Investigating the Relationship between Compulsive Smartphone Use and Impulsive Buying: Role of Self-Control

Abstract

In contemporary research, there is a growing concern about the addictive nature of smartphone usage, particularly among young consumers, and its impact on consumers' social activities and overall welfare. In this context, a significant concern is the impact of compulsive Smartphone use on impulsive buying. The current study examines the relationship between compulsive smart phone use and impulsive buying. Moreover, the present study aims to investigate the mediating role of self-control in this relationship. For this purpose, we executed an empirical study comprising 200 participants. The data were collected via the convenience sampling method. We used SPSS for the analysis of potential links. The findings indicated that compulsive Smart phone use positively correlates to impulsive buying, and there is a significant negative association between self-control and impulsive buying. Mediation analysis through SPSS is executed to analyze the mediating role of self-control using Andrew F. Hayes model 4, and results indicate that self-control fully mediates the relationship between compulsive smartphone use and impulsive buying. Moreover, exploring the study's demographic variables, we found that impulsive buying is more prevalent among the upper and lower socioeconomic classes.