Role of in-store atmospherics and impulse buying tendency on post-purchase regret

Abstract

Purpose- For marketers and retailers, impulsive buyers constitute a dream segment. Stimulants at the point of shopping create sudden urge among these shoppers and they seek to immediately acquire the products. This desire for spontaneous acquisition and instant gratification can result in negative consequences, including post-purchase dissonance (regret). This paper is an attempt to comprehend and examine the direct and indirect impacts of store atmospherics, urge to buy impulsively and impulsive buying on post-purchase dissonance in the form of regret. Method- The data for the study was collected using survey method and structural equation modeling was used to analyse the proposed model. Findings- Result of the study reveals that shoppers' impulsive purchasing was positively linked to the feeling of regret. The study also noted the influence of positive and negative affect on urge to buy impulsively, which further is directed to impulse buying. Limitations- This study has been conducted in India. By incorporating cross-cultural aspects, the study shall stand its worth for better generalizations. Implications- The study findings suggest that retailers and mall developers to invest in improving in-store light and music that might encourage store visitors to devote extra time for browsing various products and these factors has a positive impact on reducing regret. Originality- A large number of studies have been conducted for analyzing store environment factors effect on impulse buying, however little is known about how these factors influences regret arises from impulse buying. This study attempt to analyses the influence of store environment factors on regret hence addresses that gap in the impulse literature.