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Compulsion to buy is an important but neglected aspect of consumer behavior. This research uses cross‐cultural data from the USA and South Korea to study compulsive consumption behavior by focusing on individual factors. Three compulsive consumption behaviors (i.e. compulsive buying, compulsive substance abuse, and compulsive gambling/lottery play) are analyzed via structural equation modeling. The findings reveal that comorbidity (i.e. coexistence of more than two related compulsive consumption behaviors) is found in both countries. With one exception, the predicted personality traits (i.e. obsessive thoughts, risk‐taking tendencies) are significantly related to compulsive consumption behaviors in both countries.

To find the root of the problem for compulsive buying behavior of students in the digital era by exploring psychological factors such as materialism, self-esteem, self-control, narcissism, money attitude and mood as boosters of the effect of income on compulsive buying behavior.

The unit of analysis in this research was a group of students having experience using e-commerce. The data collection method in this study was a closed questionnaire with a scale of 1–5 agree–disagree intervals distributed to 250 students who have shopping experience through e-commerce. WARP-PLS statistics was used.

The study shows that self-esteem and mood do not moderate the effect of income on compulsive buying behavior. Meanwhile, materialism, narcissism, self-control and money attitude can significantly moderate the effect of income on compulsive buying behavior.

That the data used is only limited to students in Central Java Province; so for future research, it is necessary to expand data to different provinces or different countries. This research has implications that the synthesis between mainstream conventional economic thought and behavioral economics can be tested well in this model.

This study is proof of the synthesis between conventional and behavioral economic thought, which is a solution to the contradiction of the neoclassical paradigm of thought and behavioral economic thought in understanding consumer behavior, especially in compulsive buying behavior.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-10-2019-0652

This article investigates the role that brands play in influencing the behavior and purchase decisions of compulsive buyers and whether this role differs for noncompulsive buyers, resulting in four research propositions.

In-depth interviews, conducted with ten compulsive and ten noncompulsive buyers, reveal several interesting differences between the groups.

The findings reveal several interesting differences between compulsive buyers and noncompulsive buyers. Noncompulsive buyers seem to appreciate and focus mainly on functional benefits of branded products and avoid buying unbranded products, whereas compulsive buyers value emotional and social benefits but often decide to buy “more and cheaper” items to achieve variety in their purchases. Noncompulsive buyers develop brand trust in, attachment to and higher willingness to pay for their favorite brand than for other brands, whereas compulsive buyers even struggle to name a favorite brand. Furthermore, compulsive buyers engage in more brand switching than noncompulsive buyers.

While this research provides the first, in-depth findings, a large-scale survey research is called for to provide statistically valid tests of the authors ' propositions.

The findings indicate that compulsive and noncompulsive buyers seek different benefits of brands. Stressing the good quality should be particularly effective for noncompulsive buyers, whereas compulsive buyers will be triggered more effectively by claims about the emotional benefits. This finding has obvious implications for brand communication strategies but also raises an important ethical dilemma. The findings further indicate that compulsive buyers react to branded products in ways that may hurt brands with high brand equity. These, therefore, have an incentive to help compulsive buyers overcome this problem, rather than encouraging them in their buying behavior.

Considering the harmful effects of compulsive buying behavior on a person’s well-being, manufacturers and retailers should take corporate social responsibility in this situation and help society deal with it, using both proactive and reactive methods. For example, to facilitate the early identification of this type of behavior, retailers might stimulate customers to think about their purchasing motivations and inform them about the risks of compulsive buying. They could initiate the development, support or sponsorship of a “Shop Responsibly” campaign to help customers avoid such buying behaviors. Not only would these efforts increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, but they could boost the public image of the firm as a responsible organization that cares for societal well-being.

This is the first study to investigate how compulsive buyers approach brands and whether they approach brands differently from noncompulsive buyers. It can draw attention to and encourage future research in this important area.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating role of self-esteem in the relationship between parent-adolescent relationship and adolescent compulsive buying behaviour. Using a sample of 300 adolescents (15-18 years) in India and the structural equation modelling technique, the findings reveal that self-esteem mediates the relationship between parent-adolescent relationship and adolescent compulsive buying behaviour.

The present study is the first to experimentally manipulate important parent-adolescent relationship and measures its impact on compulsive buying among a sample of 15-18-year old adolescents. Next, the authors investigate the mediating role of self-esteem for the above relationship. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling have been used in the study.

