Online shopper response to non-equivalent mixed promotions with time constraints

Purpose The conditions and time constraints associated with online sales promotions can impact consumers’ impulse buying intentions. Thus, this study aims to investigate how non-equivalent conditions and time constraints affect whether price discounts outperform mixed promotional conditions when consumers engage in impulse purchases. Design/methodology/approach We use a laboratory study (on mobile clothing boutiques) and a field study (examining time-limited promotion conditions) to assess the impacts of promotions on purchase intentions. Findings The findings indicate that price discounts (e.g. 50%) and mixed conditions (e.g. a 40% discount, a 15% instant coupon and free returns) do not affect impulse purchase intentions at low non-equivalent promotion levels. Conversely, at high levels, price discounts (e.g. 50%) and mixed conditions (e.g. a 45% discount, a 15% instant coupon and a 1% discount for affiliate cards) significantly affect impulse purchase intentions. In particular, when consumers face a limited purchasing time frame (e.g. 12 h), mixed promotional conditions are likelier to affect impulse purchases than price discounts. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing literature by addressing a research gap related to the effects of price discounts and non-equivalent mixed conditions on time-constraint duration.