How do you get academics to buy on impulse? Challenging e-consumers under a magnifying glass

Abstract

Online impulse buying is a complex behavior that is determined by many factors, not only external but also internal. Some consumers are less prone to irrational behavior than others. The aim of this study was to explore the impulse buying tendencies of challenging e-consumers. Due to the specificity of the profession, characteristics of highly educated people, and the generational mentality, academics of Generation X were assumed to be representatives of these e-consumers, unwilling to impulse buying. The data collected with an online survey confirmed this assumption. Respondents had not only a negative opinion of studied behavior but also a low tendency to it. Furthermore, this study was to indicate a group of stimuli that would induce unplanned purchases among challenging e-consumers. The results suggest that academics are more prone to impulse buying if it can be rationalized with, e.g., product utility or monetary savings, than in the case of purely emotional or hedonic reasons. Keywords: online impulse buying, consumer behavior, academics, online impulse buying stimuli. Kod JEL: M310.