Article

A Study of Factors of Internet Global Business Review

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Addiction and Its Impact on © 2019 IMI
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Online Compulsive Buying in.sagepub.com/journals-permissions-india
DOI: 10.1177/0972150919857011
Behaviour: Indian Millennial journals.sagepub.com/home/gbr

Perspective

A. S. Suresh1
Anindya Biswas2

Abstract
Compulsive Buying occurs when a person indulges in excessive purchasing overcome by social
pressures and negative emotions. The main objective in this study is to garner insights into this issue
from a marketing perspective and also to understand whether the millennial’s preference to avoid
social contact physically but to crave for it in a virtual space has an impact. Conducted over a seven-
month period with data collected and analyzed from 202 respondents in Bangalore, the study revealed
that emotions like loneliness, depression, low self-esteem and anxiety encourage the respondents to
go ahead and maintain relationships in a virtual space rather than engage in face-to-face interactions.
Furthermore, it was realized that the growing Internet Addiction can also be positively related to online
Compulsive Buying. This study is of high significance as it allows marketers to reach out and capture
that segment of elusive customers who are always online and are guaranteed to make a purchase.
Therefore, allowing companies can align their marketing strategies accordingly develop products and
services, resulting in better sales revenues and repeat purchases.

Keywords
Consumer behaviour, millennial generation, internet addiction, Compulsive Buying Behaviour,
psychological variables, FOMO

Introduction
Despite being a micro scrutinized area of research by companies with the objective of gaining competitive
edge in the market, some aspects of consumer behaviour are less explored than the others. The aim of the

1
Institute of Management CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
2
Institute of Management, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Corresponding author:
A. S. Suresh, Institute of Management CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Hosur Road, Near Dairy Circle, Bengaluru, Karnataka
560029, India.
E-mail: suresh.a@christuniversity.in
2 Global Business Review

review is to subsequently explore these unexplored aspects and provide a conclusive critique on the same
while attempting to establish a relation that would help in the undertaking of the study.
Black (2007) defines Compulsive Buying disorder as, ‘excessive or poorly controlled preoccupations,
urges, or behaviours regarding shopping and spending that lead to subjective distress or impaired
functioning’ and ascribes most issues to being feminine in nature.
Internet Addiction is a new addiction commonly seen in generation Y and the millennial generation.
Amichai-Hamburger, Wainapel, and Fox (2002) discussed Internet Addiction and revealed that people
who were introvert by nature found their ‘real self’ in the virtual communities whereas people who were
extrovert by nature tended to focus more on social face-to-face interactions.
Impetus for conducting this research emanated from marketing perspective, that is, to obtain a
comprehensive understanding of interrelations between Compulsive Buying in an online space and
Internet Addiction and as to how can marketers possibly use these interrelations in the best possible way
to get an edge on their competitors.

Review of Literature
This review is conducted to explore the various sources that provide with various points of views
regarding Compulsive Buying, its categorization into offline and online, and the symptoms that help
diagnose the same. It also serves to present an unbiased of this condition’s association with other forms
of addiction such as fear of missing out (FOMO) and addiction to Internet and, finally, its treatment as a
pathological addiction and if there could possibly be any other angle to this issue. The literature being
limited in nature pertaining mostly to developed economies, we have considered key literature discussing
Internet Addiction and Compulsive Buying Behaviour among the Youth and therein attempted to
establish a connection between the two.

Studies Related to Internet Addiction

Being regarded as a phenomenon of the millennia has restricted the study of Internet Addiction as
something existing only within the millennial generations, and ignoring slightly older generations
wherein Internet Addiction can probably exist. Nevertheless, it is important to understand what triggers
the individuals displaying this behaviour. Kardefelt-Winther (2014) is a notable work that explains as to
whether or not negative real-world challenges can influence a person to stay hooked to the Internet. The
authors are able to prove through their study that individuals seeking social stimulation through Internet
may have both positive and negative consequences—positive as in they may have the confidence for
social stimulation and negative as in they might not want to venture outside and may neglect their duties
(which in this case is homework, as the subject group are school children). They are, however, quick to
point out that this may or may not be termed compulsion, essentially enabling future researchers to look
into as to what motivated individuals spend time online without having to speculate on probable causes.
However, majority of these literature studies fail to look at it from a marketing perspective and imply
negative connotation when perceiving it from a psychological point of view.
A similar statement is made by Wang and Wang (2013) who attempted to create a link between social
interactions both in online and in offline context and demographics to Internet Addiction, which showed
that males in the age bracket of 20–39 years were more prone to Internet Addiction than their females
Suresh and Biswas 3

