Evaluating the Academic Trend of Impulse Buying Research on Scopus Publications from 1998 to 2022

Abstract

This bibliometric review of research aims to synthesise research trends in the domain of ‘impulse buying’ over the past 25 years. This study utilised extensive bibliometric analysis of articles published in Scopus-indexed journals from 1998 to 2022. It found that research on impulse buying has increased, with over 80% of the relevant documents published since 2013, and most of it in the form of concept papers and empirical research. Despite the low number of publications relating to impulse buying as compared to the publications in other disciplines, it has potential directions for future research.

Introduction

Impulse buying has become the new normal for consumers since the start of the pandemic. Based on Slickdeals’ latest survey of 2,000 US adults, revealed that 64% of them have increased their impulse spending habits in 2022. Currently, on average, a person spends $314 per month on impulse buying, up from $276 in 2021 and $183 in 2020 (Tronier, 2022). The research found that the surveyed shopper admitted to having bought items on impulse, with the most spontaneous purchases being clothing (35%), food and groceries (30%), household items (29%), shoes (28%), and consumer technology (27%) (Slickdeals, 2022). Surprisingly, most shoppers who impulse buy have saved their money because, in their shopper’s community, they help one another to find the best prices at any given time, helping them save their budget. This critical issue of impulse buying among consumers merits further study, especially to understand the trend of this irregular consumer behaviour through bibliometric analysis. Hence, this study aims to synthesise research trends on impulse buying over the past 25 years.

In recent years, consumer buying behaviour research has received massive attention among scholars, and yet it has proven that the number of results in this research area shows dramatic growth. One of the intensifying consumer issues that have been actively debated is impulse buying behaviour, which has affected consumers' financial planning globally. Unexpectedly, the research found that impulse buying tends to increase during inflation, presidential elections, and economic downturns, which later contribute to stronger economic growth (French & Koh, 2023). Hence, the objective of this study is to analyse the growth trajectory and geographic distribution of literature on impulse buying, determine topics in impulse buying research that have received the greatest attention in the literature, and identify the citation metrics from the retrieved documents.

Literature Review

Impulse buying is defined as an action that is unplanned spontaneous, and involves the purchase of items for which there was no previously identified need (Sohn & Ko, 2021). Impulsive behaviour is caused by an inability to evaluate its consequences and an irresistible urge to purchase (Rodrigues, Lopes & Varela, 2021). By acquiring and possessing material goods, consumers attempt to restore their degraded, uncertain, threatened selves. Despite being aware of the negative effects of non-intentional buying, there is a strong desire to satisfy consumer’s pressing needs (Meena, 2018).

The history of impulse buying dates back to the year 1950, when researchers focused on products versus consumers and analysed different retail environments (Applebaum, 1951; Clover, 1950). Impulse buying has been studied from several perspectives, namely the effects of advertising on consumer behaviour, emotional resources, rational processes, persuasive communication, and the cognitive currents arising from the theory of social judgment (Malter et al., 2020).

Recent years have seen a burgeoning literature on impulse buying among researchers in terms of the influence of product’s hedonic appeal, shopping enjoyment, and interactive advertising screen on impulse buying (Lord et al., 2023; Moes et al., 2022; Sharma, 2021). Some researchers measured the influence of livestreaming (i.e., online promotion) on impulsive consumption in the gastronomy industry (Yu et al., 2022) while others measured conscious and unconscious impulse buying during emergencies such as pandemics (COVID-19) (Nigam et al., 2022). However, Kursan Milaković and Ahmad (2023) investigate impulse buying among online users in two distinct countries and recommend that future research be conducted on various product categories. Consequently, these observations about the emergence of impulse buying as a field of study structure this bibliometric review of research.

Bibliometric analysis is known as “the application of mathematics and statistical methods to books and other media of communication” (Pritchard, 1969). Bibliometric studies have been used to evaluate the quantity and quality of published documents to observe the trend or pattern of a specific research area. Bibliometric analysis is a rigorous method for analysing large volumes of scientific data. The importance of bibliometric analysis is reflected in its utility for producing high research impact and handling large volumes of scientific data (Donthu et al., 2020).

