Compulsive Buying: The Motivations for Buying Branded Products and The Consumer-Brand Relationship

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2017-06-29
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en
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Purpose – This research examines the role of brands for compulsive buyers by focusing on their motivations for buying branded products and their relationship with brands. Method – A large-scale survey has been used to examine the compulsive buying behavior, the motivations for buying branded products and the brand-relationship constructs. Study 1 is conducted to gather more knowledge on the motivations for buying branded products, which are determined by the perceived value of emotional, social and functional benefits. Study 2 investigates the relationship between compulsive buying and the brand relationship constructs (i.e. brand trust, brand attachment and brand switching behavior). Findings – The findings of the first study show that the emotional and social benefits are the primary motivations for compulsive buyers for buying branded products. No relationship has been found between compulsive buying and the perceived value of the functional benefits. Regarding the findings of the second study, compulsive buying seems to positively influence an individual’s attachment towards a brand. Based on the findings on brand trust and brand switching behavior, no conclusions can be made. Practical implications – The results suggest that emotional and social benefits are the primary motivations for buying branded products for compulsive buyers. Thus managers should stress the fashionable design and social status of a brand when targeting compulsive buyers. However, manager should always keep in mind the ethical issues that arise with this. A better decision may be to help compulsive buyers with their excessive buying behavior and improve the public image of the brand. Keywords: Compulsive buying; emotional benefits; social benefits; functional benefits; brand trust; brand attachment; brand switching behavior
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen
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