The Impact of Culture on Impulse Buying Behavior in Bangladesh

Abstract

Objective: The primary aim of the paper is to investigate the impact of culture on impulse buying behavior for an emerging nation, Bangladesh. Methodology: After conducting a detailed literature review, a questionnaire survey was developed. Using a non-probabilistic snowball sampling, a sample size of 351 was attained. Exploratory factor analysis was employed to understand the six cultural dimensions of Hofstede’s model and impulse purchasing behavior, and OLS multiple regression was performed to test the association of the dimensions of culture with impulse buying behavior. Findings: The results indicate that there is a significant positive relationship between masculinity and impulse buying behavior. Surprisingly, the results suggest that the other five cultural dimensions do not have any significant association with impulse buying behavior, implying that these specific cultural constructs do not influence consumers' impulse buying behavior in Bangladesh. Novelty: Typically, academic research has focused on the individualism/collectivism or power distance dimensions at the cultural level primarily on the developed countries’ context, therefore, calling for further research including several dimensions of Hofstede's cultural model. The novelty of the paper lies in its consideration of including all six dimensions of Hofstede’s model in the context of an emerging nation. Type of Paper: Empirical. JEL Classification: M31, M39. Keywords: Impulse Buying Behavior; Culture; Emerging Economy; Bangladesh; Hofstede Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Chowdhury, F; Mehjabeen, M. (2021). The Impact of Culture on Impulse Buying Behavior in Bangladesh, Journal of Management and Marketing Review, 6(1) 73 – 85. https://doi.org/10.35609/jmmr.2021.6.1(8)