CASE STUDY!!

Impulse buying can be defined as a sudden and immediate unplanned purchase that occurs after experiencing a spontaneous urge to buy. Some people are more prone to impulse purchases, and in extreme situations, impulse buying can create negative consequences such as large credit card debt. One question is whether the presence of other people during a shopping trip can influence impulse buying. To answer this question, a recent study examined several scenarios, two of which are highlighted below. Scenario 1: Mary is a 21-year-old college student with a part-time job. It is two days before Mary gets her next paycheck and she only has $25 left for necessities. In addition to food, Mary needs to buy a pair of warm socks for an outdoor party this weekend. After work she goes with a group of her best friends to the mall to purchase the socks. As she is walking through a final department store, Mary sees a great-looking sweater on sale for $75. Scenario 2: Mary is a 21-year-old college student with a part-time job. It is two days before Mary gets her next paycheck and she only has $25 left for necessities. In addition to food, Mary needs to buy a pair of warm socks for an outdoor party this weekend. After work, her family meets her at the mall to shop and purchase the socks. Mary and her family are very close-knit. As she is walking through a final department store, Mary sees a great-looking sweater on sale for $75. Now that youve read the two scenarios, when do you think impulse buying (that is, buying the socks and the sweater on credit) is higher? If you said Scenario 1, you were correct. In fact, compared with shopping alone, shopping with close friends increased impulse buying, while shopping with close family members decreased impulse buying. The role of others in impulse buying can be explained by social norms that we examined in depth in Chapter 7. It was found that consumers generally believe that friends think impulse buying is more acceptable than does family. Thus, close friends and family influence impulse buying in a manner consistent with social norms. Notice that in the scenarios, strength of the social tie was high. When the social ties to friends and family were weak (for example, co-workers from her part-time job instead of best friends), the influence of others on impulse buying disappeared.

QUESTION: How can this research be related to the different personality and self-concepts.