Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal Gender differences in cognitive and affective impulse buying Gender differences in cognitive and affective impulse buying

Abstract

Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:108246 [] For Authors If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.com Emerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services. Abstract The purpose of this study was to compare men and women for differences in affective and cognitive processes associated with impulse buying behavior and to identify gender differences in terms of impulsive purchases made from a variety of product categories. A total of 277 students served as the sample. Using analysis of variance tests, males and females were found to be significantly different with respect to affective process components (irresistible urge to buy, positive buying emotion and mood management) and cognitive process components (cognitive deliberation and unplanned buying). Significant differences were also found between men and women in the frequency with which the following product categories were purchased on impulse: shirts/sweaters, pants/skirts, coats, underwear/lingerie, accessories, shoes, electronics, hardware, computer software, music CDs or DVDs, sports memorabilia, health/beauty products, and magazines/books for pleasure reading. Introduction As industry moves from mass marketing into an era of mass customization, marketers and retailers seek characteristics that can be used to differentiate consumers and streamline segmentation strategies. Resulting from this surge is an increased interest in several areas of consumer behavior including impulse buying (Foreman, 1999). Retailers are well aware that a sizable portion of their sales volume is generated by impulsive purchases, with over 50 percent of mall shoppers buying items on impulse and as much as 70 percent of all grocery items being impulsively purchased (Nichols et al., 2001; Underhill, 1999). With non-store retailing such as online shopping gaining market share, retailers are experiencing a decline in impulse purchases at retail stores, affecting their bottom line (Christman, 1999). A seemingly under-researched factor affecting consumers' impulsive buying decisions is gender, although this demographic variable is one that retailers consistently use as a means of classifying customer behavior (Chiger, 2001; Marks, 2002; Otnes and McGrath, 2001). Researchers have been reporting gender differences in terms of shopping preference and behavior for many years and, despite the modern tendency to downplay gender differences, research shows that men's and women's shopping behavior differs on many levels. Men and women have been found to process information differently (Peter and Olson, 1999), relate to and value material possessions differently, purchase different items for different reasons (Dittmar et al., 1995, 1996) and