Moderating effects of situational characteristics on impulse buying

Purpose – Guided by the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model, this study aimed to investigate direct and indirect effects of apparel store environmental characteristics and consumers' positive emotional responses to the environment on impulse buying behavior. Also, this study sought to examine how situational variables interact with consumers' positive emotional responses in influencing impulse buying behavior. Design/methodology/approach – Survey data were collected using a store intercept method from 118 female consumers of an outdoor retail store in the western region of the USA. Findings – The study found direct effects of ambient/design characteristics on consumers' positive emotional responses and direct effects of consumers' positive emotional responses to the retail environment on impulse buying behavior. Money availability and task definition moderated the relationship between consumers' positive emotional responses and impulse buying behavior. Research limitations/implications – The conceptualization of a theoretical framework of impulse buying behavior for apparel resulted from this study. Practical implications – Managing appealing store design characteristics may increase consumers' positive emotions and impulse purchases. Displays designed to attract impulse purchasers should target browsers without restricted budgets. Originality/value – This study expands the application of the S-O-R model in the context of apparel by including situational factors as moderating variables.