Triggering Factors of Impulse Buying Behavior in the Indian Context

Abstract

Consumer behaviour is highly complex to research since numerous factors interplay in determining the buying behaviour. Generally, buying behavior is influenced by both simple and complex mental processes. According to the American Marketing Association (AMA) “Consumer behaviour is the dynamic combination of cognition, behaviour, and environmental events through which humans perform the exchange portion of their life”. Likewise, understanding consumer behaviour is also critical to corporate entities and businesses across industries. In the recent years, the most significant shifts seen in consumer behaviour is impulse buying. It can be argued that impulse buying behaviour is a sub-division of consumer behaviour that is quite common nowadays. The factors that influence impulse buying among individuals is critical to examine and are of interest to many researchers, scholars, and practitioners. Therefore, a sizeable amount of research on this topic has been undertaken globally in the past sixty years (Clover, 1950; Stern, 1962; Rook, 1987; Peck and Childers, 2006; Chang et.al, 2011). Specifically, the term "impulse buying" refers to the purchase of a product/service without prior forethought and/or on the spur of the moment (Clover, 1950; Stern, 1962; West, 1951). Impulse purchases allow consumers to experience the sensation of sudden and overwhelming desire (Rook, 1987).