Changes in consumption patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic: Analyzing the revenge spending motivations of different emotional groups

Abstract

People tend to alleviate their negative emotions by shopping. Considering the change of shopping behavior during COVID-19 outbreak, negative emotions are the key contributors to this change. In this light, this study aims to investigate how negative emotions caused by COVID-19 affect shopping behaviors. This study classified consumer groups based on their perceived negative emotions (i.e., anxiety, fear, depression, anger, and boredom). By clustering analysis, four groups (i.e., group of anxiety, depression, anger, and indifference) were derived. Then, this study examined how each of the emotional groups differently affect the shopping-related motivations (i.e., mood alleviation, shopping enjoyment, socialization seeking, and self-control seeking) and shopping behaviors (i.e., shopping for high-priced goods and buying of bulk goods). Results revealed all emotional groups affect socialization seeking and influence high-priced shopping intentions. However, depression and indifference are positively associated with socialization seeking and influence bulk shopping intentions. In addition, other emotions except for anxiety affect mood alleviation and influence high-priced shopping intentions. Finally, anger is associated with self-control seeking and affects bulk shopping intentions. This study enables practitioners and researchers to better understand how people control negative emotions by shopping in pandemic situations such as the current COVID-19 crisis.

Decoding revenge buying in retail: role of psychological reactance and perceived stress

“…Researchers found that shopping generated feelings of pleasure among consumers experiencing negative emotions and confirmed the mediating role of the hedonistic shopping experience in the relationship between personality factors and compulsive buying behaviours (Tarka et al, 2022). Park et al (2022) studied revenge buying in retail and found that people resorted to shopping to ease negative emotions such as anxiety, depression and sadness. Their explanation was based on the concept of retail therapy, which identified physical shopping experiences to be therapeutic and help release negative emotions in consumers.…”

“…Existing literature defined revenge buying as engaging in the consumption of discrete items to relieve the negative emotions due to lockdowns once the COVID-19 restrictions were eased (Jeong et al. , 2021a, b; Park et al. , 2022).…”

“…, 2022). Park et al. (2022) studied revenge buying in retail and found that people resorted to shopping to ease negative emotions such as anxiety, depression and sadness.…”

“…Research in the retail context indicated that people displayed significant changes in consumption behaviour post-COVID-19 (Park et al, 2022). Two types of consumption behaviours were observed in the market.…”

“…Existing literature defined revenge buying as engaging in the consumption of discrete items to relieve the negative emotions due to lockdowns once the COVID-19 restrictions were eased (Jeong et al, 2021a, b;Park et al, 2022). Additionally, it was also defined as a phenomenon that occurs when individuals want to go shopping to compensate for a period they were prevented from buying (Lins et al, 2021;Kawaf et al, 2021).…”