This study employs this approach to provide a holistic perspective on impulse buying. In addition, academics interested in impulse buying literature can use this study as a reference in the future. The analysis spanning the past 25 years enables researchers to examine patterns of past studies based on historical data. As a result, it forecasted the visibility of topics and the future development of literature. For instance, previous researchers utilised bibliometric analysis within 25 years (i.e., from 1999 to 2021) to investigate sustainable consumption behaviour (Vergura et al., 2023) and within 46 years (i.e., from 1976 to 2022) to analyse business sustainability (Dima et al., 2022). In addition, researchers can analyse the critical issues related to impulse buying over the past 25 years based on the publication’s details, such as authors, keyword frequency, citation analysis, and geographical distributions.

Method

This study employs bibliometric analysis to examine the expansion and production of studies on impulsive buying behaviour. To achieve the objective of this study, data from the Scopus database was obtained. The Scopus index, which was chosen as the data repository, was the source of the documents. Using empirical data, comparisons reveal that, outside of the medical and physical sciences, Scopus's coverage of sources is broader than Web of Science's (Hallinger & Kovačević, 2019). The review included journal articles, books, book chapters, and conference papers to provide comprehensive coverage of the topic. The Scopus search commenced without a start date, allowing the database to locate the earliest papers possible.

On February 8, 2023, the search query "impulse buying" was applied to the article title in the Scopus database. This search yielded a total of 698 documents for further examination. As part of the data sets, the data has been exported in CSV and RIS formats. To analyse the gathered documents, Microsoft Excel, VOSviewer, and Harzing's Publish and Perish software were utilised. The review adopted PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines for conducting systematic reviews of research. The search string “impulse buying” was entered into the Scopus search engine. This initial search yielded 698 documents.

After the time frame was applied, the database was reduced to 668 documents. Additional documents were excluded based on the document type. For example, retracted and undefined documents were eliminated at this stage. After the screening of documents was completed, the final database included 666 documents on impulse buying. The 'data' analysed for this study were bibliographic descriptions of the 666 Scopus-indexed documents. This 'meta-data' included the document authors' names, titles, publication dates, and author affiliations, as well as an abundance of citation information. Utilising descriptive statistics, trend analyses regarding the growth and geography of the impulse buying literature were conducted. Besides, we utilised VOSviewer software to synthesise patterns of knowledge production in impulse-buying literature.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this study demonstrates bibliometric analysis as a scientific method to reflect on the expansive fields of business research to provide new insights to evaluate the academic trend of impulse buying research. The results of the bibliometric analysis reveal a comprehensive picture of trending topics for discussing future trends of impulse buying through a data repository. Moreover, the growth trajectory of this literature suggests that it will more than double it size over the next decade.

The limitation of the study is that the data sources used are restricted to Scopus. Future studies can supplement other pertinent data sources such as the Web of Sciences, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and others to get a holistic view of this topic. Future studies can provide a more detailed and comprehensive analysis of the trend of impulse buying and formulate several specific contexts to facilitate the development of studies on impulse buying. Additionally, meta-analytical review approaches are also suitable to help future research achieve a better understanding and clearer vision of the results of the present study.

To cite the paper or to read more about it, you may visit HERE.

Cashless Payments Influence Impulse Buying Behaviour

INTRODUCTION

Consumers today are more likely to purchase a product on a whim, regardless of whether they are shopping online or in-store. Consumers become increasingly prone to making rash decisions as time passes. Numerous individuals engage in more casual or compulsive shopping, particularly via online channels. As technologies have advanced, debit and credit cards, e-wallets with quick response (QR) code options, contactless cards such as SamsungPay, ApplePay, MAE, and the Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) feature, as well as many others have become more prevalent, thereby accelerating the process of making a purchase. With mobile wallets gaining the most traction among first-time users (33%) followed by online cards (30%) and QR code payments (26%), cashless payments are on the rise (Visa, 2022). As a result of this significant shift in consumer behaviour and the widespread adoption of digital payment methods, Malaysia is gradually becoming a cashless society.

