsive buying tendencies irrespective of the cultural context. However, the prevalence of compulsive buying is more pronounced among American consumers compared to their Polish counterparts. Furthermore, the impact of hedonism and achievement on compulsive buying was twice as large in the United States as it was in Poland. On the other hand, values such as tradition, security, conformity, benevolence, and universalism appeared to help individuals in preventing or mitigating compulsive buying behavior. This study underscores the critical role of personal values, cultural variations, and their impact on compulsive buying tendencies among consumers. It highlights the presence of specific personal values that can either inhibit or facilitate the development of compulsive buying behaviors.

The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of the compulsive buying experience through an in-depth exploration of what it is like to be a compulsive buyer, and in particular, a compulsive clothing buyer. A phenomenological approach to inquiry was employed. In-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 6 females in the US. Participants were also asked to keep personal journals. Recorded interviews and journals were transcribed verbatim. Responses were analyzed thematically by the researchers. Four main core thematic areas emerged and were used to structure the interpretation: The Person, The Process, The Product, and The Path to Recovery. Findings from this study support and enhance previous studies suggesting the importance of clothing among compulsive buyers. However, this study is the first to offer potential explanations for this preference, including the physical attributes of the product as well as its ability to transform the self through appearance.

Most economies cannot prosper without production and mass consumption. However, when consumers overspend to keep up with the Joneses, they will be in trouble, both financially and psychologically. Indeed, when consumers allow spending to take over their lives, they suffer from an obsessive disorder commonly known as compulsive buying. The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual model based primarily on existing scientific and empirical research to explain the possible mechanism responsible in young adult consumers’ development of compulsive buying tendencies. The role of television viewing, family and peer communication environment on the development of materialistic values among young adult consumers is reviewed. Next, the effect of materialism on the development of compulsive buying behaviour is re-examined, and an integrated model of compulsive buying is formulated. On the basis of prior empirical research, materialism is highlighted as a possible moderator in the relationship between television viewing, family and peer communication environment influences on the development of compulsive buying tendencies among young adult consumers. Prior studies conducted in the domain of family environment and compulsive buying behaviour among young adult consumers, did not addressed (any) specific effect of family communication patterns on the development of compulsive buying tendencies. Key words: Compulsive buying; Materialism; Television viewing influences; Family and peer communication environment influences; Young adult consumers

Measuring compulsive buying behaviour: Psychometric validity of three different scales and prevalence in the general population and in shopping centres

