Study on the influencing factors of unplanned consumption in a large online promotion activity

Large online promotion activities are different from traditional online marketing activities. Issues about consumer behavior in large online promotion activities deserve further discussion. Via consumer surveys before and after the “Double 11” promotion on Taobao.com, we studied the unplanned consumption and its influencing factors (promotion, time pressure, social environment (SE), in-store slack) based on the SOR model and theories of self-regulation. The results show that consumers allocate in-store slack in their shopping budget as a strategy of controlling unplanned consumption. Promotion range, preparation time, SE and in-store slack have effects on unplanned consumption. Actual shopping time and preparation time moderate the relationship between in-store slack and unplanned consumption. Actual shopping time attenuates the relationship between in-store slack and unplanned consumption, while preparation time strengthens the relationship between in-store slack and unplanned consumption. Managerial implications are also discussed based on the research.