The Impacts of Materialism and Conformity on Consumer's Online Compulsive Buying － The Moderating Role of Gender

• Main Authors: Ping-Hung Chang, 張秉閎
• Other Authors: Mei-Fang Chen
• Format: Others
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/19320758262497791461

碩士 === 大同大學 === 事業經營學系(所) === 98 === Compulsive buying, defined as “chronic, repetitive purchasing that becomes a primary response to negative events or feelings” (O’Guinn and Faber 1989), is an important issue in consumer behavior research. With the popularity of Internet and online shopping, this study aims to have a better understanding of consumers’ online compulsive buying. Based on the empirical results of this study, consumers’ online compulsive buying is predicted by consumers’ materialism and their online conformity. The results indicate that if an individual has a higher degree of materialistic value, then he or she is more likely to do online compulsive buying. In addition, if an individual has more conformity with a virtual community, then he or she will have more possibility to do online compulsive buying. Moreover, consumers’ online conformity is further verified to be positively determined by both the member expertise and sense of belongingness of virtual community. The moderating effect tests show that conformity will enhance female consumers’ online compulsive buying but reduce male consumer’s online compulsive buying. And male consumer will become more conformity because the member expertise, the effect is stronger than female. On the contrary, female consumer will become more conformity just because their feel about sense of belongingness of a virtual community, and the effect is stronger than male consumer.