IMPULSE BUYING BEHAVIOUR

The term "impulse buying" describes a type of shopping behaviour characterised by a strong desire to make an unplanned purchase despite negative emotional and rational considerations (Zhao et al., 2022). Customers have access to a variety of payment options, thus allowing them to purchase their desired items quickly and easily. Moreover, compared to those who pay with cash, consumers who use credit cards or other electronic payment systems tend to underestimate their expenditures (Xu et al., 2022). Consequently, consumers are likely to make impulsive purchases as they can pay with a single click or wave. They will not give their purchases much thought, leading them to act impulsively. In fact, a Bankrate study found that 64% of the shoppers who purchased something from an advertisement said that they regretted at least one of these purchases (Foster, 2022). 

Retailers and other industries such as the food and beverage industry are pressured to adapt their customer service strategies because of changing consumer preferences. According to the Visa Consumer Payment Attitudes study, most Malaysians (55%) can go cashless for more than a week, and 74% of consumers in Malaysia have successfully gone cashless, with most digital payments being made using the card online (70%), contactless card (56%), and mobile contactless payment (32%). The study also reported that 93% of Southeast Asian consumers use a variety of cashless payment methods such as cards, contactless cards, mobile contactless, mobile wallets, and QR code payments (Visa, 2022). This is led by consumers from Singapore (97%), Malaysia (96%), Indonesia (95%), and Vietnam (95%). Other than that, the study reported that most consumers did not only view cashless payment as a safe option, but they also supported their governments' plans to transform their countries into cashless societies. 

Using radio frequency identification (RFID) and near-field communication (NFC) technologies, these contactless payment methods enable customers to pay with debit and/or credit cards or smartphones. Payments made with a contactless card, for example, do not require a personal identification number (PIN) or signature, thereby expediting the transaction. Given that this reduces the time spent contemplating a purchase, it may encourage impulsive purchases. 49 Moreover, the BNPL option encourages consumers to purchase products without waiting for a financial emergency. Over one-third of shoppers (35%) say they will continue to make impulsive purchases during inflation because the price is "too good to pass up" (Foster, 2022). As a means of ensuring that they can continue living as they have been, they will seek it out. Since they can now purchase an item for which they have not had time to save, they are more likely to make a large purchase quickly. 

Cashless payments are becoming increasingly common among younger consumers including Millennials and Generation Z, as they are the primary drivers of this trend. Using an e-wallet to make a purchase is enjoyable for these generations of consumers, and this has a positive impact on their propensity to make impulsive purchases (Lee et al., 2022). The preference of young customers for cashless payment methods influences their shopping frequency. They are prone more to making impulsive purchases compared to other generations. This may result in these young consumers incurring excessive debts. Therefore, it is crucial for both marketers and consumers to gain an understanding of what motivates young buyers to make impulsive purchases and to develop effective tools to combat this behaviour. 

As a part of the government's initiative to "transform Malaysia into a digitally driven, high income nation and a regional leader in the digital economy," Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) has adopted cashless payment and is poised to become Malaysia's largest cashless campus. The "UiTM Go Cashless – Make Life Easier" slogan has been applied to UiTM campuses as a part of the initiative to migrate from cash to cashless payments. UiTM and Merchantrade have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide a digital wallet service to international and outbound students enrolled in UiTM, the University’s employees as well as a million active alumni members (Ignatius, 2023). Students and staff of UiTM, who are also among the Millennials and Generation Z, will be able to conduct financial transactions digitally, exchange digital currency, manage their card settings, and routinely track their expenses.

CONCLUSION

The proliferation of cashless payment methods among Malaysian consumers contributes to economic growth. Consumers can now make purchases online and offline using a variety of payment options provided by retailers. Since the convenience of cashless payment methods offered by merchants encourages consumers to make impulsive purchases, consumers must manage and plan their financial flow. Individuals who make impulsive purchases could jeopardise their financial planning as they may incur debt and be unable to manage their financial situation. In response to public financial planning crises, marketers should remain vigilant and continue monitoring the consumer base to distinguish between true demands and impulsive purchases. 

