The findings are relevant as digital shopping, social media advertising, e-wallets and limited-time promotions make it increasingly easy for young consumers to make purchases without prior planning. For college students who are beginning to manage their own money, understanding the psychological factors behind spending can be as important as understanding how much money they have.
Digital Shopping Makes Impulse Purchases Easier
Impulsive buying refers to purchases made spontaneously, often without detailed planning or consideration of whether an item is necessary. Online shopping platforms can intensify this behavior through personalized advertising, promotions, digital payment systems and time-limited offers.
The Gordon College researchers examined this issue among BSBA students from three academic programs: Marketing Management, Financial Management and Human Resource Management. Each program contributed 50 respondents, producing a total sample of 150 students.
Most respondents—72.7 percent—identified allowances from parents or guardians as their primary source of money. Another 17.3 percent had part-time jobs, 5.3 percent earned money through businesses or online selling, and 4.7 percent relied primarily on scholarships or financial assistance.
How the Researchers Studied Student Spending
The researchers used a quantitative, descriptive-correlational approach. In simple terms, they surveyed students about their financial circumstances and purchasing behavior and then examined whether the variables were statistically related.
The questionnaire measured three aspects of financial resources: spending capacity, dependence on material possessions, and psychological impact. Impulsive buying was assessed through spontaneous purchases, emotion-driven buying, lack of purchase planning and the desire for immediate gratification.
The researchers then used statistical analysis, including multiple linear regression and bootstrapping, to determine which financial factors were associated with different forms of impulsive buying.
Immediate Gratification Emerges as a Strong Pattern
The students reported a very high level of spending capacity, with an average score of 3.35 on a four-point scale. The statement that students were more likely to shop when their financial resources increased recorded an average of 3.39.
Material dependence recorded a high average score of 3.14, while the psychological impact of financial resources reached a very high 3.26. These results indicate that money can influence students not only through their ability to pay but also through emotions and perceptions associated with financial resources.
Among the different forms of impulsive buying, immediate gratification recorded the highest average score at 3.32. The strongest individual response was associated with feeling happy when immediately obtaining a desired item, which received a score of 3.45.
Spontaneous purchasing scored 3.16, emotion-driven buying scored 3.23, and lack of purchase planning scored 3.22. Students also reported a high tendency to regret purchases made without prior planning, with that indicator reaching 3.28.
Material Dependence Matters More Than Spending Capacity
One of the study’s most important findings is that spending capacity alone was not a significant predictor of impulsive buying.
For spontaneous purchasing, dependence on material possessions was the strongest predictor, with a coefficient of 0.454, followed by the psychological impact of financial resources at 0.361. Together, the variables in the model explained 40.5 percent of the variation in spontaneous purchasing behavior.
A similar pattern appeared in unplanned purchasing. Material dependence and psychological impact were significant predictors, while spending capacity was not. Material dependence was also a significant predictor of emotion-driven purchasing and the pursuit of immediate gratification.
The results indicate that having more money is not necessarily the central reason students buy impulsively. How strongly they value possessions and how financial circumstances affect their emotions may play a larger role.
The researchers from Gordon College effectively point to a behavioral dimension of student spending: financial education needs to address not only budgeting, but also the emotional and psychological factors that influence purchasing decisions.
Academic Program Does Not Significantly Change Buying Behavior
The researchers found no significant differences in impulsive buying behavior among students in Marketing Management, Financial Management and Human Resource Management. Students from the three programs showed broadly similar patterns across spontaneous buying, emotional buying, lack of planning and immediate gratification.
However, students’ sources of income produced one notable difference. Those with part-time jobs showed a higher tendency toward unplanned purchases than students primarily dependent on allowances from parents or guardians. The source of income did not produce significant differences in the other three impulsive-buying dimensions.
Implications for Students, Parents and Educators
The findings suggest that financial literacy programs for college students should go beyond teaching students how to calculate income and expenses.
The Gordon College researchers recommend practicing delayed gratification, particularly when considering non-essential online purchases. One practical strategy is to wait 24–48 hours before purchasing a non-essential item placed in an online shopping cart. The pause can give consumers time to decide whether the purchase reflects a genuine need or a temporary emotional impulse.
Parents and guardians can also support healthier spending habits by combining allowances with lessons about budgeting and tracking expenses. Gordon College could strengthen education in areas such as behavioral finance and consumer psychology to help students understand how marketing strategies and digital platforms influence purchasing decisions.
The researchers also recommend further investigation into the role of e-wallets such as GCash and Maya and live-selling platforms such as TikTok Shop in encouraging impulsive purchases among young consumers.
Author Profile
The article was written by Frances Marie Farne, Villanueva Glaizel May, Elaizza Margarette Vela Cruz, Christian Jeromme Robles, Joy Ann Ragasa, and Geraldine Raydanas, all affiliated with Gordon College, Philippines. The published article does not specify the academic degree or individual professional specialization of each author, so those details cannot be reliably added. The authors’ work in this article focuses on financial resources, consumer behavior, financial literacy and impulsive buying among business administration students. Frances Marie Farne is identified as the corresponding author.
0 Komentar