This document discusses shopaholic behavior and compulsive buying disorder. It summarizes several studies and their findings. The studies found that compulsive buyers are more likely to identify with dysfunctional purchasing behaviors of others. They also found compulsive buying tendency is associated with greater approval of using credit cards for purchases. Younger people and those with low self-esteem tend to score higher on compulsive buying scales. Predictors of compulsive buying behavior include tendency to spend, reactive purchasing, post-purchase guilt, materialism, and apparel involvement. Retailers can exploit shopaholic behaviors by associating purchases with positive emotions, creating social pressure to buy, and confusing customers in the store.
3. A review of compulsive buying disorder
• Compulsive buying disorder (CBD) was first described clinically
in the early 20th century by Bleuler and Kraepelin
• “whom even buying is compulsive and leads to senseless
contraction of debts with continuous delay of payment until a
catastrophe clears the situation a little - a little bit never
altogether because they never admit to their debts”
• The author has been able to identify four distinct phases of
CBD: 1) anticipation; 2) preparation; 3) shopping and 4)
spending.
• Euphoria or relief from the negative emotions were the most
common consequence.
• Individually, the items purchased by compulsive shoppers
tend not to be particularly expensive, but the author has
observed that many compulsive shoppers buy in quantity
resulting in out of control spending.
4. Compulsive Buying Tendency As a Predictor of
Attitudes and Perceptions
Allison Magee, Arizona State University
• The empirical findings showed that compulsive buyers are
more likely to identify with the dysfunctional purchasing
behavior of others.
• The study did not support the hypothesis that the greater a
person's compulsive buying tendency, the more likely the
person is to view dysfunctional purchasing behavior as
appropriate
• The study also found that the greater a person's compulsive
buying tendency, the more they condone the use of a credit
card for purchases.
• Consistent with previous research (d'Astous and Tremblay
1988; O'Guinn and Faber 1989), the younger a
respondent, the higher his or her compulsive buying score.
• No significant difference between genders for the compulsive
buying score.
5. IDENTIFYING DETERMINANTS OF COMPULSIVE BUYING BEHAVIOR *
TARIQ JALEES, College of Management Sciences PAF-Karachi
Institute of Economics and Technology
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The predictor variables for the study were (a) tendency to spend (b)
Reactive aspect (c) post purchase guilt (d) perceived social status
(e) materialism (f) self esteem (g) apparel-product-involvement.
The alternate hypothesis that at least one of the predictor variables
would have a linear relationship with the dependent variable
compulsive buying behavior was accepted.
The hypothesis relating to a relationship between predictor variable
“perceived social status” and compulsive buying behavior was
rejected
The hypothesis relating to no relationship of “materialism” with
dependent variable “compulsive buying behavior” was rejected.
The hypothesis relating to no relationship of self-esteem with
dependent variable compulsive buying behavior was accepted
The hypothesis of relationship of the determinant “apparel-product
involvement” with dependent variable “compulsive buying
behavior” was rejected
6. Measuring Compulsive Shopping
Disorder ( Shopaholics)
• Two scales used are Compulsive Buying Scale by Quinn and
Faber(1989) and Edward Compulsive Buying Scale
CBS CBS.docx
ECBS ECBS.docx
• CBS’s more frequent use, the ECBS may be a more accurate
screening measure. Four of the seven questions listed on the
screener appear more reflective of financial difficulties or
financial management difficulties than with compulsive
shopping difficulties.
• CBS sets up a dichotomous categorization between
compulsive and no compulsive shoppers; ECBS (1993) allows
for a more graduated approach and identifies individuals
along a spectrum of problem shopping behaviours that range
from individuals who shop recreationally, to occasional
compulsive shoppers, to chronic and “addictive” overspenders.
7. Characters of Shopaholic
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O’Guinn and Faber found that compulsive shoppers were more
likely to experience three negative mood states before
shopping, them being experiencing boredom (47.8%), sadness or
depression (39.1%), and anxiousness (34.8%) preceding spending
sprees. After shopping they reported feeling happy
(91.7%), excited (91.7%), and powerful (73.9%)
Shopping experiences may serve as a means of reducing feelings
of loneliness (O’Guinn and Faber, 1989), as a way to escape from
negative mood states
Pervasive and chronic feelings of low self-esteem, and
experience an above average need for experiences of control.
Reasons being 1) living with an overly dominant partner; (2) being
unemployed or under-employed; (3) marital dissolution; or (3)
suffering long term health complications. Shopping bolster their
sense of self-efficacy as well as their self-image.
8. Ways Retailers can make the most of
Shopaholic
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Breaking the associations
One of the most common ways marketers get a person to purchase
their products is by creating associations
Feeling social pressure to buy
Another thing that can trigger a person to spend more money than
they intended is the desire to please or impress another person.
Retailers would want shoppers to shop ina group or company
Approaching a shop like a casino
Easy way of shopping instruments by means of credit cards
Getting confused in the store
Another way retailers pull a shopaholic’s trigger to overspend is by
making it difficult to find a particular item. Many retailers place
impulse items near the entrance of the store, while placing staples at
the far corners of the store.
9. Observation
Credit cards
Low self
esteem
Greater
tendency to
fantasize
Higher levels
of depression
Anxiety
reactions
Materialism
Family stress
Surrogates for
relationships
Operand
conditioned
Boredom
Negative
emotional
states
Not always
expensive
Seduced by
environment
Desired self
images
Male & female
Younger
Bulk purchaser
10. Findings for Retailer
• Both low levels of arousal, such as boredom, and
high levels of excitement, such as anxiety and
stress, have been indicated to increase the
occurrence of compulsive behaviors
• Compulsive behaviors seem to provide shortterm relief from negative emotional
states, eventually becoming operand
conditioned responses when feeling depressed
11. Findings for Retailer
• Black’s (1996) research with regard to the
particular notice compulsive shoppers pay to
retail environmental stimuli such as
smells, sounds, colors and textures, suggests a
heightened sense of arousal experienced by
compulsive shoppers within retail
environments, not typically experienced by
normal consumers. Some compulsive shoppers in
Black’s (1996) study even described their
shopping experiences as sexually exciting.
12. Suggestions
• Encourage the usage of credit cards
• Create advertisements that portray consumers as happy
and content people after shopping.
• Create public relations campaign that will make them feel
as a part of the retail store
• Through discounts and bulk purchase discounts
• Target younger consumers with better
gadgets, jewelry, apparels and automobile
• Make consumer feel wise and appreciate purchases made
at discounts
• Use the ambience in favor of retailers and seduce the
consumers