The Moderating effects of clothing consumers' regulatory focus on the relationship between shopping experience and impulsive buying

쇼핑체험과 충동구매간 관계에서 의류 구매자의 조절초점 역할에 관한 연구

As there is impulsive buying that is pervasive phenomenon in the clothing consumption area, many academics and practitioners have been interested in it. Although prior studies have provided useful insights for understanding and predicting consumers' impulsive behavior, the findings do not clearly explain why different consumers influence impulsive behavior differently even when presented with the same shopping environment. Regulatory focus theory (Higgins, 1987, 1997, 2001) provides an insight for better understanding of consumers' impulsive responses to the elements of shopping experience. Thus, the purpose of our research was to understand the effect of consumers' regulatory focus (i.e., promotion focused vs. prevention focused) on their shopping experiences and impulsive behavior. A total of 157 data collected from female consumers lived in Ulsan and Pusan was used for this study. The results were as follows: First, sensitive experience and emotional experience have significantly positive effects on impulsive buying, but rational experience does significantly negatively effects on it. Second, to test the moderating effects of consumers' regulatory focus, responses were divided into two groups including promotion-focused group (n = 91) and prevention-focused group (n = 66) based on the relative strength of one type of their regulatory focus, which was introduced by Higgins (2001). Multiple regression analysis (independent variables: shopping experience, dependant variable: impulsive buying) was run within each group. The results showed that for the promotion-focused group, sensitive and emotional experience have significantly positive effects on impulsive buying. For prevention focused group, sensitive experience has significantly positive effects on impulsive buying and rational experience does significantly negatively effects on it. Chow's and Fisher's z-test were confirmed that the relationship between shopping experience and impulsive buying behavior was significantly different depending on consumers' regulatory focus.

본 연구는 쇼핑체험이 충동구매에 미치는 영향에 있어 소비자의 조절초점이 어떤 역할을 하는지 검토하는데 초점을 맞춘다. 즉 의류매장에서 느끼는 쇼핑체험이 소비자의 조절초점성향에 따라 충동구매에 미치는 영향에 차이가 있는지를 실증한다. 실증연구 결과를 요약하면 다음과 같다. 첫째, 의류매장의 체험요소인 감각적 체험과 감성적 체험은 통계적으로 유의한 수준에서 충동구매에 긍정적인 영향을 미치고 있는 것으로 나타난 반면, 합리적 체험은 충동구매에 부정적 영향을 미치고 있는 것으로 조사되었다. 둘째, 쇼핑체험 요소가 충동구매에 미치는 영향은 소비자의 조절초점성향에 따라 차이가 있음을 확인하였다. 감성적 체험이 충동구매에 미치는 영향은 예방초점 소비자보다는 향상초점 소비자에게서 더 크게 작용하는 것으로 나타났다. 이에 반해 합리적 체험이 충동구매에 미치는 부(-)적 영향은 향상초점 소비자보다는 예방초점 소비자집단에서 더 낮은 것으로 나타났다. 연구결과를 종합하면, 소비자의 쇼핑체험은 충동구매행동에 유의한 영향을 미치며, 이러한 영향은 소비자의 조절초점에 따라 차이가 있음이 확인되었다.