The Difference between Compulsive and Non-Compulsive Buyers’ Approach to and Use of Brands: An Empirical Investigation

This article investigates several aspects of compulsive buyers’ brand attitude and behavior and how these differ from non-compulsive buyers in three large-scale, survey-based studies. Among our findings are that (1) while compulsive buyers appreciate emotional and social benefits significantly more than non-compulsive buyers, they value the functional benefits of branded products just as much as their emotional benefits and significantly more than social benefits, (2) while compulsive buyers develop stronger bonds with brands than non-compulsive buyers, they do not differ regarding other aspects, like brand trust, willingness to pay more, and brand switching, (3) of all the brand benefits, compulsive buying only has a moderating effect on the effect of emotional benefit on key brand variables. These findings suggest that compulsive buyers rely relatively more on the emotional route and relatively less on the rational route when building brand resonance according to Keller’s (1993) Brand Equity Model.