Exploring impulse buying and variety seeking by retail shoppers: Towards a common conceptual framework

Impulse buying and variety seeking are both low-effort feelings-based behaviours with similar psychological origins. However, there is little research exploring the common sociopsychological processes regulating these behaviours. This gap is addressed with a conceptual framework incorporating the discrepancy between actual and optimum stimulation levels as the driver of both the behaviours, and self-monitoring as the moderator of interpersonal influences on these. Findings from a field-survey-based study with retail shoppers show that both the behaviours are responses to exploratory urges triggered by lower stimulation levels. Moreover, high self-monitors exhibit greater impulsiveness in private and seek greater variety in public compared to lowself-monitors. The paper concludes with a discussion on its conceptual and managerial contribution along with some of its limitations and directions for future research. © 2010 Westburn Publishers Ltd.