The Impact of Impulse Buying and Network Platforms on Consumer Purchasing Behaviour: A Case Study of a Technical Product

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of impulse buying and network platforms on the online purchasing behaviour for experience goods using a 2 (low impulse buying tendency vs. high impulse buying tendency) × 2 (mobile platform vs. computer platform) between-subjects factorial experiment.A technical product is a typical type of experience good. To increase the external validity of the conclusions, this study takes software as a technical product and employs an online scenario-simulated experiment to collect data. The results indicate that low impulse consumers tend to spend less money and conduct more stringent budget control when purchasing a technical product. However, no significant difference existed between high and low impulse consumers regarding the purchasing decision. Furthermore, consumers who shop on a mobile platform tend to spend more money, conduct looser budget control and make more careful purchasing decisions. In addition, a remarkable effect also exists between impulse buying and network platforms regarding the average viewing time of the single page and the commodity details page.