Online and In-Store Compulsive Buying Among Metrosexuals and Other Male Consumers

This paper presents an exploratory study of compulsive buying behavior among males, specifically metrosexual consumers. These men represent significant purchasing power, but to date they have not been studied in both online and in-store environments. The current research has significant importance for public policy, consumer behavior and marketing. The literature has largely ignored male compulsive shopping behavior, especially how this behavior manifests itself in different shopping environments and among different subsets of male consumers. For the current research, data was gathered via an online survey of 193 males. The study discusses both online and in-store compulsive buying by various product categories. The results of this study show that metrosexuals have higher levels of compulsive behavior than other males, but these differences do not seem to vary significantly by shopping environment.