The effect of purchasing situation and conformity behavior on young students’ impulse buying

Abstract

The objective of this research is to explore the effects of purchasing situations (time pressure, economic
pressure) and personal characteristics (impulse, conformity, gender) on students’ impulse buying behavior.
This study employed a two-way factor 2 (time pressure) x 2 (economic pressure) experiment design by two
scenarios in Paris, France and Prague, Czech Republic, resulting in eight manipulation treatments. This
research found that respondents with high time pressure (limited time) or low economic pressure (larger
budget) are significantly more likely to engage in impulse buying behavior. This study also found that female
respondents’ impulsivity and conformity are higher than that of male respondents.