Impulse Buying

This dissertation is an attempt to explore internal and external motives of consumption by looking into complex psychological and social behaviours associated with both planned and unplanned or impulse buying for luxury goods . For this exploration, a great deal of diverse resources of data has been researched for imparting depth and broadness to arguments posited here in. Different sources of information have been analysed and put together to develop a coherent thought leading to the conclusion of the research conducted. Mostly consumers use luxury goods to help themselves achieve their inner ambitions and benefits (Manson 1983). Wiedmann (2009) has diverted our attention to luxury shopping that can have impact on psychological and social aspects e.g., self-confidence and self-fulfilment. Buying decision differs from the consumer s usual decision-making process; it can intrude on a consumer s mental space and can also intrude on typical consumer behaviour. Impulse items often appeal to the consumer s feelings for inciting to make purchase decisions. According to Park and Lennon (2006) some items are bought on impulse behaviour even though such items are not necessarily considered functional and necessary in consumer s life. Motives behind such types of consumer behaviour can be understood as an impulse buying. Husman (2000) explained that impulse buying is based on stimuli related to internal and external environment and marketing mix. Consumption as a psychological behaviour reveals aspects like hedonism, self-respect, prestige and conspicuous consumption that can clearly be perceived as internal factors. When these aspects of psychological behaviours are substituted for the internal stimulation, triggering the impulse buying of the luxury goods, then a relationship can be derived between consumption as a psychological behaviour and impulse buying for the luxury goods. Still there is need for further research on this aspect of consumer behaviour. Further research needs to be conducted to analyse the variables of consumption behaviour and the extent of their effect on impulse buying stimuli.