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The Psychology of Impulse Buying: Understanding the Science Behind Consumer Behavior

1. Introduction to Impulse Buying

The phrase “Impulse Buying” both suggests a portrayal of consumer behavior and acknowledges a body of theoretical understanding that is of interest to investigators and marketers working in the field of perceptual psychology, either directly or indirectly through the prism of consumer behavior theory. In terms of contribution to the marketing discourse, “Impulse Buying” is a strongly factual inhabitant of the territory controlled by the descriptivist. It is tempting to adopt this perspective (as so many researchers and so much other writers do), but for present purposes, this approach is largely to beg the question. Several investigators have argued that research and theory-testing on impulse purchasing might be of fundamental interest to the consumer researchers and in the procedures they champion, yet they have had little or no effect on theoretical expansion or development in marketing itself. Nevertheless, the significance of understanding impulse buying is generally clear. Michman has expressed the view that once recognized, impulse buying’s rename is a useful examination of social change, and a long-term trend researcher argues that within an aging consumer society, the Phosis will acquire increasing relevance in the future. In the event, some kind of coverage of impulse purchasing seems to be sensible as a sign of the times.

“If you want most people to buy something, it is more effective to place an item in a suggestive location in a store than it is to reduce the real cost of the item” (Hoch and Loewenstein, 1991). A product’s position or circumstance of placement in a particular organization of storefront room or on the shelf can create impulsive or impulse-constraining conduct on the part of a consumer, and the suggested link is taught by Majewski and Mabry. The insight they adopt is the cultural insight of Erving Goffman, according to which frames are closely identified with the conduct taking place within the boundary of the frame in question.

2. Factors Influencing Impulse Buying Behavior

Several factors may influence impulse buying behavior. These can be external, situational, psychological or interpersonal, and marketers need to use different strategies to stimulate the same behavior for various consumer goods and services. All these factors play a part in the process of deciding if the good would be purchased and are difficult to categorize because not only do they vary from one person to the next, but they are fueled by a variety of reasons. Marketers have traditionally employed ad strategies to promote impulsive buying. Peer influence has been linked to impulsive buying in numerous other investigations. Impulse buyers are also highly susceptible to outdoor advertising. So the billboards, warning signs, displays, and promotions aimed at impulse buyers should have appropriate content. A variety of variables that contribute to impulsive purchasing were discovered. Previous study demonstrates that certain aspects help to raise the chances of impulse purchasing. For example, if life is moving fast or the buyer is in a various competitive situation and the customer seems to be in a higher-class atmosphere, consumers are more likely to engage in impulse buying. Also, when consumers feel good or want to eliminate their latest depression or worry, they are more likely to purchase impulsively. Inter-cultural differences in impulsive purchasing behavior influenced by the sense of regret in different cultures were related to common buying behavior of people.

Different studies have shown that the development of impulse purchasing is very intriguing for both consumers and sellers. While it was previously thought to be more rational and planned, the latest findings suggest that decisions depend on the situation and the environment. Impulse buying has received a lot of attention because it is not only a critical concept in economic theory but also serves as the foundation for many contemporary marketing strategies. People who engage in this behavior pay little attention to product attributes, growing a higher demand for impulsive buying goods.

3. Impulse Buying vs. Planned Purchases: A Comparative Analysis

Psychology and business studies, case studies or empirical research about customer shopping behavior, purchase intention and the relationship between planned purchasing behavior and impulse buying or opposite researches rank interest of the majority. The attitude of purchasers and reasons for buying and the factors affecting the shopping process are the profitability of the business in the commercial activity. The increasing interest of consumers makes it possible to understand their actions and motives more accurately and to establish a behavioral model issue as important. In different studies that have been done, it suggests that there is a big difference between planned purchasing behavior and impulse buying behavior. While M. Madhav (2017) finds that impulsive buying behavior is an important mediator relationship among customer shopping involvement and customer satisfaction, in this study, planned purchasing behavior, according to the level of customer shopping involvement, does not have an effect on customer satisfaction.

