Determinants of Compulsive Buying: The Case of a Shopping Center in Croatia

Sa？etak Compulsive buying is an addiction and a purchase that exceeds the person's needs and available resources. When compared to impulsive buying, which is stimulated by retailers because it contributes to retailers' sales, compulsive buying is an ethical issue and might have negative consequences for shoppers, their families, and creditors. This paper explores the impacts of demographics, hedonism, and utilitarian shopping, as well as retail mix factors on consumers' tendency towards compulsive buying. A case of a shopping center in Croatia is explored. The data were analyzed by using factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. The results indicate that compulsive buying is identical when compared to developed countries. Compulsive buying is driven mostly by hedonism and retail factors, such as personal curiosity about the center and learning effect. Younger consumers and consumers with higher incomes are more prone to compulsive buying than older consumers and those with lower incomes. The tendency towards utilitarian shopping is negatively related to compulsive buying. However, gender, the shopping center's atmosphere, the assortment of products and services and personnel service are not significantly related to compulsive buying in the analyzed case. The results have implications for consumer welfare and retail management, and might serve as guidelines for promoting corporate social responsible behavior and consumer education in order to reduce negative consequences of compulsive buying