Individual Differences In Impulse Buying Tendency

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European Journal of Personality Eur. J. Pers. 15: S71±S83 (2001) DOI: 10.1002/per.423 Individual Differences in Impulse Buying Tendency: Feeling and no Thinking BAS VERPLANKEN1* and ASTRID HERABADI2 2 1 University of Tromsù, Norway Atma Jaya Catholic University, Indonesia Abstract A 20-item scale to measure general impulse buying tendency was developed and validated in two studies. The scale includes cognitive aspects (e.g. lack of planning and deliberation) and affective aspects (e.g. feelings of pleasure, excitement, compulsion, lack of control, regret). The scale correlated signi®cantly with reported purchase frequencies of typical impulse products and number of recent impulse purchases. Impulse buying tendency was found to be related to personality-based individual difference measures, including the Big Five. Cognitive and affective facets of impulse buying tendency were both related to extraversion. The cognitive facet was inversely related to conscientiousness, personal need for structure, and need to evaluate. The affective facet was related to lack of autonomy and action orientation. The results suggested that impulse buying tendency has a strong basis in personality. Copyright # 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. INTRODUCTION Whereas homo economicus purchases products on the basis of an evaluation of costs and bene®ts, most people are much less rational in their purchase behaviour. As has now long been acknowledged in the consumer behaviour literature, consumers' purchase behaviour seldom follows the principles of economic theory. Rather, consumers' purchases often seem to be desire, mood, or emotion driven, which thus seems natural and the default state of affairs (see e.g. Etzioni, 1986). Consumers buy products for all kinds of reason other than because these are strictly necessary, such as to relieve a depressed mood, to express an identity, or

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