Not every consumer is susceptible to unplanned and impulsive behavior. Impulsivity is a personality trait that represents how sensitive a consumer is to immediate rewards. For example, consumers with attention deficit disorder typically have high degrees of impulsivity, which makes them more prone to impulsive acts.
A key personality trait that affects a consumer's tendency to do things that are unplanned or impulsive is self-regulatory capacity. Consumer self-regulation is a tendency for consumers to inhibit outside, or situational, influences from interfering with shopping intentions. Consumers tend to be referred to as either of the following:
Action-oriented consumers - These consumers have a high capacity to self-regulate their behavior and are not affected by feelings of dominance in the environment.
State-oriented consumers - These consumers have a low capacity to self-regulate their behavior and are affected by feelings of dominance in the environment. This type of consumer is more apt to buy a product in an upbeat electronics store.
Exhibit 11.6 lists questions that can help distinguish consumers based on self-regulatory capacity.
Although impulsive and compulsive behaviors share many of the same characteristics, there are differences between the two. Compulsive consumer behavior:
is harmful.
seems to be uncontrollable.
is driven by chronic depression.