and that people suffering from this tend to spend time online as they find a connection with online social
support which they are not able to find in the offline context. The study was also able to prove that offline
social interactions go a long way in decreasing Internet Addiction among individuals.
Notably, Song, LaRose, Eastin, and Lin (2004) made a significant contribution towards studies about
Internet Addiction by establishing whether varying levels of gratification in an individual can create
excessive Internet Usage leading to Internet Addiction. The authors established the basic premise that
gratifications through virtual materialism such as Virtual Community, Information Seeking, Aesthetic
Experience, Monetary Compensation, Diversion, Personal Status and Relationship Maintenance could
lead to mild habitual usage of Internet, which if not controlled could possibly lead to Internet Addiction.
This is also the first study that discussed where Internet Addiction was discussed to have an association
with other pathological addictions such as gambling. A work conducted on similar lines (Chak & Leung,
2004) stated that with high levels of Internet Addiction, the person is shier, lacks self-esteem and is more
dependent on the external than being confident about self.
Both Chak and Leung (2004) and Whang, Lee, and Chang (2003) discussed the traditional factors that
could lead to Internet Addiction stating that personality traits such as loneliness, extroversion, self-
esteem levels along with other mediating factors such as the amount of trust put on others by a person
stating it is indicative of an individual’s chances of developing Internet Addiction. This aligns with an
early work of Whang et al. (2003) who have also stated that loneliness is a significant factor that helps
determine the existence of Internet Addiction.
This was also reiterated by Amichai-Hamburger et al. (2002) who revealed that people who were
introvert by nature found solace in the virtual communities as compared to others who normally tended
to focus more on social face-to-face interactions. The authors stated that, in their opinion, anonymity of
identity as well as security of information triggered the needs of such individuals to stay online more
frequently than others, confirming that social awkwardness could lead to excessive Internet Usage.
Studies pertaining to association of Internet Addiction to other pathological forms of addiction such
as gambling were limited at the turn of the millennium; however, authors like Beard and Wolf (2001),
who drew parallels between Internet Addiction and other pathological addictions, have also proposed a
modified criteria for addictive Internet usage as opposed to the criteria proposed by Young (1999), which
proved to be rigid, objective, and conforming to a certain class of respondents described as bold,
outgoing, open-minded, and assertive, whereas Beard and Wolf (2001) assert that Internet Addiction can
occur at any age, social, educational, or economic status and that, many of the excessive Internet users
were found to be depressed, lonely, and having self-esteem issues and anxiety. This is what that made
this study stand apart from the rest, while other researchers focused on a certain age group, this study
reinforced the fact that Internet Addiction can happen at any age and can be found in any social, economic
or educational range.
Additionally, Griffiths (1998) mentioned that Internet Addiction in most cases is not an addiction in
itself, rather serves as a gateway to other pathological forms of addiction that have crept up online.
However, despite reporting similar findings as his peers about consequences of Internet Addiction such as
work and personal life imbalances, loss of interpersonal relationships, the author fails to exactly pinpoint
as to what could lead to Internet Addiction. Brenner (1997) have further specified this that Internet
Addiction can also lead to cyber stalking and cyber sexual crimes as, in most cases, these users are not
able to reach out for help, due to social awkwardness thereby forcing them to seek solace in the virtual
world. However, it was Young (1999) who introduced the concept of Internet usage as an ‘addictive
behaviour’ in her study in 1998. This remains a controversial topic till date as to whether excessive
Internet usage can be considered addictive or not, as Internet offers a wide range of benefits to its users
and allows them to carry out multiple tasks simultaneously which otherwise would not have been possible.
4 Global Business Review

Studies Related to Compulsive Buying Behaviour and Its Effect on the Youth
Compulsive Buying though not a new issue has limited literature on it primarily due to the fact that the
studies conducted have limited themselves to developed economies where the citizens have sufficient
purchasing power and enough disposable income. With an overall improvement in the approximate
standard of living, the assumptions are no longer valid. However, the literature is useful in providing us
insight as to what trigger compulsivity within an individual which in this case would be an average
young adult.
Steiger and Muller (2015) state that the medical researchers categorize Compulsive Buying as an
extremity to normal buying which is not always the case, wherein the consumer behaviour research
comes which views the same as a perpetual habit. The authors also define Compulsive Buying (CB) in a
definitive manner which helps categorization of CB as a behavioural disorder owing to its similarities to
other substance abuse disorders who display craving and withdrawal symptoms.
The same has been elaborated by Yeong Ng and Kalhour (2015) who mentions that Compulsive
Buying is a recent age phenomenon characterized by an uncontrollable urge to purchase without thinking
of the consequences and is more or less occurs in a cyclic fashion displaying craving, loss of control and
withdrawal symptoms cyclically. The authors were able to prove that individuals tend to indulge in
Compulsive Buying as a way to cope from the pressures and challenges of daily life. This proved that
escapism and lack of awareness about the issue is a core cause of why Compulsive Buying exists.
With respect to the Indian scenario, authors have recently made an attempt to understand this concept.
Singh and Nayak (2016) have tried to identify the occurrence of Compulsive Buying in the Indian
perspective and stated that it is indeed a cyclic that tends to grow with age, thereby linking age as a
significant contributor to compulsivity levels. The authors also stress on the fact that an individual’s
responses to experiences of real-world challenges and his interpersonal relationships determine the
compulsivity levels. This, therefore, goes on to prove that Compulsive Buying can occur across
economies, and the behavioural characteristics used to diagnose the issue would be the same.
Significantly, Pandey (2016) has made a contribution to understanding how the market works on the
compulsivity levels on the individual, thereby making it a significant study that can be used to gain a
competitive edge. The author has asserted that Compulsive Buying was rather mood independent,
thereby moving away from the traditional findings and is market dependent, thereby pushing the cause
of the issue not on the individual, but on the economy and market, which manipulates the consumer
psyche. Furthermore, the study has also revealed that the Indian youth are more swayed by the promotional
deals and are not victims of their moods, which further open up an avenue of research as to whether the
same is applicable to the youth in general or can we segregate to establish a contradiction within young
working adults.
Mueller et al. (2011) proved that the traditional personality traits associated with pathological
substance abuse and other forms of addiction also works to a great extent in terms of determining the
Compulsive Buying levels in an individual. The study further mentions that alongside the traditional
often discussed variables of loneliness and depression, the degree to which an individual values
materialistic objects to gain pleasure out of them is also a major determinant in case of compulsivity
levels within a person. With this, a new avenue of research was established to understand what triggered
Compulsive Buying Behavior (CBB) in an individual.
O’Guinn and Faber (1989) were pioneer in this aspect as their primary aim was to understand what
causes compulsivity and the symptoms thereof with no indication to look at the disorder from a marketing
or rather an economical perspective. The study is significant as it established Compulsive Buying as an
independent concept and not one dependent on Impulsive Buying.
Suresh and Biswas 5

