When a better self is only a button click away: associations between materialistic values, emotional and identity-related buying motivations, and compulsive buying tendency online

Compulsive buying of consumer goods increasingly occurs in conventional shops and stores, but has also started to emerge when people buy online. Extending previous research (e.g., Dittmar, 2005a, b), a model of vulnerability factors is proposed whereby the endorsement of materialistic values predicts individuals' seeking to enhance their emotions and identity when they buy goods, which, in turn, predicts tendencies toward compulsive buying. This model is tested with respect to the Internet, a fast-growing alternative to conventional buying. A preliminary survey (n = 110) confirmed emotional enhancement and identity gains (in addition to economic concerns and efficiency) as distinct online buying dimensions. The findings of the main survey (n = 126) provided good initial support for the proposed model, showing that materialistic individuals who seek to enhance their emotions and identity when buying goods online reported the strongest tendencies toward compulsive buying on the Internet. Implications for intervention are discussed.