Shopping online without thinking: being emotional or rational?

Purpose - This study aims to explore whether hedonic motivations of Turkish consumers have any potential impact on their impulse buying tendencies (IBT) in the online environment. Besides, it also covers which dimension of hedonic shopping motivation has the strongest effect on online IBT. Design/methodology/approach - An online survey was conducted to test the structural model. A total of 430 Turkish online consumers served as the sample. Data analysis was conducted using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Findings - Findings confirm that hedonic value drives online IBT. While three dimensions of hedonic shopping motivation (adventure, relaxation and value) affect online IBT in a positive way, social shopping was related negatively to online IBT. It was also found that idea shopping does not have a significant effect on online IBT. Originality/value - Given the occurrence of impulse buying in online shopping and the importance of hedonic motivations on consumer behavior, this study provides useful insights into impulse buying behavior in an online setting. In developing markets like Turkey what is the role of hedonic shopping motivations in online IBT? This study is unique in addressing this question for Turkish online consumers.