The study furthermore established the promise of future research by stating that the buyers would
have decreased levels of self-esteem and high propensity of fantasy, thereby they are disconnected from
the real world. It also significantly showed that possession of the products purchased was not the prime
motivator for the cyclic occurrence of Compulsive Buying. It was rather short-term gratifications in the
form of enhanced self-belief and establishment of positive interpersonal relations that were deemed to be
rather more important by these buyers. It also shed light on the severe consequences of Compulsive
Buying by demarcating it against impulsive buying laying the foundation of differences and creating
separate avenues of research.

Internet Addiction and Its Association with Online Compulsive Buying

However, if one were to review empirical studies with respect to a possible correlation between Internet
Addiction and Compulsive Buying, it was found that the literature with respect to the same is limited and
hence only some of those aspects have been examined.
Bighiu, Manolică, and Roman (2015) made the issue gender specific stating that females were more
likely to be suffering from online Compulsive Buying, although studies have consistently showed that
males are more likely to be Internet addicted, and therefore, the concept of a shopping-based addiction
creates a gender bias that can be perceived as a limitation in this research.
Trotzke, Starcke, Müller, and Brand (2015) attempted to establish a relationship between Internet
Addiction and Compulsive Buying Behaviour stating that the former provided an outlet for those who
are already possessing the tendency of flight in the form of shopping to dispel negative situations or
circumstances faced, thereby making it somewhat clear that Internet Addiction does have an influence
on changing the mood perceptions which in case of Compulsive Shopping is one of the major motivators.
However, the review suffers from the same limitation as in earlier cases, wherein both Compulsive
Buying and Internet Addiction have been considered as medical disorders that need to be treated without
understanding the psyche of the buyer. For example, authors like Rose and Dhandayudham (2014) have
focused on the consequences of the Compulsive Shopping in an online space and have successfully been
able to profile the characteristics of such subjects. The study realizes the gap in recognizing the potential
predictors of Online Shopping Addiction (OSA) and proves it to be the dependant variable of the
following sub-functions: low self-esteem, low self-regulation, negative emotion, enjoyment, gender,
social anonymity and cognitive overload. The study also mentions that OSA is subdivided into stages
such as salience, euphoria, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, conflict and relapse, each of which are
individually influenced by the factors above. Thus, this study successfully provides us with a clearer
picture of how a shopping addiction in an online space can be diagnosed. However, the limitation in this
study was that OSA was not mentioned to be either Compulsive or Impulsive, thereby generalizing all
results which may not be truthful always.
Hartston (2012) dealt with the association between excessive Internet usage and Compulsive Shopping
among respondents showcasing that technological advancements along with innovations in marketing
tactics have brought the modern population closer over the virtual world, thereby eliminating social contact
resulting in excessive Internet usage that proved to be an escape route from real life. This association is one
of the few that correlates with what our study is endeavouring to establish through the study.
Shanmugam (2011) revealed that the interaction between self-regulation levels of an individual and
access to information is likely to reduce the online Compulsive Buying levels. However, the interaction
between emotional and mood enhancement and online participation level is likely to enhance the possibility
of the respondent to be an e-compulsive buyer, he stated. This further solidified the statement that Internet
Addiction may well be an indicator for a person suffering from Compulsive Shopping in an online space.
6 Global Business Review

Objectives
Prior few literature and empirical studies have provided us with multiple psychological variables that
influenced Internet Addiction. Hence, our first objective was to find out the degree of association of
these variables for which the psychological variables like loneliness, self-esteem, depression and anxiety,
which were frequently mentioned in the previous studies, were considered and examined to observe the
significance and their degree of influence in the presence of Internet Addiction among the respondents.
Second, it was essential that we establish whether Internet Addiction has an influence in contributing
towards Online Compulsive Buying.

