Journal of Accounting, Management, and Economics 
Vol. 19, No. 2, 2017, pp. 47-52 

Published by Faculty of Economics and Business 
Universitas Jenderal Soedirman 

Published online on July 11, 2017 in http://jos.unsoed.ac.id/index.php/jame  

  
Correspondence to : 

Sebelas Maret University, Indonesia.  

Received: May 23, 2017  
Revised: June 6, 2017 

Accepted: June 20, 2017 

INTRODUCTION 
Indonesia consumer is one of consumers 
who make high impulse buying. The results 
of research conducted by the agency of 
Frontier Consulting shows that the process 
of impulse buying or purchases that are not 
planned in Indonesia is relatively large 
compared with consumers in America 
(www.marketing.co.id, 2012). The relatively 
high impulse buying in Indonesia are in the 
range of 15% to 20% (www.marketing.co.id, 
2012). 

The increase in impulse buying in 
Indonesia is caused by an increase in 
various retail businesses. Based on data, 
from 2007 to 2012, retail business in 
Indonesia has grown up to 17.57% per 
year. In 2007, the number of retail in 
Indonesia as many as 10,365 outlets, then 
in 2011, retail outlets in Indonesia reached 
18,152 scattered throughout the city of 
Indonesia (www.marketing.co.id, 2013). 

Researcher conducted pre-research 
related to impulse buying in retail in 
Surakarta. The activity was conducted from 
November 12th to 13th, 2015. The results of 
the previous study showed that 95% of 
retail consumers had made unplanned 
purchases, while the rest had never made 

unplanned purchases. These results 
indicate that the behavior of impulse buying 
is interesting to be studied further because 
almost all consumers have made a sudden 
purchase outside the product planned to be 
purchased. 

On the other hand, retail competition 
was increased since the issuance of 
Presidential Decree No. 118/2000 which 
contained the issuance of retail from the 
PMA negative list then international 
retailers began to enter the Indonesian 
market. The survey results showed that 
Carrefour, Hypermart, and Lotte Mart 
showed the highest sales growth 
(www.marketing.co.id, 2013). The results 
are not much changed for the year of 2016. 
Carrefour is still the largest retail in 
Indonesia. According to 
www.minimarkettrak.com (2016), 97% of 
the retail market share in Indonesia is 
dominated by Carrefour, Hypermart, and 
Giant. 

The field phenomenon shows that local 
players have to work hard to survive in 
retail business in Indonesia. National retail 
competitiveness should always be 
reinforced by effective and efficient 
strategies. One such strategy is related to 

  

Impulse Buying Behavior of Retail Consumers 
 
WIYONO, HARYANTO, DWI HASTJARJA K. B. 

 
Economics and Business Faculty, Sebelas Maret University, Indonesia 

 

Abstract 

 

Retail competition in Indonesia is increasingly competitive after an international retail policy 
can take place in Indonesia directly. The real impact, international retail dominance over 
national (local) retail is increasingly seen, especially seen based on sales turnover. The 
competition requires the right strategy. This study aims to explore retail consumer behavior 
in Surakarta. The result of exploration shows that the main factor of decision of retail 
selection is retail location (28%). Further factor of price (21%) and merchandise (15%). In 
addition, consumer shopping behavior shows that consumers when in shopping is not alone. 
Subsequent findings indicate that most consumers do not make written planning when 
shopping so often buy products that are outside the initial planning (impulse buying). This is 
further strengthened when there is promotion (41%) and product placement strategy (23%). 
While the results of SEM-PLS analysis, the relationship between the variables that are 
constructed indicated that the variable of merchandise and in-store promotion has an effect 
on impulse buying. Product quality and price variable do not affect impulse buying. 
Furthermore, money available variable is not a moderating variable between in-store 
promotion and impulse buying.   

  

Keywords Retail; Impulse Buying; Price; In-Store Promotion 
 

 

 

  



 
 
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48 

the concept of impulse buying. Impulse 
buying is an unplanned shopping behavior 
where the decision-making process is done 
quickly and does not consider information 
first (Bayley & Nancarrow, 1998). 