REFERENCE

Foster, S. (2022). Social media is making you more prone to impulse purchases – here’s how to avoid buyer’s remorse. The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/technews/2022/08/29/steps-to-stop-impulse-buying 

Ignatius, C. (2023). UiTM, Merchantrade Collaborate To Provide Digital Wallet Service. Business Today. https://www.businesstoday.com.my/2023/01/30/uitm-merchantrade-collaborateto-provide-digital-wallet-service/ 

Lee, Y. Y., Gan, C. L., & Liew, T. W. (2022). Do E-wallets trigger impulse purchases? An analysis of Malaysian Gen-Y and Gen-Z consumers. Journal of Marketing Analytics, 0123456789. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41270-022-00164-9 50 

Visa. (2022). Visa Consumer Payment Attitudes Study 2022 - Navigating a New Era in Payments. https://my.review.visa.com/dam/VCOM/regional/ap/documents/visa-cpa-report-smt2022.pdf 

Xu, C., Unger, A., Bi, C., Papastamatelou, J., & Raab, G. (2022). The influence of Internet shopping and use of credit cards on gender differences in compulsive buying. Journal of Internet and Digital Economics, 2(1), 27–45. https://doi.org/10.1108/jide-11-2021-0017 

Zhao, S., Yang, Q., Im, H., Ye, B., Zeng, Y., Chen, Z., Liu, L., & Huang, D. (2022). The impulsive online shopper: Effects of Covid‑19 burnout, uncertainty, self‑control, and online shopping trust. Future Business Journal, 8(1), 1–58. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-022-00174-0

To cite the paper, you may visit HERE.

Cover Letter - Submitting Manuscript

Assalamu'alaikum. Today I want to share the contents of the cover letter since it needs to be submitted together with our manuscript for publication.

1. Relate our paper with the scope of the journal

2. Answer the key result our paper address

3. Make sure the name of the editor and journal are written correctly

4. Mention what type of our article

5. Explain how our paper fit their journal

6. Don't put abstract in the cover letter

7. One side of the paper only and written in 12 point

8. State that our manuscript is not published and is not being considered by any other journal

That's all. See you in the next post. Take care!

High Impact Journal - Conceptual Paper

All should realize that it is not so difficult to publish a conceptual article. Shouldn't there be data included? No respondents? It's alright. Your article can still be written and published even in high index journals.

Source: From Google

First, do we know how to write conceptual papers? It's all about creating new awareness. We must, therefore, choose the sources of information before we can generate new knowledge. The argument is, obviously, not taken from the data but from the collection of proof of previously established ideas and hypotheses, as we write theoretical papers, too.

Two primary methods are a focus phenomenon and a focus theory to explain how and why ideas and hypotheses are selected.

Focal phenomenon:- we must first define the various concepts of the phenomenon and then argue for the dimension of concern better discussed particular concepts or theories.

Focal theory:- we argue that in some respects, the current idea or theory is not enough or incomplete, and we then present new approaches to resolve the shortcomings. Such shortcomings in previous work have to be addressed.

We will clarify how and why the principles and hypotheses have been chosen for writing conceptual articles. All right, let's move on to principles and hypotheses claims now. How can we argue about this? The arguments -> reasons -> warrants are CGW.

Claims are the assertion that the reader must be acknowledged as valid. That is the product of the study, in other words. The reasons for supporting the argument and persuading the reader are the ground, and the underlying premises that relate the reasons to the claims are warrants.

You can follow four approaches: theory synthesis, theory adaptation, typology and model.

1. Theory Synthesis
In this method, the published paper incorporates several theories or literature sources. Researchers linked the unconnected and incompatible pieces by providing a new or enhanced view of concept or phenomenon. They contribute by summarizing and incorporating the current concept of the idea or phenomenon. They may also investigate the conceptual underpinnings of an emerging theory or clarify the contradictory study results.

2. Theory Adaptation
This method enables us to revise the scope or perspective of an existing theory by informing it of other theories or perspectives. The conceptual scope may also be changed or extended by switching the level of analysis. Another way is to define new dimensions of an established construct by introducing a new theoretical lens.

3. Typology
A typology paper identifies the critical dimensions of a concept to address contradictory findings from previous studies. We may also demonstrate how variants of an entity differ and establish dynamic networks of concepts and relationships to explain a phenomenon.

4. Model
A model paper explains and predicts relationships between concepts. This paper constructs a theoretical framework that predicts relationships between constructs. First, we define the interactions between constructs, then add new constructs and/or relationships between constructs. Finally, we explain why a series of events occur.

These are the four vital methodological requirements to publish a conceptual paper. Break a leg! I know we can do it!

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