The study also establishes that familial conflict and cohesion acts as major sources of adolescent compulsivity. The authors have also examined the mediating role of self-esteem on the above relationships and found that adolescents’ compulsivity varies with the level of self-esteem (i.e. higher level of self-esteem leads to lower levels of adolescents’ compulsivity). The practical and theoretical implications are discussed within the context of adolescents’ compulsivity.

The study makes some inimitable and significant contributions to the literature. It portrays one of few studies to investigate compulsive buying during adolescence period – a hard to reach population. Here authors experimentally manipulate parent-adolescent relationship to investigate its impact on compulsive buying. The study’s findings in regard to mediating effect of self-esteem on the parent-adolescent relationship and adolescents’ compulsive buying behaviour suggest that compulsive buying begins during adolescence period and is a common coping strategy for both boys and girls.

With the rising concerns of compulsive use of social media, it is important to understand why users develop such unplanned and irrational behaviors. Leveraging the uses and gratification theory, the authors aim to explore the determinants of compulsive use of social media from the dual perspectives of individual needs (need to belong (NTB) and need for uniqueness) and peer-related factors (referent network size and perceived peer activeness). Due to the importance of self-construal in cognitive deliberation on peer influences, the moderating effects of self-construal were taken into consideration.

The authors empirically test their model by conducting an online survey with 459 WeChat users.

The results show that compulsive use of social media is predicated by both individual needs and influence from peers. Moreover, peer influence could be attenuated when individuals develop a high degree of independent self-construal.

The authors' study contributes to the research of compulsive behavior in the context of social media use by incorporating the dual effects of individual needs and social influence. The authors also offer managerial insights on eradicating the formation of compulsive behaviors.

The authors examine the dual effects of individual needs and peer influence in predicting compulsive use of social media and the moderating role of self-construal, which have been rarely investigated in this context.

Although much research focuses on the compulsive buying behavior theory, little attention has been paid to evaluation and diagnosis of compulsive buying in Eastern Europe. This is surprising, given an increasing prevalence of consumerism in many transitioning economies. Young consumers are particularly vulnerable to this phenomenon. The purpose of this study is to adapt the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale to the Eastern European, specifically Polish cultural and language environment, and to validate it within a group of young Polish consumers, as well to assess the compulsive buying prevalence and the relationship between the compulsive buying and its precursors.

The Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale was selected for adaptation to the Polish context as it represents one of the best methodological and substantive compulsive buying measures in literature. The research is composed of two studies. Study 1 uses an in-person survey of young consumers (N = 504). A wide range of statistical procedures and latent variable modeling was used in the analysis. Study 2 (N = 756) uses an online survey to evaluate the correlation and relationship between the compulsive buying measure and its precursors, including consumers’ traits and states, by implementing a multiple indicators and multiple causes model.

The results of the two studies confirm that the adapted scale represents a valid and reliable measure of compulsive buying tendency in Poland, with the identified incidence rate of compulsive buying among Polish young consumers ranging from 11% in Study 1 to 11.6% in Study 2. In comparison with the results of other studies using the same measure, the current research findings reveal a similarity with the compulsive buying prevalence in China (10.4%; He et al., 2018), Brazil (9.8%; Leite et al., 2013) and slightly exceed the level found in western societies (e.g. 8.9% in the USA; Ridgway et al., 2008). The results of Study 2 indicate that compulsive buying in Poland is induced by low self-esteem and high levels of materialism, depression, anxiety, stress and negative feelings.

The present research offers a methodological and substantive contribution by adapting and testing the original version of the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale within an Eastern European transitional market; specifically Poland. In addition, the study offers an empirical contribution to the international research on compulsive behavior, including its precursors, as seen in young consumers.

This research offers important public policy implications and highlights ethical implications for business organizations. In particular, the findings of this study offer suggestions for enhancing policies and processes of programing appropriate social and educational campaigns that can save young consumers from the negative consequences of compulsive buying.

The transitional status of the Polish economy and other Eastern European countries has given rise to compulsive buying behavior, especially among young consumers. This emerging consumer behavior trend in Eastern Europe is still underexplored and underreported; hence, there exists a strong need for exploring and measuring such behavior across different Eastern European markets.

Compulsive buying continues to be a maladaptive behavior that draws the attention of both scholars and marketers. The present study aims to investigate the determinants of compulsive buying, which are conceptualized as impulsive and obsessive–compulsive buying, and the mediation effect of brand attachment.

