Abstract
The purpose of the chapter is to have a deeper understanding of impulse buying and find out the different personal factors that affect the impulse behavior of the consumer in the online context. Phenomenology methodology was used by conducting 12 in-depth interviews with Gen Y as the main respondents. The interview transcripts were analyzed through the method of thematic analysis. This study found that factors such as sudden urge to buy, haptics, risk factors, persuasion, convenience, monotony and boredom, and trust were the dominant personal factors. These factors act as the triggers for consumers to make impulse purchase decisions. This study differentiates the personal and market-oriented factors and broaden the understanding of impulse buying behavior. The findings will enable the marketers to make effective strategies and help the business organizations to increase their revenues.
TopLiterature Review
The phenomena of impulse purchase emerged in 1950 by Clover (1950) when the studies found out that a significant share of the total sales was unplanned and sudden. He described it as an unplanned purchase. Beatty and Ferrell (1998) definition of impulse buy is considered to be the one the most extensive definition “a sudden and immediate purchase with no pre-shopping intentions either to buy the specific product category or to fulfill a specific buying task. The behavior occurs after experiencing an urge to buy and it tends to be spontaneous and without a lot of reflection (i.e., it is ‘impulsive’)”.
Stern (1962) further contributed significantly to the literature he classified impulse behavior in four categories: 1. Pure impulse, 2. Planned impulse, 3. Reminder impulse and 4.Suggestion impulse. This study provided a new land base for further studies. Rook (1985) studied various behavioral component of individual and linked impulse behavior with the hedonic component, materialism, and sensation. Rook further in (1987, 1993, 1995) contributed to the literature, where he referred that impulse behavior is dependent on consumer’s mood. Rook and Fisher (1995) defined it as a spontaneous and immediate response. One similarity that exists between online and offline consumer behavior is the perceived usefulness of the consumer that will tell about their repetitive visit to the store with the use of Technology acceptance model, TAM (Koufaris, 2002).
TopMarket-Oriened Factors
In a comparative view of significant contribution to the total sales, the offline channel is more dominating over online system. Social media is a very crucial player in the online context, which affects consumer behavior. Facebook is the most influential social platform affecting consumer (Laura and Carlos, 2018).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Consumer Socialization: The process undergone by social media users in which they develop the skills, attitude, and knowledge as consumers.
Haptics: The inability of the consumer to touch the product or feel the product.
Cognitive Factors: A set of enduring and active mental states that a consumer experiences with respect to the focal object of his/her engagement.
Anonymity: A situation where a customer does not want to disclose its identity.
Impulse Buying: A purchase that is unplanned, the result of exposure to a stimulus, and decided on the spot.
Sudden Urge to Buy: Feeling which incites action on its first instance.
Affective Factors: The summative and enduring levels of emotions experienced by a consumer with respect to his/her engagement focus.