Impulse buying is influenced by 
consumer emotions while shopping. Park 
(2006) stated that a marketer should pay 
attention to the positive emotional state of a 
consumer while in the store. Positive 
emotions are emotions that can create 
positive feelings in a person. The emotional 
state of a consumer can be influenced by 
various variables, such as merchandise, in-
store promotion, and also store atmosphere 
(Rusdian, 1999). Emotional state will make 
the two dominant feelings that are happy 
feeling and arousing desire (Sutisna and 
Pawitra, 2001). In addition, product quality 
and price variable are a crucial part of 
purchase decision. Therefore, the study of 
the retail realm is based on multiple 
perspectives. 

The completeness of the merchandise 
creates a positive feeling while shopping for 
many alternative choices. In addition, in-
store promotion also impacts the mood of 
consumers. Furthermore, a good and 
elegant store atmosphere can give a 
positive impression to the visiting 
customers. If the positive impression lasts 
longer then the store will be the customer’s 
preferred choice to make subsequent 
purchases (Baker, et al., 1994). Therefore, 
this study focuses on the emotional-forming 
variable that affects impulse buying. 

 

THEORETICAL REVIEW 
Impulse Buying 
The definition of impulse buying by Bayley 
& Nancarrow (1998) in Park, Kim, & Forney 
(2006) is a suddenly complex buying 
behavior in making decision that ignores 
information processing and comparison 
processes. The meaning of the definition is 
clear, that is consumers ignore the various 
considerations in purchase decision as the 
impact of the decision process done 
spontaneously. 

In line with Bayley & Nancarrow, Rook & 
Gardner (1993) in Foroughi, Buang, Senik, 
& Hajmisadeghi (2013) stated that impulse 
buying is an unplanned purchase. This type 
of purchase is characterized by quick and 
subjective bias decision due to the 
suddenly emerged desire. 

Impulse buying is a buying activity that 
is not a search when shopping, done by 

consumer outside the planning or shopping 
list. According to Abdolvand, et al. (2011), 
variable of impulse buying is influenced by 
situational and internal factors. Situational 
factors are factors outside the consumer 
and have an impact on emotions, such as 
sales promotion, product variety, price, 
store atmosphere, and so on. 

Further factors are the internal side of 
consumers that is the situation in consumer 
such as consumer characteristic and mood. 
Characteristic in this case includes 
consumer personality such as introvert or 
extrovert. In addition to the personality, that 
is included in the personal characteristic is 
the power of consumer innovation. Mood 
includes feeling of comfort, feeling of being 
dominant, and arousal (Abdolvand, et al. 
2011). 
 

Product Quality, Price and 
Merchandise 
Product quality is the overall characteristics 
and product features that refer to the 
product’s ability to meet the perceived 
standards (Alex & Thomas, 2004). This 
definition indicates that a product that is 
able to meet the standard, then the product 
is a good product that is the product that 
consumers expect. 

Price is a sacrifice that consumers 
spend to get a product (Zeithaml, 1988). 
Based on the definition, then consumer has 
a perception of the ability to buy a product. 
This leads to the conclusion that the 
measurement of price cannot be directed to 
cheap or expensive terms. 

Merchandise is defined as a variety of 
products sold in retail (Utami, 2010). The 
diversity of these products can be based on 
large and or deep. The more complete the 
retail merchandise, the more likely impulse 
buying occurs. 

Rohm & Swaminathan (2004) in 
Muruganantham & Bhakat (2013) stated 
that consumers are motivated by the 
convenience when shopping for quality 
goods and also the right price. The study 
emphasizes that the quality of products sold 
and the price of products that are 
considered “fit” is a special attraction for 
consumers to make a purchase. 

According to Wong & Zhou (2003 in 
Tinne (2010), impulse buying is also 
influenced by product characteristics 
including product quality, merchandise, and 
price. Consumer perception of product 
quality as reflected by brand, display, 



 
 
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49 

packaging, and son on are conditions that 
can lead consumer to buy spontaneously. 
As well as for the diversity of merchandise 
sold by retailers, the more retailers 
perceived to have deep and wide 
merchandise the greater the impulse 
buying. 
 
 

In-Store Promotion  
Inman, McAlister, & Hoyer (1990) stated 
that promotion is all signs or other 
indicators to attract the attention of 
consumers through various offers, such as 
discount, bundling, and so on. The 
definition clearly indicates that the company 
or retail establishes a price-related strategy 
through a special offer. 