Rationale of the Study

The rationale behind this study is to establish validity of the fact that Internet Addiction and Compulsive
Buying over the online space is not a phenomenon limited to the First-World developed countries but can
occur in developing economies such as India as well. The study has been segmented into appropriate
sections. It begins with identifying the symptoms and the antecedents of Internet Addiction on the basis
of the psychological factors of loneliness, anxiety, low self-esteem and depression. The second section
would study the symptoms of Compulsive Buying Behaviour in an online space and attempt to understand
whether there is a possibility of a relationship between Internet Addiction and Compulsive Buying.
Furthermore, based on the works of Pandey (2016) we shall make efforts to uncover the psychological
side to it and attempt to bring out the marketing perspectives.

Methodology and Data Source

The empirical model framework which has been thus developed using the theoretical framework derived
from the preliminary literature review is shown in Figure 1.

Anxiety

Loneliness

Online
Internet Compulsive
Addiction Buying
Self-esteem Behaviour

Depression
Proposed Relationship

Figure 1. Theoretical Framework

Source: The authors.
Suresh and Biswas 7

Table 1. Sample Profile

• 51.7% were male

Gender
• 48.3% were female
• 41.1% were 15–25 years old
Age • 32.2% were 26–35 years old
• 36.7% were 36–45 years old
• 43.9% were IT executives
Occupation • 38.9% were students
• 17.2% belonged to other miscellaneous occupations
• 75% were single
Marital status
• 25% were married
Source: The authors.

As the research was exploratory in nature, the primary data for the purpose of analysis were collected
from 202 respondents in a probabilistic multi stage sampling process using a 5-point Likert scale-based
questionnaire from the overall population of consumers who visited organized urban retail outlets, such
as strip malls, shopping complexes, etc.
Secondary data to understand the issue of Internet Addiction and its possible association with
Compulsive Buying study were gathered through journals accessed via PROQUEST, JSTOR and Google
SCHOLARLY. The data so collected were then analyzed using frequency analysis, cross tabulation,
factor analysis (using principal component analysis methodology and Varimax rotation) and finally
linear regression. The sample specificities that make up the sample frame are mentioned in Table 1.
The development of the scale for the study was a lengthy process as there is no research that tied up
pathological addictions such as Compulsive Buying to Internet Addiction, and therefore, scale for this
study was developed using the existing scales present and then adjusted suitably. In the reviews done to
develop a scale, it was found that existing literature developed scales as a 5-point Likert format so as to
capture the maximum amount of variances from the respondent groups, and hence, this research also
adopts the same for the sake of ease of understanding and analyzing the responses.
The scale was developed in parts keeping in mind the flow of the study, and hence, for the first part
of the questionnaire, wherein the main aim was to develop the psychological antecedents for Internet
Addiction, studies were made to develop an understanding about the common antecedents and then
using this as base, further studies were made to understand as to how these variables are measured—for
loneliness (Russell, 1996), for depression (Zung, 1965), for self-esteem (Randal, Pratt, & Bucci, 2015)
and for anxiety (Zung, 1971). These studies provided prominent statements in their Likert scale-based
measurement, the best of which were then adopted to develop an array of statements meant to assess
whether the respondent was suffering from loneliness, depression, low self-esteem and anxiety.
Independently, studies were also made from the limited resources available to gather an
understanding of how Internet Addiction as well Online Compulsive Buying is measured. Similarly,
the scale regarding the Internet Addiction was developed using the study of Faraci, Craparo, Messina,
and Severino (2013) who used a modified version of the scale created by Dr Kimberley Young. A scale
for the Online Compulsive Buying Behaviour was developed by authors after going through the work
of Andreassen et al. (2015) about the Bergen Shopping Addiction Scale and Learning as much as
possible about the Compulsive Online Shopping Scale (COSS) through the work of Manchiraju,
Sadachar, and Ridgway (2017).
8 Global Business Review

Table 2. Variables Studied and Their Identifying Symptoms (refer to Appendix A)

Variables Identifying Symptoms

• I hate doing so many things alone
Loneliness
• My social relationships are superficial
Self-esteem • All in all I am inclined to think I am a failure
• I feel downhearted and blue most of the times
Depression • I feel others would be better off if I was not there
• I have noticed that I am losing weight
• I feel nervous and more anxious than usual
Anxiety • I feel weak and get tired easily
• I have nightmares
• Saying just a few more minutes to stay online
Internet Addiction
• Feeling of depression moodiness and anxiety vanishes when online

• I spend a lot of time visiting Flipkart/Amazon/eBay thinking/planning to shop/buy online

Online compulsive
• Whenever I visit Flipkart/Amazon/eBay I shop/buy much more than I had intended/
buying behaviour
planned

Source: The authors.

