The mediating role of impulse buying on hedonic shopping motivation and life satisfaction of online shoppers in the Philippines

Abstract

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread worldwide, limiting physical interactions, people turned to online shopping as their mode of buying necessities, and Filipinos were not an exception. However, as the lockdowns and restrictions eased, they reverted to pre-pandemic shopping behaviours, including purchasing items on their whim and impulse. This study then aimed to investigate the role of impulse buying when it intervenes between hedonic shopping motivation and life satisfaction. A total of 388 Gold and Platinum Shopee users completed an online test battery consisting of the hedonic motivations scale, impulse buying tendency scale and satisfaction with life scale to measure the study's variables. Statistical analyses showed that the participants have higher hedonic shopping motivation, impulse buying tendency and life satisfaction than in previous literature. Similarly, the higher the participants' hedonic shopping motivations get, an increase in impulse buying tendencies and life satisfaction also occurs. However, impulse buying did not correlate with life satisfaction, indicating that both variables move independently and do not influence each other. Mediation analysis suggested that impulse buying significantly mediates the relationship between hedonic shopping motivations and life satisfaction. When a hedonically motivated shopper commits impulse buying, their life satisfaction decreases. Limitations and recommendations were also discussed to guide future studies. © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.