Three trends leading to more impulse purchases, research reveals

Business

Zara Woman Studio Collection Credits: Zara.

Consumers are more susceptible to influence than they think. This is evident from recent research into impulse purchases by Anne Moes, a consumer behavior researcher at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Moes identifies three important trends that make consumers more susceptible to impulse purchases. The research, entitled “The Urge to Splurge: Understanding the Effects of Media Cues on Impulse Buying Urges and Behavior,” delves into the influence of interactive screens, the effect of advertisements with a social purpose, and the role of mindfulness.

More interaction, more impulse purchases

Moes investigated the effect of interactive screens, a trend that is increasingly common in the retail sector. Customers who had limited interaction with a screen bought less than customers who were given much more interactive options, such as liking, selecting and commenting on products. So the more interaction with a screen, the more impulse purchases the customers made. Moes explains this on the website of the AUAS: "The results confirm a scientific theory: people are easier to convince if they feel that they are making their own choices. We call this the 'self-agency paradox': when people think they are in control, they are actually more likely to buy."

A good example of this is Zara, the Spanish fast-fashion giant. In 2018, the company introduced augmented reality in stores. Using an AR app on their phone, customers can see in-store visuals come to life—for example, models moving in clothes—and purchase those items directly through the app. Inditex, Zara’s parent company, reported strong financial results in 2024, with sales of €35.9 billion and a 30 percent increase in profits, despite slowing growth in the overall global fashion sector.

"For retailers, impulse purchases are a significant source of income, but consumers often regret them. The large number of impulse purchases, some of which are returned, is also bad for the environment ," the AUAS emphasises.

Social purpose

A second striking insight from the research: Consumers are more likely to buy impulsively when an advertisement has a social purpose instead of personal benefit. In a study conducted by Moes, participants saw an advertisement for a cookie brand. One group was emphasized on the social purpose, namely supporting bakers with a distance to the labor market. The other group saw the same advertisement, but with the message "you deserve these cookies", which was more focused on personal reward. The group that saw the advertisement with the social purpose bought significantly more cookies. Moes calls this phenomenon 'moral justification'. She explains that people feel less guilty about their impulse purchase when it contributes to a larger purpose outside of themselves.

Self-representation bias

Moes also investigated the buying behavior of participants who consider themselves 'mindful'. Surprisingly, they made impulse purchases just as often as people who do not consider themselves mindful. This shows that the way people see themselves and report their behavior does not always match what they actually do, highlighting the complexity of impulse buying. Moes explains: "Previous research has often relied on self-reports of the urge to buy something. However, we actually measured buying behavior, and it shows very different effects." This phenomenon, where people present themselves as more positive and rational than they actually are, is called 'self-representation bias'.

Moes concludes on the HvA website: “Impulse purchases are often portrayed as an individual problem, but it is much bigger than that. We live in a society that constantly tempts us – from interactive screens that grab your attention to product placement in your favorite Netflix series. This research shows how media stimuli influence our purchasing behavior.”

Moes will receive her doctorate on February 20 at the University of Groningen for her dissertation "The Urge to Splurge."

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.NL, translated and edited to English.

It was translated using AI. .

Consumer behaviour