Introduction Compulsive buying refers to a condition where consumers make purchases repetitively and excessively (Ridgway, Kukar-Kinney & Monroe, 2008; Japutra, Ekinci & Simkin, 2017). Previous literature shows that two types of behaviors characterize compulsive buying: impulsive buying and obsessive-compulsive buying (Ridgeway et al, 2008). Impulsive buying refers to unplanned purchase due to consumers’ inevitable impulse (Kacen & Lee, 2002), and obsessive-compulsive buying reflects a preoccupation in buying to reduce anxiety (Ridgway et al, 2008). Compulsive buying behaviors have been analyzed under the framework of motivation theory (McGuire, 1976). Nevertheless, research is still needed to understand more on the phenomena of compulsive buying (e.g., Kukkar-Kinney et al., 2016; Japutra et al., 2017). This study aims to explore the antecedents of compulsive buying behaviors using implicit theories. According to the implicit theories, mindset shapes the motivation of consumer behaviors (Dweck, 2000; Murphy & Dweck, 2016). Mindset refers to the beliefs about the nature of human characteristics, and individuals may possess two types of mindset – fixed and growth mindset (Murphy & Dweck, 2016). People with a fixed mindset believe that individuals’ qualities such as intelligence and competence are set and hard to change, whereas those with a growth mindset tend to believe that all individuals are able to change and develop through efforts and experiences. We argue that mindsets influence compulsive buying, and we propose that deal proneness mediates the relationship between mindset and compulsive buying. In doing so, we aim to enhance our knowledge in understanding how mindset affects compulsive buying behavior. Literature review and hypotheses According to the implicit theories, consumers with fixed mindsets believe that one’s abilities are fixed and hard to improve, and thus feel the need to prove, to themselves and others, that they have the abilities and/or they are successful (Murphy & Dweck, 2016). Thus, fixed mindset consumers tend to demonstrate their worth by using image-enhancing products and brands (Park & John, 2012). Deals, such as free gifts and offer of coupons, reduce the transaction cost and increase the perceived value of these image-enhancing purchases. In particular, since fixed mindset consumers favor success with little effort (Murphy and Dweck, 2016), deals can help them achieve their goal of image enhancement with lower cost. Thus, we hypothesize that: H1 Fixed mindset is positively related to deal proneness. For consumers with growth mindsets, a major motivation for their consumer behavior is to learn and improve (Murphy & Dweck, 2016). As the research by Blackwell et al. (2007) shows, growth mindset consumers are eager to participate in the self-improving process and achieve mastery. Thus, growth mindset consumers may perceive the information of discounts, free gifts and coupons as part of the adventurous process where they make the cost-benefit analysis and improve their abilities as wiser consumers. Thus, we propose: H2 Growth mindset is positively related to deal proneness. Previous studies show that compulsive buying is associated with high deal proneness (Kukar-Kinney et al, 2012). Deals may imply perceived value of the purchase and enhanced shopping enjoyment (Grewal, Monroe, & Krishnan, 1998), and thus serve as an effective contextual factor in inducing compulsive behaviors (Kukar-Kinney et al, 2016). Furthermore, deals provide an excuse and rationale for the purchase, which can be used to overcome the sense of guilt compulsive buyers often experience after their compulsive buying behavior (O’Guinn & Faber, 1989). Thus, we make the following hypotheses. H3 Deal proneness is positively related to impulsive buying. H4 Deal proneness is positively related to obsessive-compulsive buying. Finally, we argue that deal proneness mediates the relationship between consumer mindsets and compulsive buying behavior. According to the implicit theories, consumer mindsets inspire how consumption goals are pursued (Murphy & Dweck, 2016). Consumers with a fixed mindset pursue a performance goal, and they tend to use brands to feel positive about themselves and improve impression on others (Park & John, 2010). In contrast, consumers with a growth mindset hold that people can always learn and improve and thus are tuned to learning goals (Murphy & Dweck, 2016). Hence, for fixed mindset consumers, deal offers suggest lower costs for image-enhancing purchases, and provide an excuse for the compulsive buying behavior. For growth mindset consumers, deal offers can imply a learning and adventurous process .These consumers may feel that they can make better purchasing decisions by taking advantage of various deals. We thus hypothesize that: H5 Deal proneness mediates the relationship between fixed mindset and impulsive buying (H5a), between fixed mindset and obsessive-compulsive buying (H5b), between growth mindset and impulsive buying (H5c), and between growth mindset and obsessive-compulsive buying (H5d). Method A questionnaire was developed to gather responses and test the hypotheses. All of the items to measure the constructs were developed from existing scales based on previous research. Fixed and growth mindsets were measured using scales developed by Park and John (2012). Deal proneness was measured using items following Lichtenstein et al. (1997). Impulsive buying and obsessive-compulsive buying were measured using items developed by Ridgway et al. (2008). All items were rated on a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from “strongly disagree” (1) to “strongly agree” (7). The questionnaire was administered using an online survey (N=421 respondents). Of these, 57.7% were female, 71.5% had a university degree, 50% were 31-40 years old, 41% were 26-30 years old, and 46.3% had a monthly income of 5,001-10,000 RMB. Results and discussion To test the hypotheses within the research model, a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach was employed, using AMOS 18.0. First, a measurement model was created to assess the validity and reliability of the scales. The distribution of the data was checked. The absolute value of the skewness and kurtosis of each items were within +/- 1, suggesting normal distribution was achieved. The measurement model produced good fit (Hair et al., 2010): χ2(109) = 281.21, χ2/df = 2.58, GFI = .93, NFI = .93, CFI = .96, and RMSEA = .06. All values representing the AVE were greater than 0.5 and greater than the squared inter-constructs correlations, indicating convergent and discriminant validity were achieved (Fornell & Larcker, 1981). Cronbach’s alpha values exceeded .70, indicating the constructs were reliable (Hair et al., 1995). The results of the checking common-method variance problem through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) test revealed 3 factors with Eigen values greater than 1. The results accounted for 64.67% of the total variance, where the first factor accounted for 27.55% of the total variance, suggesting that common-method variance did not pose a significant problem since there was no general factor in the un-rotated structure (Podsakoff et al., 2003). Next, a structural model was created. The structural model produced good fit (Hair et al., 2010): χ2(114) = 476.15, χ2/df = 4.18, GFI = .89, NFI = .89, CFI = .91, and RMSEA = .09. Table 1 displays the results of SEM. The results support H1 and H2. Both fixed and growth mindsets are positively associated with deal proneness. The results support H3 and H4, which shows that deal proneness are positively associated with impulsive and obsessive-compulsive buying. The results support H5a, which states that deal proneness mediates the relationship between fixed mindset and impulsive buying. However, the results do not support H5b, H5c and H5d. Conclusion Using the implicit theories, this research aims to gain better insight into compulsive buying behavior. Our findings, obtained from a sample of respondents in China, show that deal proneness serves as a mediator between fixed mindset and compulsive buying behaviors. According to the implicit theories, consumer mindsets inspire how consumption goals are pursued (Murphy & Dweck, 2016). For instance, consumers with a fixed mindset pursue a performance goal. They tend to use brands to feel positive about themselves and improve impression on others (Park & John, 2010). Thus, it is likely that fixed mindset consumers buy compulsively to signal and communicate their “self” to others. In particular, for fixed mindset consumers, deals may increase the perceived value of image-enhancing purchases. Thus, deals provide an excuse for the compulsive purchase where fixed mindset consumers can improve self-image and demonstrate their worth with lower costs. Given this mediating role of deal proneness between fixed mindset and compulsive buying, it will be interesting to test further how consumers with a fixed mindset respond to different types of deals in future research. For firm managers and public policy makers, our findings imply that, to lessen consumers’ overspending, firms should reduce excessive number of deals, and governments should also regulate firms’ advertisement so that it will not overly promote deals.

