Impulse purchases in retailing

Contents

Introduction

1.1. Purpose of the thesis

1.2. The framework and related research questions

1.3. Organization of the research

2. Literature Review

2.1. Introduction

2.2. Who makes impulse purchases?

2.3. What is bought on impulse?

2.4. Where are impulse purchases conducted?

2.5. How much is bought on impulse?

2.6. When are impulse purchases made?

2.7. How is impulse purchasing defined?

2.8. How are impulse purchases measured?

2.9. Types of impulse purchases

2.10. Why are products bought on impulse?

2.11. How do people act upon impulses? Resistance strategies

2.12. Factors that influence consumers’ impulse buying behavior

2.13. How to boost impulse purchases? Tactics for retail managers

2.14. Areas for further research

3. Study 1

3.1. Method section

3.1.1. Participant characteristics

3.1.2. Sampling procedures

3.1.3. Measures

3.1.4. Measurement instruments

3.1.5. Data collection, procedures, and analysis

3.2. Result section

3.2.1. Respondents’ definitions of impulse buying

3.2.2. Emotions and Cognition

3.2.3. Impulse Buying Motives

3.2.4. Buying determinants

3.2.5. Involvement, perceived risk, and impulse buying tendency

3.2.6. Shopping company and store visit frequency

3.2.7. Results concerning gender differences

3.2.7.1. Emotions and cognition

3.2.7.2. Impulse buying motives

3.2.7.3. Buying determinants

3.2.7.4. Involvement, perceived risk, and impulse buying tendency

3.2.7.5. Shopping company

3.2.8. Correlations

3.3. Discussion section

3.3.1. Respondents’ definitions of impulse buying

3.3.2. Emotions and Cognition

3.3.3. Impulse Buying Motives

3.3.4. Buying determinants

3.3.5. Involvement, perceived risk, and impulse buying tendency

3.3.6. Shopping company

3.3.7. Gender differences

3.3.7.1. Emotions and Cognition

3.3.7.2. Impulse buying motives

3.3.7.3. Buying determinants

3.3.7.4. Involvement, perceived risk, and impulse buying tendency

3.3.7.5. Shopping company

3.3.8. Correlations

3.3.9. Limitations and recommendations for further research

4. Study 2

4.1. Method section

4.1.1. Setting

4.1.2. Participant characteristics

4.1.3. Sampling procedures

4.1.4. Measurement instruments

4.1.5. Data collection, procedures, and analysis

4.2. Results section

4.2.1. Individual and situational difference variables

4.2.1.1. Significant effects

4.2.1.2. Insignificant effects

4.2.2. Emotions and cognition

4.2.3. Impulse Buying Motives

4.2.4. Buying determinants

4.2.5. Non-buying reasons

4.2.6. Results concerning gender differences

4.2.6.1. Emotions and cognition

4.2.6.2. Impulse buying motives

4.2.6.3. Buying Determinants

4.2.6.4. Involvement, perceived risk, and impulse buying tendency

4.2.6.5. Shopping company

4.2.7. Correlations

4.3. Discussion section

4.3.1. Individual and situational difference variables

4.3.1.1. Significant effects

4.3.1.2. Insignificant effects

4.3.2. Emotions and cognition

4.3.3. Impulse buying motives

4.3.4. Buying determinants

4.3.5. Non-buying reasons

4.3.6. Results concerning gender differences

4.3.6.1. Emotions and cognition

4.3.6.2. Impulse buying motives

4.3.6.3. Buying determinants

4.3.6.4. Involvement, perceived risk, and impulse buying tendency

4.3.6.5. Shopping company

4.3.7. Correlations

4.3.8. Limitations and recommendations for further research

4.3.9. Managerial implications

5. Conclusion

6. List of References

Research Objectives & Key Themes

The primary purpose of this thesis is to understand impulsive consumer behavior in a retail context to help retail managers develop effective strategies for increasing impulse sales, while also identifying segmentation criteria to distinguish impulse shoppers from non-impulse shoppers.

• Analysis of consumer perceptions and experiences of impulse buying.
• Evaluation of individual and situational determinants of impulse buying.
• Exploration of the role of emotions and mood states in impulsive decision-making.
• Examination of gender differences in shopping and impulse buying behavior.
• Development of managerial tactics to stimulate impulse purchases in retail settings.

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Summary of Chapters

Introduction: Outlines the significance of impulse buying as a widespread economic phenomenon and states the primary goal of helping retailers understand and influence this behavior.

Literature Review: Provides a comprehensive overview of existing research on impulse buying, covering definitions, measurements, contributing factors, and management tactics.

Study 1: Describes an online survey that gathered consumer-defined characteristics of impulse buying and examined the influence of emotions, motives, and determinants on impulse purchase episodes.

Study 2: Details a field study conducted in a drugstore setting using an inspiration island to test individual and situational variables in a real-world shopping environment.

Conclusion: Synthesizes the main findings from both studies and provides a summary of the conceptual framework used to evaluate impulse buying.

Keywords

Impulse buying, retail management, consumer behavior, emotions, shopping motives, segmentation criteria, impulse buying tendency, in-store stimuli, decision-making, shopping lists, gender differences, retail atmosphere, purchase determinants, inspiration island, consumer psychology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the core focus of this research?

The thesis focuses on examining impulse buying from the consumer's perspective to help retail managers identify impulse shoppers and implement strategies that increase the frequency of impulse purchases in their stores.

What are the primary thematic areas covered?

The work explores individual and situational difference variables, the role of emotions and cognition, specific impulse buying motives, and the influence of retailer-related determinants such as store atmosphere and product presentation.

What is the main research objective?

The primary goal is to discover how retail managers can increase the level of impulse buying by understanding the factors that push customers to make unplanned purchases and by identifying effective segmentation criteria.

Which scientific methods were applied in the thesis?

The author conducted two empirical studies: an online study (qualitative and quantitative) to collect consumer definitions and experiences, and a field study in a drugstore using an inspiration island to observe shopping behavior.

What is addressed in the main part of the thesis?

The main body comprises a thorough literature review, detailed descriptions of the methodology for two empirical studies, and an extensive analysis of the gathered data concerning consumer characteristics, emotional states, and environmental factors.

What are the key terms that define this work?

Key terms include impulse buying tendency, consumer perspective, retail management, in-store stimuli, shopping atmosphere, and segmentation strategy.

How do emotions influence impulse buying according to the findings?

The research indicates that positive emotions like joy and excitement are significantly associated with impulse purchases, and that shoppers often use impulsive buying as a technique to alter their current mood state.

What specific management recommendation is derived from the field study?

The author recommends that retailers keep product presentations clear and uncluttered, as an overloaded "inspiration island" can overstrain customers and lead them to ignore the display entirely.