Factors Influencing Impulse Buying of Sport Team Licensed Merchandise

Impulse buying broadly refers to the immediate urge to engage in unplanned purchases. Sport consumers may exhibit many of the characteristics that foster a tendency to engage in impulse buying. Further, due to the increased channels of the distribution of sport, sport team licensed merchandise is prominently displayed and distributed in a manner that encourages impulse buying. To examine the impulsive tendencies to purchase sport team licensed merchandise, an exploratory investigation involving a sample of college students (n=145: 48 males and 97 females) was conducted. Multiple regression analyses were employed to ascertain the degree to which shopping enjoyment, time availability, money availability, and level of identification with the respective sport team influenced impulse buying of merchandise displaying the sport team's logo. The results revealed that the only significant antecedent to impulse buying of sport team licensed merchandise was the students’ identification with the university's sport team. Sport team identification also influenced the amount of money spent on impulsive sport purchases. No gender differences were revealed in terms of impulse buying of sport team licensed merchandise.