The impulsivity challenge
Abstract
Given the rise of online retailing, impulsive consumer shopping behaviours in all venues have become critical subjects for many marketers. In this paper, the background on what is known about inhibition (believed to be the controlling factor in human impulsive shopping) is investigated from both the marketer and medical (neural) research perspectives. Based on that information, a new ‘single question’ research approach is developed to aid in identifying and understanding impulsive shopping behaviour. Analytical results show the methodology has promise and should be further developed, and the marketer can use these responses to gain a better understanding of different consumer segments and efficiently plan marketing campaigns and activities. This study also makes a call for more studies that attempt to understand both the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of observable behaviours.
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Author's Biography
Don Schultz is professor (Emeritus-in-Service) of Integrated Marketing Communications at the Medill School, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. He holds a BBA from the University of Oklahoma and MA and PhD from Michigan State University. He is President of Agora, Inc., a global marketing, communication and branding consulting firm. Don is author/co-author of 28 books and 150 trade, academic and professional articles. He is also a featured columnist in Marketing News and Marketing Insights.
Martin Block is a Professor in the Integrated Marketing Communications Division of the Medill School at Northwestern University. Martin is co-author of ‘Understanding China’s Digital Generation’, ‘Media Generations: Media Allocation in a Consumer-Controlled Marketplace’, ‘Retail Communities: Customer Driven Retailing’, ‘Analyzing Sales Promotion’, ‘Business-to-Business Market Research’ (both in their 2nd edition) and ‘Cable Advertising: New Ways to New Business’. He has published in many academic research journals and trade publications and has written several book chapters.
Vijay Viswanathan is Assistant Professor of Integrated Marketing Communications, The Medill School, Northwestern University. Prior to obtaining his PhD from Emory University in 2010, Vijay worked with multinational firms managing brands and supply chains. Vijay’s research focuses broadly on consumer decision making in the fast-changing worlds of branding and media, and has been published in various marketing communication journals. He has shared his work at numerous conferences with academics and practitioners.
Citation
Schultz, Don, Block, Martin and Viswanathan, Vijay (2016, September 6). The impulsivity challenge. In the Applied Marketing Analytics: The Peer-Reviewed Journal, Volume 2, Issue 3. https://doi.org/10.69554/LJEF3520.
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