Impulse buying and planned purchases are two different patterns of consumer behavior. While planned purchases are based on practical and rational thinking, impulse buying has an impulsive and unplanned nature. However, the two behaviors are not completely conflicting. Planned purchases are our usual shopping behavior and have some common goal or intention with the impulse purchasing. Planned purchasing depends on advertising and positive emotions, and customers are satisfied with it. Planned purchasing is searching for what we know about the product, demanding whenever we need, using many kinds of media, choosing carefully, buying according to price, etc. Impulse buying is different from the above points in that buying occurs spontaneously and is based on emotions and brand name recognition. This behavior ignores the price and is affected by one’s income situation or personal characteristics.

4. The Role of Emotions in Impulse Buying

Empirical studies suggest that emotional variables can serve as predictors of impulse buying. For instance, increased positive mood may lead to increased impulse buying behavior (Stienmetz and Tunnell, 1986). Similarly, it was suggested that people in a positive emotional state are more likely to gamble than those in a negative state. The formation of impulse buys is believed to take place in a very short time and varies from the traditional buying process. Thus, Piron (1991) proposes a micro research-based model of impulsive behavior. Reynolds and Gutman (1988) suggest that impulse purchase behavior may arise as a result of a buildup of emotions towards a purchasing situation. Moreover, observing the response of customers experiencing different emotions and purchasing rates on websites, customers experiencing joy, looks of delight, and surprise were among the most likely to buy cognitive behavior such as emotion and mood.

Reynolds and Gutman (1988) suggested that emotional responses are evoked by a number of antecedents, including products or shopping situations. Morris and Boone’s (1998) impulse buying theory depicts the process and the emotional states involved in impulsive buying. Morris and Boone (1998) found that path analysis showed that positive emotions evoked (e.g. pleasure, joy, cheer, elation, ecstasy, and euphoria) may lead to some dimensions of impulsive purchasing behavior, such as gratification and impulse buying persuasion. This dimensional duality of impulsive buying suggests that ‘hypothetical performance’ models (which assume inaction until impelled to respond) and philosophical perspectives from social sciences may help to reveal the comfortable complexity of this phenomenon. Bamfield (2007) concluded that impulsive buying is a complex and without a simple story. This paper aims to explore the psychological sources of impulsive behavior in an online shopping context, with emotional state and mood therein taking an emotional position towards online impulse purchases.

While some of the causes of impulsive buying, such as cognitive behavior and the manifestation of impulsiveness, mood or feelings of affect, have been studied in the past, relatively few papers have considered the significance of emotions in the context of impulse buying. Emotions are felt by consumers as a result of particular events or conditions and have a significant impact on people’s cognitive processing efforts. For instance, emotional states can promote attention, memory, and learning while facilitating decision-making processes. Understanding the role of emotions is crucial in the context of impulse buying, as this would enable greater insights into impulsive purchases from an emotional perspective.

5. Strategies for Retailers to Capitalize on Impulse Buying

Retail sales can also take advantage of consumers’ impulse buying behavior by offering them heavily discounted prices. Impulse buying is, after all, an emotional and not a rational behavior, and lowering the overall purchase price of an item even slightly can lead consumers to view the purchase positively. Retailers can attract impulse buyers by marketing products as ‘treats’ and ‘luxuries,’ or positioning purchases they want to encourage as a way for consumers to pamper themselves. In short, independent of product positioning or marketing techniques, the most important factor to consider when designing sales strategies geared towards impulse buyers is captivating the right mood in-store or online. Consumers are particularly susceptible to making impulsive purchases when they visit stores that emphasize an enjoyable shopping experience. Making a day of shopping at the mall “special” is often enough to tempt consumers into a greater number of largely unplanned purchases. Major global fashion retailers such as Adidas have adopted this approach to selling by designing flagship stores or exhibits that, beyond merely featuring their standard range, finish with a room designed primarily for the purpose of entertaining and filled with different interactive activities. Such experiential venues enable retailers to give their customers “happy moments,” which also helps drive impulse buying.

Though impulse buying behavior, by its very nature, is difficult to predict and control, a range of strategies can nonetheless be employed by retailers to better benefit from it. Retailers can employ clever marketing techniques that are adjusted to appeal to consumers’ impulses in-store and offline. Elements of in-store marketing such as product packaging and positioning can tempt consumers to spend more, while the use of context-dependent techniques like scent marketing can further increase impulse buying. A carefully arranged store layout subtly encourages impulsive purchases by playing on established consumer behavior and expectations.