The Impulsivity Challenge

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.