Compulsive behavior is an important topic for social scientists. One form of this behavior is compulsive buying. Using data sets from two countries, the USA and South Korea, the Diagnostic Screener for Compulsive Buying (DSCB) (Faber and O'Guinn 1992) is tested with specific emphasis on the scale's cross‐cultural transferability. We find evidence that the DSCB is unidimensional in the USA and bi‐dimensional in South Korea, suggesting a lack of transferability. Potential cultural reasons for the findings are discussed in detail as well as the implications for public policy and future research.

Introduction: Research has found that psychopathology is positively associated with abnormal buying behavior. Nevertheless, it is required to further investigate internal mechanisms underlying this relationship. The current study aimed to examine the mediating role of boredom in the relationship between depression symptoms and compulsive buying behavior. Method: The research design was descriptive – correlational. From the female high school students’ population of Nourabad in the academic year of 2019, a total of 239 participants were selected using multistage cluster sampling and were tested by the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale, Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale, and Beck Depression Inventory- II .To analyze the data, path analysis were conducted. Results: The results showed that direct effect of depression symptoms on compulsive buying behavior were significantly positive. Also, results showed that the mediating role of boredom in the relationship between depression symptoms and compulsive buying behavior was significant. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that depression and boredom are two important factors affecting female students’ compulsive buying behavior. So, these findings highlighted the critical role of early intervention for compulsive buying behavior with a focus on those with depression symptoms and boredom.

Purpose The study aims to identify the factors that influence young consumers’ compulsive buying, particularly Gen Z consumers who exhibit fandom qualities such as sharing the same interests and being willing to collaborate with others. This study investigates the direct and indirect impact of brand love and brand addiction on the relationship between social media addiction and compulsive buying. Design/methodology/approach The study collected data from 338 Gen Z fandoms. The snowball sampling approach is used to determine and collect data from the sample. To test for hypotheses, the study used the PROCESS macro with bootstrapping techniques to explore the direct and indirect relationships, as well as the moderated serial mediation model in this study. Findings The study found that social media addiction influences compulsive buying via the hierarchical linkages between brand love and brand addiction. Trash talking functions as a stimulant, amplifying the effect of brand addiction on compulsive buying. Research limitations/implications The data were collected from young Thai consumers; thus, the generalizability aspect of the research is limited and needs to be tested in different countries and cultures. Originality/value This research provides several key contributions to the understanding of compulsive buying behavior among Gen Z, particularly within the context of a developing country. By integrating the stimulus-organism-response framework and psychological theories, this study offers a nuanced understanding of how social media addiction influences emotional and behavioral outcomes. Previous studies have primarily focused on these variables in isolation. The study fills this gap by demonstrating the sequential pathway through which social media addiction translates into compulsive buying behavior via brand love and brand addiction.

