Gender identity and material symbols: Gender identity and material symbols: Objects and decision considerations in Objects and decision considerations in

impulse purchasesimpulse purchases

陈睿 陈睿 09326036093260362012.03.302012.03.30

Helga Dittmar , Jane Beattie , Susanne Friese Helga Dittmar , Jane Beattie , Susanne Friese

IntroductionIntroduction

• ““Reminder impulse buying"Reminder impulse buying"• E.g. E.g. Shopper remembers the need for Shopper remembers the need for

an essential item on seeing it in the an essential item on seeing it in the shopshop

• ““Pure impulse buying" Pure impulse buying" • E.g. A novelty or escape purchase E.g. A novelty or escape purchase

which breaks the normal buying which breaks the normal buying pattern.pattern.

IntroductionIntroduction

Fashionable Fashionable Clothes!!!Clothes!!!

Basic House Basic House Equipments~~~Equipments~~~

VS

Explanatory models of impulse Explanatory models of impulse buyingbuying

• Economic modelsEconomic models• Consumer behaviourConsumer behaviour• Psychological approachesPsychological approaches• Our approachOur approach

Economic modelsEconomic models

• A high degree of post-purchase regretA high degree of post-purchase regret (Hoch and Loewenstein, 1991; Rook, (Hoch and Loewenstein, 1991; Rook, 1987).1987).

• Discounting modelDiscounting model (Strotz, 1956). (Strotz, 1956).• -The benefits of the desired object at the point of imminent -The benefits of the desired object at the point of imminent

purchase outweigh the (future) problem of paying the billpurchase outweigh the (future) problem of paying the bill

• Stochastic preference modelStochastic preference model (Winston,1980`).(Winston,1980`).

• -Myopic set-Myopic set• -Farsighted set-Farsighted set

Consumer behaviourConsumer behaviour

• Goods that are likely to be bought Goods that are likely to be bought impulsively (Bellenger et al., 1978).impulsively (Bellenger et al., 1978).

• Regarding a purchase as impulsive if Regarding a purchase as impulsive if it was not on the buyer's original it was not on the buyer's original shopping list (Kollat and Willet, 1969)shopping list (Kollat and Willet, 1969)

Psychological approachesPsychological approaches

• Cognitive approachCognitive approach• -certain cognitive tasks-certain cognitive tasks

• Clinical approachClinical approach• -other types of impulsive, addictive or -other types of impulsive, addictive or

obsessive-compulsive disordersobsessive-compulsive disorders

Social constructionist Social constructionist theorytheory• Goods as an expression of self-identity Goods as an expression of self-identity

(e.g., Dittmar, 1992; Lunt and (e.g., Dittmar, 1992; Lunt and Livingstone, 1992).Livingstone, 1992).

• The role of 'perceived social image The role of 'perceived social image benefits' (Elliott, 1994)benefits' (Elliott, 1994)

• ““Extending the self“ Extending the self“ （（ BelkBelk ，， 1988)1988)

• ““Idealized people associated with[the Idealized people associated with[the good]..." (Wright et al., 1992, p. 312)good]..." (Wright et al., 1992, p. 312)

Gender and material possessions

• Women tend to value emotional and Women tend to value emotional and symbolic possessions, while men symbolic possessions, while men favour functional and leisure items favour functional and leisure items (Csikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-(Csikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-Halton,1981)Halton,1981)

• Women gave more emotional and Women gave more emotional and relationship-oriented reasons, while relationship-oriented reasons, while men's had a more functional, men's had a more functional, instrumental and activity-related instrumental and activity-related focus (Dittmar, 1989).focus (Dittmar, 1989).

• Male Male • -Self-oriented, activity-centred -Self-oriented, activity-centred

identity construction identity construction

• FemaleFemale• -Other-oriented, relationship-centred -Other-oriented, relationship-centred

identity constructionidentity construction

Meaning dimensions in impulse Meaning dimensions in impulse purchasespurchases

Experimental hypothesesExperimental hypotheses

• H1: Some H1: Some productsproducts are are more likely to more likely to be boughtbe bought on pure impulse than others. on pure impulse than others. In particular, In particular, identity-relevantidentity-relevant products products are more likely to be high impulse are more likely to be high impulse items than are items than are purely functionalpurely functional goods. goods.

• H2H2 ：： Men and women are likely to Men and women are likely to purchase purchase different different typestypes of object of object on on pure impulse. Men's impulse purchases pure impulse. Men's impulse purchases may be more may be more oriented towards leisureoriented towards leisure, , while women's may be more while women's may be more emotional emotional and other-orientedand other-oriented..

Experimental hypothesesExperimental hypotheses

• H3: Different 'types of H3: Different 'types of considerations considerations are are applied to goods often bought on applied to goods often bought on impulse as compared to goods hardly impulse as compared to goods hardly ever bought on impulse, with identity-ever bought on impulse, with identity-concerns and emotional aspects concerns and emotional aspects important for typical impulse goods.important for typical impulse goods.