Once these scales were individually collected, they were then assembled together to form the
scale that was used for the gathering of data to understand whether Internet Addiction can be seen
as a pathological form of addiction that also serves as a gateway to other pathological forms of
addictions such as cyber stalking, cyber bullying, online gaming or as the case in this study online
Compulsive Buying.

Analysis
A reliability test at the beginning was conducted, which provided sufficient proof that the data were
reliable with a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.908. Post this, the statements through which the
responses in the questionnaire were collected were analyzed to primarily identify the main symptoms
of the psychological variables, Internet Addiction, Fear of Missing out and Online Compulsive
Buying Behaviour, which would further help in the analysis of the data. This was done using factor
reduction technique.
In all instances of factor analysis performed, the value of significance derived from the KMO and
Bartlett’s table was found to be at 0.000, which proved that the entire data collected were significant at
95 per cent confidence interval (which was the assumed interval in this study); furthermore, in each of
following cases wherein the factor analysis had been conducted, the following identifiers had eigenvalues
greater than 1 and had cumulatively resulted in almost 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the variances in the
responses. The identifier statements recognized are given in Table 2.
Subsequently analysis was conducted using principal component analysis method to reveal significant
impact of the independent variables on the dependent variables. The results could be accepted as they
showed a significant value of 0.000 which was less than the p-value of 0.050 at 95 per cent confidence
interval (obtained through the ANOVA table in each instance of principal component analysis performed).
Suresh and Biswas 9

Table 3. Coefficients Estimates (Equations [1] and [2])

Unstandardized Standardized
Coefficients Coefficients
Model B Std. Error Beta t Sig.
(Constant) 0.481 0.348 1.379 0.017
I am unhappy doing so many
0.293 0.077 0.271 3.815 0
things alone
My social relationships are
−0.056 0.075 −0.049 −0.744 0.458
superficial
All in all, I am inclined to feel
0.041 0.08 −0.036 −0.514 0.008
Dependent that I am a failure
variable: How often I feel others would be better
do you find yourself 0.206 0.078 0.211 2.644 0.009
off if I were not there
saying ‘just a few
more minutes’ when I have noticed that I am losing
0.088 0.063 0.102 1.395 0.165
online? weight
I feel more nervous and
−0.121 0.082 −0.112 −1.477 0.142
anxious than usual
I feel weak and get tired easily 0.287 0.09 0.274 3.184 0.002
I have nightmares −0.032 0.067 −0.033 −0.475 0.636
I feel down hearted and blue
0.282 0.079 0.253 3.565 0
most of the times
(Constant) 0.949 0.412 2.303 0.022
I am unhappy doing so many
0.11 0.091 0.097 1.212 0.227
things alone
My social relationships are
0.143 0.089 0.12 1.614 0.108
superficial
All in all, I am inclined to feel
Dependent 0.217 0.095 −0.047 −0.599 0.005
that I am a failure
variable: How often
do you feel depressed, I feel others would be better
0.173 0.092 0.168 1.88 0.032
moody or nervous off if I were not there
when you are off-line, I have noticed that I am losing
which goes away once −0.018 0.075 −0.02 −0.242 0.809
weight
you are back online?
I feel more nervous and
0.176 0.097 −0.155 −1.817 0.011
anxious than usual
I feel weak and get tired easily 0.208 0.107 0.189 1.953 0.05
I have nightmares −0.031 0.079 −0.031 −0.395 0.693
I feel down hearted and blue
0.302 0.094 0.256 3.221 0.002
most of the times
Source: The authors.
10 Global Business Review

Internet Addiction and the Psychological Imbalances

The first section was to establish the interrelation between the commonly considered variables of
pathological addiction and Internet Addiction. Through the process of regression analysis wherein with
a similar significance value 0.000 was obtained through the ANOVA table, there were found to be
significant relationships between the two, with self-realized loneliness being a major impact factor. The
results of the regression analysis provided the following coefficient estimates, which helped in the
construction of the equation and thereby further analysis.
Internet Addiction was found to be majorly characterized by the innate desire of an individual to stay
present in the virtual world as much time as possible and also realization of the fact that the feeling of
being alone or moody disappearing when one is present online. Furthermore, the relationship denoted a
positive correlation between Internet Addiction and those having low self-esteem and low self-confidence
about themselves as well. These factors when interrelated with the psychological identifiers of loneliness,
self-esteem, depression and anxiety issues provided us with the following equation which shows Internet
Addiction as a dependent function of the said psychological variables (Table 3).

