Retail therapy: Scale development

Abstract

Retail therapy (RT) is defined as shopping to alleviate negative moods. The objectives of this research were to 1) an alyze the conceptual foundation of RT and 2) develop and validate a scale measuring RT. Retail therapy scale development consisted of three phases: initial item generation, scale purification, and scale validation. 43 initial scale items were generated based on interview findings from previous studies and included in the survey questionnaire. 258 survey responses from the general population were used for scale purification through which a four factor measurement model was developed with 22 items. The refined measurement model was validated using a separate sample of 272. Our study provides theoretical contributions in consumer behavior research by conceptualizing and operationalizing retail therapy. A valid and reliable RT scale serves as a foundation to broaden quantitative inquiry into shopping behaviors driven by mood alleviative motives. © 2011 International Textile & Apparel Association.