Compulsive buying is a psychosocial symptom as indicated by excessive buying behavior, even items purchased not always have a positive use value. This study analyzes the existing compulsive buying in adolescence and review of the role offamily factors. The hypothesis is there a relationship between compulsive buying behavior in families with several factors, including a divorce in the family, the family members of deviant behavior, patterns communication in families, parental yielding, and the perceptions of parents of compulsive buying. The subject of this research is student of senior high school and university in Yogyakarta. This research using compulsive buying scale, deviant behavior of family member scale, pattern communication in families scale, parental yielding scale, and perceptions of parents of compulsive buying scale.Through a quantitative approach to the studyfound that of the severalfactors mentioned, there is only perception of compulsive buying factor that has a positive influence on compulsive buying behavior. Regression analysis showed that compulsive buying behavior in adolescents, 8.2 % is determined by the perception of the parents and the rest of the behavior is influenced by otherfactors. The more positive perception ofthe parents, then the compulsive buying behavior in which appears also higher. Conversely, the more negative the perception of older people who appear compulsive buying is also lower.Key words: Compulsive buying, family factors

Background and aims: Compulsive buying is a severe phenomenon, especially among younger consumers. It is well documented in Western industrial societies like the USA and Germany, and nowadays an increasing interest in compulsive buying in non-Western countries is on the rise. Methods: In the current study, we measured the prevalence of compulsive buying tendencies among Chinese female and male students by using a Chinese translation of the German Compulsive Buying Scale (Raab, Neuner, Reisch & Scherhorn, 2005). We examined the influence of gender, location and age using ANCOVA, and binary logistic regression. Results: Factor analysis identified three factorial dimensions of compulsive buying tendencies which are impairment of impulse control and reactive or compensatory aspects, reduced rationality according to money spending, and post-purchase guilt. Our results indicated that about 6.7% of the sample shows a compulsive buying pattern, and that females are more affected. For location, a geographic difference between Chongqing and Fuzhou was found for the overall compulsive tendencies, but not for the percentages of compulsive buyers. Conclusions: In sum, the existing study provides evidence that Chinese consumers have a factorial structure which differs somewhat in compulsive buying from Western samples. Observations about gender and location were considered. These findings give a deeper understanding of China’s compulsive buying behavior.

Era digitalisasi saat ini, berbelanja tidak hanya dapat dilakukan secara langsung di tokonya namun dapat juga dilakukan secara online. Hadirnya e-commerce dalam platform digital tersebut memberi kemudahan seseorang untuk melihat berbagai macam referensi produk yang akan mereka beli, membuat seseorang melakukan pembelian produk yang mereka inginkan dengan segera melalui belanja online. Proses pembelian yang dilakukan tanpa perencanaan dan dilakukan saat itu juga untuk menimbulkan rasa puas dan menghilangkan ketegangan yang bersifat sementara, kemudian pada diri seseorang akan timbul rasa bersalah dan penyesalan hal ini biasa disebut dengan compulsive buying. Faber dan O'Guinn (1989) juga menyatakan konsumen dengan kecenderungan compulsive buying sering menggunakan pembelian sebagai suatu kompensasi terhadap suatu kondisi yang tidak menyenangkan dan juga disebabkan oleh self esteem yang rendah. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui hubungan self esteem dengan online compulsive buying produk fashion pada konsumen perempuan. Menggunakan rancangan penelitian kuantitatif korelasional dengan tenik pengumpulan data menggunakan skala likert dengan pembagian kuesioner yang telah disusun berdasarkan dimensi self esteem dan compulsive buying. Subjek dalam penelitian ini berjumlah 151 konsumen perempuan pengguna aplikasi Tokopedia dan Shopee. Teknik pengumpulan data menggunakan teknik purposive sampling dengan kriteria yang telah ditentukan. Uji hipotesis pada penelitian ini menggunakan uji product moment dengan bantuan Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Berdasarkan hasil analisis data dari penelitian diperoleh nilai p sebesar 0.026 dengan nilai korelasi antar variable sebesar -0.181. Kesimpulan dari penelitian ini adalah kedua variable berhubungan negative dan signifikan. Memiliki arti, semakin rendah self esteem seseorang, perilaku compulsive buying akan semakin tinggi, begitu pula sebaliknya, semakin tinggi self esteem seseorang, perilaku compulsive buying akan cenderung rendah.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to re-examine the characteristics of compulsive buying behaviour (CBB) based on a new improved screener. The study analyses young compulsive buyer attitudes, decision-making, product preferences, the impact of credit card use and post-purchase perspectives in relation to CBB severity. Design/methodology/approach The study takes a quantitative approach to the analysis of compulsive behaviour among young consumers, using data from a questionnaire survey and a large sample. A wide range of statistical procedures and structural equation modelling are used in the analysis. Findings The segmentation of compulsive buyers, on the basis of disorder severity, provides important insights into the asymmetrical between-group variation in anxiety levels, product preferences, feelings, attitudes and credit card impact and the within-group variability in daily compulsivity patterns and associated shopping behaviour. Research limitations/implications Although the overall used sample size is large, the subdivision of compulsive consumers into mild and severe categories resulted in a relatively small group of severely compulsive buyers; hence, further research is recommended to corroborate the findings from this study. In addition, this research does not address the disorder’s temporal dimension; therefore, future longitudinal studies should be undertaken to analyse the progression and characteristics of the disorder over time. Practical implications The significant differences between mild compulsive buyers and severely compulsive buyers make a significant contribution to counselling practitioners because of the different levels of support that should be offered in relation to the severity of the condition. Originality/value The study compares non-compulsive behaviour with occasionally compulsive, mildly compulsive and severely compulsive consumers using an improved screening tool. It identifies critical criteria that distinguish between mild and severe forms of the disorder, which have hitherto been neglected, yet represent key diagnostic and predictive factors, which can inform both early intervention and our understanding of CBB and its complexity.