Equation 1
Ysaying Just A Few More Minutes Often when Online
= 0.481 + 0.293X Unhappy Doing Things Alone + 0.041X Think I Am Failure
+ 0.206X Other World Be Better If I Was Not There + 0.287X Feel Weak And Get Tired Easily
+ 0.282 X Downhearted And Blue Most Of The Times +1.109

Equation 2
YDepression Moodiness Anxiety When Offline Not Online
= 0.949 + 0.217X Think I am Failure + 0.173X Other Better Off If I Was Not There
+ 0.176X More Nervous And Anxious Then Usual + 0.208X Weak And Get Tired Easiily 
+ 0.302X Downhearted And Blue Most Of The Times + 1.311

Thus, through the aforementioned equations, it was visible that realization of being lonely, mental
depression, anxiety and low self-esteem issues are majorly responsible for creating individuals who are
more repressed and hence more involved in the virtual space. The possibility of another dimension of
association of Internet Association with other factors would be discussed in the following sections.

Internet Addiction and the Online Compulsive Buying Behaviour

The final section deals with understanding the possible existence of a connection between Compulsive
Shopping online and its chances of being heightened in an individual suffering from Internet Addiction.
For the same using factor analysis, the identifiers for online Compulsive Buying Behaviour were
identified. The identifiers denoted that spending too much time on e-commerce websites as well as
buying more than planned originally whenever a visit is made to these websites is a symptom of increased
compulsivity levels within the individual. These identifiers were validated due to obtaining a value of
Suresh and Biswas 11

0.030 with respect to significance as well as the said factors contributing to more than 65 per cent in
terms of variations in responses, thereby having an eigenvalue greater than 1.
The factors obtained were then put through regression analysis to judge the nature of the influence
that Internet Addiction can have on the Online Compulsive Buying levels within an individual which is
the main purpose of the study. A significant value of 0.005 was obtained through regression analysis
which is less than the assumed p-value of 0.050 at 95 per cent confidence interval and hence resulted in
the following coefficient estimates, which were then subsequently put into an equation format.

Table 4. Coefficients Estimates (Equations [3]–[5])

Unstandardized Standardized
Coefficients Coefficients
Model B Std. Error Beta t Sig.
Dependent (Constant) 2.232 0.209 10.702 0
variable: I
How often do you find yourself saying
spend a lot of 0.275 0.071 0.319 3.864 0
‘just a few more minutes’ when online?
time visiting
Flipkart/Amazon/ How often do you feel depressed,
eBay thinking/ moody or nervous when you are
0.193 0.068 0.114 1.383 0.008
planning to shop/ offline, which goes away once you are
buy online back online?
Dependent (Constant) 1.054 0.233 4.517 0
variable:
How often do you find yourself saying
Whenever I visit 0.624 0.08 0.12 1.555 0.022
‘just a few more minutes’ when online?
Flipkart/Amazon/
eBay I shop/buy How often do you feel depressed,
much more than moody or nervous when you are
0.423 0.076 0.433 5.592 0
I had intended/ offline, which goes away once you are
planned back online?
Source: The authors.

Table 5. Coefficients Estimates (Equations [3]–[5])

Unstandardized Standardized
Coefficients Coefficients
Model B Std. Error Beta t Sig.
(Constant) 1.428 0.228   6.253 0
How often do you find yourself
Dependent variable:
saying ‘just a few more minutes’ 0.342 0.078 0.375 4.4 0
I am never satisfied
when online?
even after shopping/
buying and think about How often do you feel
shopping from some depressed, moody or nervous
other site when you are offline, which 0.138 0.074 0.159 1.866 0.04
goes away once you are back
online?
Source: The authors.
12 Global Business Review

Equation 3
YSpend Too Much Time In ECommerce Sites Planning To Buy
= 2.232 + 0.275X Often Say Just A Few More Minutes 
+ 0.193X Offline Depressed Moodiness Anxiety Goes When Online + 1.099

Equation 4 
YBuy More Than Planned When Visit ECommerceSites
= 1.054 + 0.624 X Often Say Just A Few More Minutes 

+ 0.423X Offline Depressed Moodiness Anxiety Goes When Online + 1.230

Equation 5 
YI Am Never Satisfied With Shopping And Always Plan ToShop More
= 1.428 + 0.342X Often Say Just A Few More Minutes

+ 0.138X Offline Depressed Moodiness Anxiety Goes When Online + 1.203

The study and the analysis revealed that the respondents who were identified to be positive in terms of
online Compulsive Shopping were also positively identified to have increased traits of Internet Addiction
that stemmed from the FOMO as well as social awkwardness that prevent from mingling in the outside
world, thereby leading them to find solace in materialistic pleasures often, in turn, leading them to
purchase more than planned with the intention of never using, as it is the act of purchase that stimulated
them. The analysis also showed that Online Compulsive Buying was a cyclic behaviour as the responses
indicated a positive interrelation between online compulsivity and stating that being online helps them
to elevate their moods (Tables 4 and 5).

