The Effect of Hedonic Motivations, Socialibility and Shyness on the Implusive Buying Tendencies of the Irish Consumer

Abstract

Previous empirical studies have shown that consumers' hedonic shopping motivations can reliably predict their impulsive buying tendencies (IBT). Impulsivity has been shown to have strong roots in people’s personality (Verplanken and Herabadi 2001). This study extended current research to include two other personality constructs shyness and sociability that have not been tested against impulsivity in the literature. A questionnaire comprising of subscales of IBT, hedonic shopping motivations, shyness and sociability as developed by Verplanken and Herabadi (2001), Arnold and Reynolds (2003) and Cheek and Buss (1981) respectively was administered to 194 respondents in two prominent Dublin city centre shopping locations. Using a structural equation modeling technique, the effects of shyness and sociability on consumer’s impulsive buying tendency were analyzed. The effects of consumer’s hedonic shopping motivations along with their gender were also studied. Although no direct effect was found between either shyness or sociability and IBT, shyness did have a significant effect on hedonic motivations that in turn had a significant effect on IBT. Thus the results did confirm the effect of shyness on consumer’s IBT. No relation was found between sociability and IBT. Gender issues had a significant effect in the model. Finally the research corroborated the multifaceted character of impulsivity and the need for further research in the area.