Question

Difference between impulsive and compulsive purchasing

Answer 1

Impulsive and compulsive buying are terms that are frequently confused for each other, but represent behaviors that differ greatly in their frequency, cause, outcome and severity. Impulsive buying is a more common and ordinary behavior. Almost everyone makes a purchase on impulse (without much deliberation) from time to time.

Impulse buying is defined as a sudden and powerful urge in the consumer to buy immediately. It occurs when desire for a product or brand outweighs one's willpower to resist. Research on impulse buying focuses on characteristic of individuals that make them more or less likely to engage in impulse buying. These include mood states, personality characteristics, and situational factors such as proximity and depletion in resources needed for self‐control.

Compulsive buying, on the other hand, is a psychological disorder where one experiences an uncontrollable urge to buy. Failing to act on this urge creates increasing tension that can only dissipate with buying. Frequently, this urge is triggered by negative events or feelings. Ultimately, this behavior leads to extreme negative consequences for the individual. Many compulsive buyers never use the items they purchase. Thus, compulsive buying appears to be more about obtaining short‐term relief from negative feelings than about a desire for specific goods.