Title: What Motivates Impulse Buying? | Psychology Today
Headings: What Motivates Impulse Buying?
Ian Zimmerman Ph.D.
What Motivates Impulse Buying?
Personality, pleasure, and product connections can all lead to impulse buys.

Content: People who like to shop for fun are more likely to buy on impulse. We all want to experience pleasure, and it can be a lot of fun to go shopping and imagine owning the products we see. Once we start experiencing pleasure as a result of this sense of vicarious ownership, we’re more likely to buy those products so that we can continue to experience that pleasure. The concept of vicarious ownership is related to another impulse buying motivator, which is a connection between a consumer and a product. When we’re connected to a product, our minds essentially start acting like we already own the product, which makes it harder to go without buying it. This raises the question, “How are connections with products formed?” A physical connection with a product is created when we’re close to it and when we’re able to touch it. A temporal connection with a product is created when we’re able to purchase it immediately. Finally, a social connection with a product is created when we see someone using it and compare ourselves to that person. How do all these factors interact?