completely different from other types of purchasing type consumer’s choice
(Wolman, 1973).
Many different products are considered as an impulse item however it is not possible
to classify a particular product as an impulse item. The typical impulse product
usually carries some characteristics which includes being low cost and low
involvement which does not require shoppers to do an extensive research prior to
purchase (Rook and Hoch, 1985). Another research indicated that items purchased
on impulse tends to be small in size, convenient to carry and not expensive gener ally.
The items that are purchased on impulse also tend to serve the shoppers
psychological needs (Glover, 2013). Psychological needs according to Maslow’s
hierarchy of needs refers to the basic needs of human beings which are consumed on
a daily basis and is the most essential need of human beings. For this research we are
going to use clothes as an example because clothes in general fit the criteria of the
typical item purchased on impulse and also a study revealed that clothes are the most
frequent item being purchased (Pornpitakpan and Han, 2013).
This research would use clothes in general which is often purchased, serves a vast
segment and has a moderate price tag since not all clothing products are considered
impulse in nature. Expensive clothing’s such as a wedding dress is not considered as
impulse in nature because they tend to fall under the high involvement category
which normally comes with a hefty price tag. Undergarments such as lingerie may
not be considered impulse in nature as well since shoppers tend to use them for a
longer time span due to its durable nature and its functionality oriented purpose
rather than style-focused (Rook and Hoch, 1985). However these theories may not be
applicable to everyone since different people have different needs and characteristics
such as values, income, spending behavior, etc.
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