Discussion
Social loneliness is related to Internet Addiction. Respondents who are lonely by are convinced that
outside environment does not need them, and hence prefer to create a virtual environment for themselves.
Highly introverted respondents exhibited low self-esteem, leading them to create for themselves a virtual
self which might usurp their true nature. Furthermore, whenever they are sad, depressed, anxious and
lonely, they perceive Internet as a succour, which accentuates tendency of escapism. Internet Addiction
is indeed a form of non-substance addiction that would be caused due to psychological imbalances
within an individual’s self.
Respondents seeking excuses to stay online invariably strayed towards e-commerce websites to
search for product offers, sales and discounts to keep them occupied, thereby fuelling their FOMO on
something and anything exciting. Internet addicts are mostly introverted and hence to hide their feelings
they try to stay online and ensure that they are engaged in some way or the other. Online Compulsive
Buying Behaviour is majorly characterized by users who tend to visit e-commerce websites more
frequently than any other websites whenever they are online. They keep a track of Product sales and
Suresh and Biswas 13

offers more frequently than others. These respondents feel that whenever they would be online their
depression, moodiness and anxiety issues would disappear and help them cope with the external
environment thereby fuelling their escapist tendencies. Furthermore, they are mostly depressed and
downhearted and high on anxiety levels with the fear that they might miss out on something important.
Online Compulsive Buying Behaviour is also characterized by an inability, not to keep on thinking
about purchasing and thereafter purchasing from e-commerce websites without regard to the price or
quality or quantity. This is in line with the global literature that talks about Compulsive Buying Behaviour
in general. Online compulsive buyers experience this phenomenon on a cyclic basis and relapse sooner
than a non-compulsive buyer and often run into financial crisis. Apart from this online compulsive buyers
do not get tired of online shopping as they have a variety of portals to choose from. This is one of the main
reasons for them to staying online and thereby termed Internet Addicts. They believe that if they switch
they might have to face the reality and real and probably lose something valuable. Conclusively, it could
be inferred that not only Internet Addiction but also psychological imbalances such as depression, anxiety,
low self-esteem and loneliness have an extremely significant influence on Compulsive Buying in the
online space and this relationship is further influenced by factors such as the FOMO anything online.

Conclusion
Today, India is a growing economy with an ever-growing disposable income and improving lifestyle. An
average Indian consumer’s purchasing power is also increasing as they now have multitude of options
presented to them. Thus, it becomes necessary that marketers understand all the possible channels
through which they can reach their target consumer’s psyche and attract them. This study of the presence
of online Compulsive Buying Behaviour within the Indian population with respect to their growing
dependency on the Internet as well as their psychological state of mind leading to FOMO would help
marketers to understand their consumers better and therefore develop products and provide services
better suited to their needs. This would in turn lead to better web traffic and generate higher sales and
repeat purchases, which ultimately is the goal of any marketer.
Online compulsive buyers spend a significant amount of their time on e-commerce websites
contemplating purchases. It will be profitable for e-commerce vendors if they are able to provide
attractive sales offers on their landing page aligned to buyer’s psyche. It would be beneficial for
e-commerce vendors to straddle multi channels of marketing communication such as YouTube, Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, etc., to connect to these customer segments as they are likely to bring in more profits
than the average buyer. Internet addicted users are lonely by nature and as per the current respondent
source such as the IT industry it would be profitable for the marketers to develop and position products
that would cater to these executives and give them further incentives to purchase more and more. Students
with increasing purchasing power also form a huge base of the Internet addicted users and hence
e-commerce vendors could tie up with gaming portals to launch gaming apps that would provide them
with product coupons and discount offers upon successful completion of a level in the game thus further
motivating them to play more and buy more. Since online compulsive buyers tend to relapse frequently
into buying it would be impactful if e-marketers keep on posting regular updates to these loyal buyers by
connecting with them through emails and personalized tweets.
Online compulsive buyers are more escapist by nature and end up spending more time online than
offline. E-commerce vendors should tie up with telecom vendors from densely populated areas and
identify what are the regions wherein their respective e-commerce websites are being accessed the most
14 Global Business Review

and for how long and how frequently as well. This would help them to understand their customers better
and thereby develop and promote better products as well.

Managerial Implications
Study reveals an emerging aspect in consumer purchase behaviour that of non-substance abuse, which
might impact an individual’s purchase behaviour. This is often ignored by marketers as they simply try
to promote their merchandise without understanding the specifics as to what triggers the purchase of
their product within a customer who is specifically introvert by nature and does not have the intention to
buy from physical outlets. This would help marketers to identify the target market and the emotions of
these introverted customers and align the positioning of their products in such a way so as to capture
customer’s attention and draw them to their sites thus increase website footfall.
Younger generations are more prone to be Internet driven and hence have a penchant for purchasing
more online than offline. This study would help marketers to think as to how to reinvent their marketing
strategies and promote their merchandise to the younger generations using not only Web Marketing but
using other alternative channels of communication such as Mobile Marketing, Email Marketing and
Social Media Marketing. The study would thus help the managers to find relevant information with
regard to the customer psychological mind-set before, during and after the purchase process.