• H4: Men and women may have different H4: Men and women may have different types of types of considerationsconsiderations when purchasing when purchasing an object on pure impulse, with men's an object on pure impulse, with men's concerns being mainly concerns being mainly instrumentalinstrumental, and , and women's being mainly emotional and women's being mainly emotional and other-oriented.other-oriented.

1 2 3 4

ParticipantsParticipantsand Settingand Setting

Phase 1:Object Phase 1:Object

choicechoice

Phase 2 Spontaneously named buying Phase 2 Spontaneously named buying

considerationsconsiderations

Phase 3 Pre-determined buying considerationsPhase 3 Pre-determined buying considerations

MethodMethod

• ParticipantsParticipants• Twenty female and 20 male mature Twenty female and 20 male mature

students at the University of Sussex students at the University of Sussex (South England),(South England),

• Aged between 25 and 35 yearsAged between 25 and 35 years• Be interviewed individuallyBe interviewed individually• Interviews lasted for about one hourInterviews lasted for about one hour

•Present 39 Present 39

cardscards•The name of The name of

particular particular

goodgood•E.g. quality E.g. quality

clothesclothes

•Pick 20 cards Pick 20 cards

which they which they

would would

probably buy probably buy

on impulseon impulse

•Pick 5 cards Pick 5 cards

from the from the

previous previous

20s,which are 20s,which are

their top 5.their top 5.

2 31

Phase 1(object choices).Phase 1(object choices).

Phase 1(object choices).Phase 1(object choices).

•Top 5Top 5•Imaging a vivid Imaging a vivid

situationsituation

Talked about the Talked about the thoughts and thoughts and considerationsconsiderationsthat would go that would go through their through their headsheads

Phase 2 (spontaneously named buying considerations).

•A set of 18 A set of 18

cardscards•Pre-Pre-

formulated formulated

buying buying

considerationconsideration

•Select up to five Select up to five

considerationsconsiderations•Rated all 39 Rated all 39

consumer goods consumer goods

presented earlier presented earlier

on each of the on each of the

selected selected

dimensionsdimensions•7 Point Likert 7 Point Likert

ScaleScale

Phase3 (pre-determined buying Phase3 (pre-determined buying considerations).considerations).

FunctionalityFunctionalityObject-Object-intrinsic intrinsic qualitiesqualitiesEmotion-Emotion-relatedrelatedExperiential Experiential aspects of aspects of purchasepurchaseSocial identitySocial identityPersonal Personal identityidentity

ResultResult ：： Choice of consumer goods for Choice of consumer goods for impulse purchasesimpulse purchases

• Support Hypothesis 1Support Hypothesis 1

• most likely most likely impulse buys (impulse buys (χχ 2 = 2 = 149.81, 149.81, df df = 12, p < 0.0001)= 12, p < 0.0001)

• medium likely medium likely impulse buys (impulse buys (χχ 2 = 2 = 71.98, 71.98, df df = 12, p < 0.0001)= 12, p < 0.0001)

• least likely least likely impulse buys impulse buys ((χχ 2 2 = = 143.92, 143.92, df= df= 12, p < 0.0001).12, p < 0.0001).

musi c

cl othi ng

Magazi nes

Ornaments

Body care

J ewel l ery

Sportscl othi ngEl ectroni cl ei sureSportsequi pment

Percentage of top 5Percentage of top 5

ResultResult ：： Buying considerations in impulse Buying considerations in impulse purchasespurchases

• 2(high/low impulse) x 6 (rating dimension) x 2 2(high/low impulse) x 6 (rating dimension) x 2 (gender) MANOVA(gender) MANOVA

• High impulseHigh impulse ：： two top-impulse (music and clothes)two top-impulse (music and clothes)• Low impulseLow impulse ：： two bottom-impulse (furniture and two bottom-impulse (furniture and

car equipment)car equipment)• Different 'types of considerations are applied to Different 'types of considerations are applied to

goods often bought on impulse as compared to goods often bought on impulse as compared to goods hardly ever bought on impulse(F(5,34) = goods hardly ever bought on impulse(F(5,34) = 160.38; p < 0.00001).160.38; p < 0.00001).

• Men:Men:• utility, personal identityutility, personal identity• Women:Women:• mood and enjoymentmood and enjoyment

• F(1,38)= 4.85; p <0.05F(1,38)= 4.85; p <0.05

• The pattern of considerations used by women and The pattern of considerations used by women and men is significantly different (X 2 = 12.27, df = 6, p men is significantly different (X 2 = 12.27, df = 6, p = 0.05).= 0.05).

Discussion

• Compulsive buyingCompulsive buying

• MarketingMarketing

• Self-IdentitySelf-Identity

Thank youThank you