PurposeThis study aims to investigate young consumers' compulsive buying tendency from the perspective of psychological motivation. Specifically, this research aims to study the influence of public self‐consciousness and materialism on young consumers' compulsive buying.Design/methodology/approachA self‐administered survey was distributed to a class at a Mid‐Western university. LISREL 8.7 was employed to assess the validity and reliability of the constructs by using confirmatory factor analyses and to test the hypotheses by using structural equation modeling.FindingsMaterialism was found to have a strong, significant and direct influence on young consumers' compulsive buying tendency. Public self‐consciousness was strongly related to young consumers' compulsive buying tendency. However the influence of public self‐consciousness on compulsive buying tendency was mediated by materialism.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature on young consumers' compulsive buying. Not only is the influence of materialism confirmed, but this study also provides an insight into the motivation behind compulsive buying by investigating the relationship between public self‐consciousness and compulsive buying.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of materialism on credit card (CC) use and impulsive buying (IB) and compulsive buying (CB) behaviour. Furthermore, it assesses whether CC use and IB behaviour mediate the relationship between materialism and CB behaviour. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from adult consumers with CCs via an online survey. For model assessment, a two-step approach was followed. First, a measurement model was created and tested using maximum likelihood estimation and validity of the study constructs was assessed. This was followed by structural equation modelling to test the hypotheses. Findings Materialism influences CC use and increases the propensity for IB (IB), which then precipitates CB habits. Reduction in CC use can decrease both IB and CB. Out of the six hypotheses assessed, only the one linking CC use to CB was not supported, requiring further investigation. Mediation relationships were identified, where CC use and IB act as mediators between materialism and CB. Research limitations/implications The paper captured responses from adult consumers of India. Hence, the findings may not be generalised across geographies and age groups. The study contributes to the debate on the impulsive–CB paradigm by showing that impulsive and CB are not distinct constructs. In fact, the former could lead to the latter. Practical implications CC use in itself need not necessarily lead to CB. The only way CC could cause CB is through IB. Hence, firms must promote responsible buying habits, as there has been an increase in IB, which, if not controlled, could lead to debt trap resulting from CB. The findings of this paper will help both retailers and CC institutions to better understand the spending pattern of consumers. Those will also help the policymakers to chalk out ways to the curb indiscriminate issuance of CCs without educating users. Originality/value The findings confirm that IB and CB exist on two ends of a continuum, and not as two distinct theoretical constructs. IB acts as a mediator between CC use and CB as well as between materialism and CB.