Moderating effect of personality traits on relationships between retail therapy, compulsive buying, and hoarding for fashion products

Abstract

The goal of this research was to examine the relationships between retail therapy, compulsive buying and hoarding, and subsequently to investigate the moderating effect of consumers’ personality traits on the relationships between retail therapy and compulsive buying and between retail therapy and compulsive hoarding. A sample of 354 undergraduate and graduate students was used to examine the relationships. Participants who purchased fashion products to alleviate negative feelings (retail therapy) scored high on being compulsive buyers, and consumers who were involved in compulsive buying were inclined to hoard fashion products. Participants indicating a narcissistic authority-leadership personality were not engaged in compulsive buying even though they indicated they participated in retail therapy. Participants with a positive disposition, negative disposition, and a narcissistic high self-esteem personality were engaged in compulsive buying. Findings confirmed the connection between retail therapy and compulsive buying and hoarding. Fashion educators might want to discuss these connections with their fashion students as this group may be susceptible to these types of consumer problems