THE ROLE OF EMOTIONS IN IMPULSE BUYING

Abstract

The interest in the role of emotions in consumer decision-making has grown in recent years. In this context, there is impulse consumption, which represents the sudden and unplanned will to consume (Segunpta & Zhou, 2007). Thus, the aim of this article was to analyze the influence of positive and negative valence emotions on impulse buying in department stores. Therefore, a survey was carried out that used a questionnaire to measure impulse consumption in department stores and the emotions experienced in this type of consumption, obtaining 328 valid responses. The results suggest, specifically, when analyzed the emotions in isolation, that three of the twenty emotions in the PANAS scale (Positive Affect Negative Affect Scales) influence impulse consumption – 'excited', 'guilty' and 'attentive', the latter being the last of negative form. In addition, the frequency of visits has also been shown to influence this type of consumption.