Silvera, Lavack, and Kropp (2008) defined impulse buying as an activity that involves unplanned and sudden. Cases of impulse buying have increased in recent times. As these activities continue to rise, many scholars have come up with theories to explain the potential cause of this phenomenon. In this article, the author examines the correlation between sudden buying behaviors and three psychological constructs namely social influence, affect, and subjective well-being.
A study by Silvera, Lavack, and Kropp (2008) provided a comprehensive report about the relationship between unplanned purchasing tendencies and psychological constructs. Firstly, the outcome of the study indicated that chronic impulse buying behavior is related to affect, especially destructive affect. In other words, individuals who demonstrate negative affect (such as distressed, hostile, ashamed, and nervous) are more probable to involve themselves in impulse purchasing unlike those with positive affect (alert and excited among others).
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Secondly, the outcome of the study indicated that Consumer Susceptibility to Interpersonal Influence (CSII), particularly normative CSII is linked to the cognitive element of Impulse Buying Tendencies (IBTs). Under normative CSII, people buy products to improve their public image ( Silvera, Lavack, & Kropp, 2008) . Often, such people are susceptible to external influence.
Finally, Silvera, Lavack, & Kropp (2008) established that subjective well-being is negatively interrelated with the cognitive component of IBTS. Traditionally, people engage in impulse buying to shun negative psychological states (Silvera, Lavack, & Kropp, 2008). However, that does not translate to their subjective well-being. The report indicates that strong materialistic values correlate negatively with life satisfaction. Thus, satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) correlates negatively with the cognitive component of impulsive buying behaviors.
In other words, this report indicates that cognitive component of affect and social influence relate positively with impulsive purchasing behaviors. However, SWLS does not correlate with the cognitive IBTS. Besides, SWLS is not associated with the affective impulsive behavior.
Reference
Silvera, D. H., Lavack, A. M., & Kropp, F. (2008). Impulse buying: The role of affect, social influence, and subjective well-being. Journal of Consumer Marketing , 25 (1), 23-33.