Limitations and Scope of Future Research

The study has not been without its fair share of limitations. Since the study is restricted to a specific zone,
generalization of results cannot be validated. Furthermore, due to uneven distribution of occupation
types, there might be presence of bias in the study. However, there is ample scope of future research as
one can study the interrelation of demographic variables with the FOMO and how it could impact
Internet Addiction within the individuals.
Most of the studies on Compulsive Buying Behaviour are restricted to European, Mediterranean
nations, the Southeast Asian countries and the USA, and there has not been sufficient research done
within the Indian marketing perspective and the Indian consumer’s behaviour. Hence, through the study
it was established that Compulsive Buying Behaviour is not only found in developed nations but can also
be present in developing nations as well.

Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the anonymous respondents for their valuable inputs and their precious time. The
responses gathered have helped the authors in understanding the consumer purchasing psyche in a better manner.
The authors are grateful to the anonymous referees of the journal for their extremely useful suggestions to improve
the quality of the article. Usual disclaimers apply.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
Suresh and Biswas 15

Appendix A
The appendix contains tabulated data that show how the identifiers displayed in Table 2 in the main article (Table
A1) for each of the variables discussed have been obtained. The other annexures are related/pertains to Tables 3–5
in the article, which are basically sub-sets of Table 2. In each of the instances, the value of KMO and Bartlett’s test
of sphericity was found to be significantly high. In the first case, the value of KMO and Bartlett was found to be
0.649. Table A1 shows that, with a cumulative variance of 69.157 per cent, the identifiers for the psychological
imbalances were derived through Factor Analysis.

Table A1. Rotated Component Matrixa

Component
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I am unhappy doing so many things alone 0.711
I feel as if nobody really understands me
I feel left out
My social relationships are superficial 0.793
No one really knows me well
People are around me but not with me
At times I think I am no good at all
I feel I do not have much to be proud of
I certainly feel useless at times
All in all, I am inclined to feel that I am a failure 0.761
I take a positive attitude towards myself −0.811
On the whole, I am satisfied with myself −0.760
I feel down hearted and blue most of the times 0.740
I have trouble sleeping at night
I am restless and cannot keep still
I feel others would be better off if I were not there 0.793
I have noticed that I am losing weight 0.767
I get irritated very easily most of the time
I feel more nervous and anxious than usual 0.717
I feel afraid for no reason at all
I get upset easily or feel panicky
I feel weak and get tired easily 0.759
I feel restless and cannot sit still easily
I have nightmares 0.787
Extraction method: Principal component analysis; rotation method: Varimax with Kaiser normalization.
Source: The authors.
Note: aRotation converged in 11 iterations.
16 Global Business Review

It is to be noted that the statements, ‘I take a positive attitude towards myself’ and ‘On the whole, I
am satisfied with myself’ were not considered even though they had high negative values as they were
indicators of high self-esteem. Table A2 displays how the identifiers for the phenomenon of FOMO was
obtained. In this instance, the cumulative variance was found to be 66.438 and a KMO and Bartlett test
value to be 0.704. Table A3 showcases how the variables considered for Internet Addiction came into
existence. With a KMO and a Bartlett’s test of sphericity value of 0.780, a cumulative variance of 54.251
per cent was obtained.

Table A2. Rotated Component Matrixa

Component
1 2
How often do you find that you stay online longer than you intended?
How often do others in your life complain to you about the amount of time
you spend online?
How often does your personal and professional life suffer because of the
amount of time you spend online?
How often do you become defensive or secretive when anyone asks you
what you do online?
How often do you snap, yell, or act annoyed if someone bothers you while
you are online?
How often do you fear that life without the Internet would be boring,
empty and unexciting?
How often do you try to cut down the amount of time you spend online? 0.887
How often do you find yourself saying ‘just a few more minutes’ when online? 0.746
How often do you choose to spend more time online over going out with
others?
How often do you feel depressed, moody or nervous when you are offline,
0.760
which goes away once you are back online?
Extraction method: Principal component analysis; rotation method: Varimax with Kaiser normalization.
Source: The authors.
Note: aRotation converged in three iterations.

Table A3. Rotated Component Matrixa

Component
1 2
I spend a lot of time visiting Flipkart/Amazon/eBay thinking/planning to
0.722
shop/buy online
I often shop/buy things online in order to change my mood
Shopping/buying things online helps me to forget about personal problems
I make sure to visit Flipkart/Amazon/eBay website as many times possible
during the day
(Table A3 Continued)
Suresh and Biswas 17

(Table A3 Continued)
Component
1 2
Whenever I visit Flipkart/Amazon/eBay I shop/buy much more than I had
0.793
intended/planned
Whenever, I see an online shopping mail I feel an urge to click on it and
see what it contains
I am never satisfied even after shopping/buying and think about shopping
0.879
from some other site
I often end up in arguments with other because they think I am
shopping/buying too much
I have been told by others to reduce shopping/buying online
I often face credit limit issues because I like shopping online
Extraction method: Principal component analysis; rotation method: Varimax with Kaiser normalization.
Source: The authors.
Note: aRotation converged in three iterations.

The third table also showcases the identifiers for the online Compulsive Shopping levels in an
individual and in this situation the cumulative variance was found to be around 59.171 per cent and a
KMO and Bartlett test value of 0.755.

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