Abstract: "Objects, Decision Considerations, and Self-Image in Men's and Women's Impulse Purchases"

Abstract"In this paper, we propose and examine a social psychological model of impulse buying, which predicts that people intend to acquire material symbols of personal and social identity. "Current theories in economics (e.g., discounting models), marketing (e.g., information-processing models) and psychology (e.g., addiction models) fail to explain the underlying reasons for impulse buying and, crucially, why particular goods (e.g., clothes) are bought impulsively more than others (e.g., tools). "If impulse purchases are attempts to bolster self-image, then consumers should differ systematically in the goods they impulse-buy, and their reasons for doing so, along important social categories, such as gender. Specifically, our theoretical model -- drawing on a social constructionist model of material possessions (e.g., Dittmar, 1992) and symbolic self-completion (e.g., Wicklund and Gollwitzer, 1982) -- leads to three sets of hypotheses: "some consumer durables are more likely to be bought on impulse than others, and there may be gender differences in object choices, "gender differences will emerge in the buying considerations they use (e.g., functional, emotional, symbolic), and "impulse-buy objects and decision considerations will be related systematically to (actual and ideal) self-perception. "In addition, we expect that all three sets of hypotheses hold more strongly for individuals with greater tendencies towards compulsive shopping habits. These predictions are examined in a preliminary questionnaire study with a sample of British consumers (n = 61), who attended an Open University residential summer school in Southern England. The results from diverse multivariate statistical analyses support all three sets of hypotheses to a considerable extent."The authors note that a previous study they conducted found men tending to impulse buy "instrumental and leisure items projecting independence and activity (high-tech, electronics, sports equipment) and women more partial to "symbolic and self-expressive goods concerned with appearance and emotional aspects of self" (clothes, jewelry and cosmetics).They first try to make a distinction between "pure" and "reminder" impulse buying, with the latter representing purchases "in which a shopper remembers the need for an essential item on seeing it in the shop" and the former "a novelty or escape purchase which breaks the normal buying pattern." Consumer behaviorists, they note, generally consider any unplanned purchase to be an impulse buy.Hypotheses:1. Some categories of consumer goods are bought on impulse more frequently than others, and there are some gender differences in impulse purchases.2. The reasons for purchasing are different for types of goods bought frequently and infrequently on impulse, with self- image and mood-related reasons particularly important for high-impulse goods. There are gender differences in buying considerations, with women focusing more on mood-related concerns than men, and men being more concerned with economic reasons.MethodSixty-one university students (34 women and 27 men), ranging in age from 21 to 54 (with a mean of 34.2) and with diverse occupational backgrounds were enlisted for the study. They were asked to indicate how often they bought nine types of consumer products as planned purchases and as impulse purchases, and to rate how true six buying considerations were for them in each case.Product categories covered:Body care items (e.g., shampoo, lotion, make-up, after-shave, perfume)Sports equipment (e.g., rackets, balls, Frisbee, golf clubs)Kitchen items (e.g., glasses, knives, pots & pans)Clothes (e.g., t-shirts, trousers/jeans, evening wear, dressing gowns)Music items (e.g., pre-recorded audio tapes, records, CDs)Jewellery (e.g., rings, earrings, watches, necklaces)Books (e.g., paperbacks, magazines, coffee-table books)Electronic leisure items (e.g., pre-recorded videos, computer games)Footwear (e.g., trainers, boots, dress-shoes).Buying considerations:Economic: Good value (money) Economic: Useful and practical Mood: Puts me in a better mood Self-image: Makes me feel more like the person I want to be Self-image: Expresses what is unique about me Self-image: Improves my social standing FindingsHypothesis 1: Women buy proportionately more on impulse than men overall, although the disparity between men and women was found to be subtle.Some goods are purchased significantly more often on impulse than others. Jewelry, sports equipment and clothing were found to be relatively high-impulse; body care items, footwear and kitchen utensils were relatively low-impulse.Hypothesis 2: Economic motivations (price and usefulness) are significantly more important than psychological motivations for goods mostly bought as planned purchases; economic and psychological motivations have relatively equal importance for goods purchased more often on impulse.ConclusionsThe study "predicts that people are particularly likely to impulse buy if they perceive aspects of their self as discrepant from their ideal."It also "is predictive of which goods are likely to be impulsively bought, and hence are likely to benefit from promotions such as end-aisle displays. Based on our theory, those goods which relate to self-image concerns (e.g., makeup, magazines) would be much better candidates than simple utility items (e.g., cutlery)."

Abstract: "Objects, Decision Considerations, and Self-Image in Men's and Women's Impulse Purchases"

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