Evolution of Impulse Buying

Adjectives such as immature, silly, stupid, and even social deviance and criminality have all been used to describe consumers who participated in impulse buying (Rook and Fisher, 1995). The overall image was that of a consumer behaving badly, indulging in self-gratification. But just as the study of impulse buying has evolved, so has the consumer’s perception of this phenomena. Impulse buying can be viewed as negative, neutral, or even positive (Rook and Fisher, 1995). It is not just the image of impulse buying behavior that has evolved but the marketplace has changed, too. Impulse purchases are no longer limited to physical stores but are rapidly growing online as well. This review of literature attempts to provide information allowing for better management of the phenomena of impulse buying.