Effects of External Cues on Impulse Buying in Pret Market

Abstract

Impulse buying is an exciting topic within the context of consumer behavior. It is an often occurring phenomenon which is unplanned and results from self-control, sudden urges and external & internal influences (Sharma & Shukla, 2015). Several studies have shown that the most common business industries where impulse buying occurs are clothing stores and grocery stores (Ek & Mattson, 2006; Newnham, 2003; Vidlund & Svardskrona, 2007). However, current theories in economics, marketing and psychology do not fully explain key reasons for impulse buying and are restricted to western business environment whereas eastern retail environment has remained unexplored until present (Kalla & Arora, 2011). This research provides detailed understanding of impact of selected external cues on impulse buying in pret market. Structured questionnaire on five point Likert scale is designed to collect primary data. Two hundred and fifty questionnaires are administered in various shopping malls of Karachi city using stratified probability sampling technique. Target population is divided in subgroups or strata on the basis of shopping malls at different locations to serve questionnaires. Multiple regression analysis is applied to find out the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. Regression is applied on overall model as well as on individual variables to observe the contrast between the results of the relationships. According to findings of regression analysis, all four independent variables which include window display (M = 3.72, SD = 0.90), mannequin display (M = 3.73, SD = 0.91), floor merchandising (M = 3.55, SD = 0.98) and promotional signage (M = 3.54, SD = 0.94) significantly (p<0.05) influence impulse buying (M =3.053, SD = 1.736). Promotional signage followed by floor merchandising and mannequin display are found to be strong predictors/cause of impulse buying with total variance explained 82.7%, 80.6% and 78.3% respectively. Window display is comparatively least predictor of impulse buying with variance explained 60.9% however it is still in acceptable range of minimum 40%. Findings reveal retailers must put in place these external cues within retail setting because they trigger impulse buying.