The impact of time pressure on impulsive buying: The moderating role of consumption type

Abstract

The research examines the effect of time pressure on impulsive buying via the moderation of consumption type by identifying positive emotion as the underlying mechanism. Firstly, we verify that time pressure is positively correlated with affective aspects of impulsive buying but negatively associated with cognitive aspects of impulsive buying. Notably, affective (vs. cognitive) impulsive buying is dominated by affective (vs. cognitive) information processing. Research also has shown that hedonic (vs. utilitarian) consumption is dominated by affective (vs. cognitive) information processing. We thus further illustrate that high time pressure increases impulsive buying for hedonic products/services whereas low time pressure enhances impulsive buying for utilitarian products/services. These effects are mediated by positive emotion. This research reconciles the conflicting findings of time pressure effect on impulsive buying, advances the knowledge of how time pressure impacts impulsive buying, and provides practical implications for tourism practitioners and marketers about promoting strategies of impulsive buying.