Using purposive sampling, a self-administered questionnaire was completed by 600 young consumers in Malaysia. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships.

The results show that materialism, utilitarian value, and brand attachment are positively related to impulsive buying, while materialism, hedonic value, and brand attachment have a positive effect on obsessive–compulsive buying. In addition, brand attachment is found to mediate the effect of materialism and utilitarian value on both compulsive buying.

The study provides new insights into brand management literature by examining the predictors of impulsive and obsessive–compulsive buying. Moreover, brand attachment is found to be a significant mechanism that induces negative buying behavior. However, due to the growth of online shopping, future research should consider different types of retailers to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter in the modern business landscape.

Being one of the few studies to address both impulsive and obsessive–compulsive buying behaviors among consumers, this study highlights the essential role of brand attachment as a mediator in the contemporary setting. Moreover, the interrelationships between self-congruence, materialism, hedonic value, utilitarian value, brand attachment, and compulsive buying behavior are examined in a holistic manner.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of ideal self-congruence in instigating two types of negative consumer behaviours – compulsive buying and external trash-talking – and the mediating role of brand attachment on these relationships.

Two studies were designed using a structural equation modelling methodology. Study 1a was based on a mail survey of 280 respondents, whereas Study 1b was based on an electronic survey of 152 respondents. Study 1b was conducted to test the external validity of the research model.

In Study 1a, ideal self-congruence affects emotional brand attachment and in turn emotional brand attachment affects compulsive buying behaviour and external trash-talking. The mediation analysis indicates that emotional brand attachment mediates the relationships. Study 1b offers support to the results of Study 1a.

From a practical point of view, this study is useful for policymakers seeking to regulate and prevent excessive consumerism. For marketers, they should understand that brand attachment leads to compulsive buying and external trash-talking, which may provide immediate benefit for the brand or the firm. However, marketers should understand that these two negative behaviours may harm the firm image and consumers’ well-being in the long run.

Apart from practical implications, firms should consider alleviating compulsive buying, as it is harmful to society. Similarly, excessive external trash-talking may lead to physical aggression. Consumers expect firms to be socially responsible. Thus, firms should start conducting activities that promote responsible shopping and reduce external trash-talking.

The study highlights a dark side of ideal self-congruence and brand attachment. The results suggest that ideal self-congruence with the help of emotional brand attachment predicts compulsive buying behaviour and external trash-talking. This may not only damage brand image but also the consumers’ well-being.

The main purpose of this research is to evaluate Gluttony's role in consumers' compulsive buying behaviour. Specifically, the authors want to identify the main psychological antecedents of the construct (expressed with the Big Five) and the moderating effects of shopping motives (in the two dimensions hedonism and utilitarianism).

The hypotheses were tested by applying survey data from 335 participants to a mediation model with a moderator.

The results show that consciousness adversely affects gluttony, while neuroticism has a positive impact on it. Gluttony, in turn, mediates the relationship between these personality traits and compulsive buying behaviour. Finally, contrary to what might be expected, only utilitarianism accentuates the effect of gluttony on compulsive buying behaviour.

Using these results, managers and policymakers can create more effective strategies for their commercial or awareness initiatives.

This study clarifies the role of gluttony in consumer behaviour by identifying the underlying personality traits.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how young Chinese consumers' money attitudes influence their compulsive buying behavior.

In total, 303 undergraduate students from Tianjin and Ningbo (two major cities in coastal China) answered a self‐administered questionnaire.

Money attitudes were found to significantly affect young Chinese consumers' compulsive buying behaviour. Specifically, the Retention‐Time dimension significantly affected both male and female consumers' compulsive buying. However, the Power‐Prestige dimension only affected male consumers' compulsive buying. Finally, the Quality dimension had a greater impact on male than on female consumers' compulsive buying.

The data were collected in two major cities in the coastal region of China. Given the differences between coastal and inland China, caution must be taken when generalizing the research results to young consumers from inland China.

The discussion of the relationships between young Chinese consumers' money attitudes and their compulsive buying will help marketers and policy makers to better understand these consumers' spending behaviour. Thus, marketers can identify new market opportunities and form marketing strategies to target young consumers in China. On the other hand, policy makers can also form more effective education strategies to help young consumers to spend wisely.

Different from previous research in money attitudes and compulsive behaviour, the research provides an in‐depth overview of how male and female young Chinese consumers perceive money and how their beliefs about money affect their spending.