A study of the factors influencing customers' impulse buying behavior in restaurants

Abstract

Nowadays, while facing the intense competition in restaurant business, in order to increase sales revenue and customers' average check, understanding how to encourage customers' impulse buying behavior is very important. The main objectives of this study were to analyze the influence of dining environment and reference group on customers' impulse buying behavior, and the relationships of dining environment, reference group and customers' impulse ordering behavior in restaurants. The findings showed that influence of reference group, social factors and extraversion were three major factors that affect customers' impulse buying behavior. It was suggested that impulse buying behavior could be a research topic worth of being explored in hospitality industry, and significant managerial and theoretical implications were proposed.