Abstract

DHURUP, M  and  TUSIIME, R. Impulsive buying behaviour of apparel merchandise among university students in Southern Gauteng. JCMAN [online]. 2011, vol.8, n.1, pp.517-539. ISSN 1815-7440.

An impulse purchase often occurs without consideration of the potential consequences, which may include non-usage of a product. When consumers establish that they have an inner contradiction between their values or opinions and their behaviour, unease or apprehension may lead to cognitive dissonance (after-purchase doubt or post-purchase reservations). Consumers often use shopping experiences and resulting impulse buying behaviour to satisfy a number of needs that do not fit into theories of economic utility. The primary purpose of this study is to identify the motivations behind the behaviour leading to impulsive buying of apparel merchandise among university students. A structured questionnaire containing 25 variables relating to impulsive buying behaviour was administered to three hundred and eighty-five students. Factor analysis produced four factors, namely, fashion involvement, hedonic motivation, emotional gratification and affect that influence impulsive buying behaviour with regard to buying apparel merchandise. Results show that male and female students differ with regard to the hedonic motivation and emotional gratification dimensions of impulsive buying tendencies. This study may assist marketers and retailers to understand impulsive buying behaviour in order to formulate appropriate marketing communication strategies and allocate marketing budgets.

Keywords : impulsive buying behaviour; fashion involvement; emotions; hedonic motivation.

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