Sharma, Raciti, O’Hara, Reinhard, & 
Davies (2013) in their study stated effective 
promotion in increasing sales. Therefore, 
in-store promotion becomes various retail 
strategies in increasing sales through 
impulse buying. 

 

Money Available 
Money available in the context of a retail 
study is inclined to a loose consumer 
spending condition. According to Beatty & 
Ferrell (1998) in Tinne (2010), money 
available is a facilitator in the impulse 
buying process related to consumer 
purchase power. So, money available 
allegedly strengthens impulse buying. 

 

METHODOLOGY 
Preliminary Study 
A total of 50 respondents were participated 
in preliminary study to uncover variables 
that affect impulse buying. The results of 
this study indicate that most consumers do 
not make written planning when shopping 
so often buy products that are outside the 
initial planning (impulse buying). This is 
further strengthened when there is 
promotion (41%) and product placement 
strategy (23%). Based on this study and 

literature review, then synthesis process is 
done with the result that independent 
variables include product quality, price, 
merchandise, and in-store promotion; 
dependent variable is impulse buying; 
moderating variable is money available. 
 

Measurement 
Variable of product quality, price, 
merchandise, in-store promotion, impulse 
buying, and money available are variables 
that cannot be measured directly. 
Therefore, these variables require 
indicators. This research indicators are 
based on Foroughi, Dispose, Senik, & 
Hajmisadeghi (2013); Alex & Thomas, 
(2004); Zeithaml (1988); Muruganantham & 
Bhakat (2013); Sharma, Raciti, O’Hara, 
Reinhard, & Davies (2013); and Tinne 
(2010). 
 

Data Collection 

Population 
The population in this study was the people 
in Surakarta who have made a purchase in 
retail (PT XX). Members of the population 
can be known, but the exact number cannot 
be determined, therefore this study used a 
non-probability sampling approach. 
 

Sampling Method 
Referring to non-probability sampling 
approach, sampling method of this research 
is purposive sampling. Purposive sampling 
is sampling with certain criteria according to 
the purpose of research. These criteria 
were members of the population who have 
made unplanned purchases in retail PT XX. 

 

Instrument Testing 
The research instrument must meet the 
validity and reliability testing principles. 
Validity refers to the ability of questionnaire 
items to measure variable that should be 
measured, while reliability focuses on the 
consistency of questionnaire items. The test 
results are shown in Table 1. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 
 
Journal of Accounting, Management, and Economics, Vol. 19, No. 2, 2017, pp. 47-52 

50 

Table 1. Validity 

 

 

Original 
Sample 

(O) 

Sample 
Mean 
(M) 

Standard 
Deviation 
(STDEV) 

T Statistics 
(|O/STDEV|) 

P 
Value 

H2 <- H 0.849 0.802 0.194 4.381 0.000 

H4 <- H 0.910 0.864 0.196 4.642 0.000 

IB1 <- IB 0.675 0.669 0.112 6.029 0.000 

IB2 <- IB 0.763 0.765 0.059 12.980 0.000 

IB3 <- IB 0.845 0.842 0.056 15.179 0.000 

IB4 <- IB 0.701 0.686 0.107 6.566 0.000 

IB5 <- IB 0.802 0.805 0.052 15.385 0.000 

IB6 <- IB 0.877 0.880 0.033 26.812 0.000 

IB7 <- IB 0.750 0.747 0.092 8.131 0.000 

ISP * MA <- Moderating Effect 1 1.165 1.134 0.080 14.583 0.000 

ISP1 <- ISP 0.882 0.874 0.063 13.948 0.000 

ISP2 <- ISP 0.819 0.807 0.104 7.864 0.000 

ISP4 <- ISP 0.934 0.939 0.017 56.356 0.000 

KP3 <- KP 0.667 0.627 0.278 2.399 0.017 

KP4 <- KP 0.998 0.901 0.247 4.044 0.000 

MA2 <- MA 0.761 0.705 0.239 3.180 0.002 

MA4 <- MA 0.985 0.932 0.192 5.126 0.000 

ME1 <- ME 0.786 0.790 0.061 12.913 0.000 

ME2 <- ME 0.827 0.820 0.058 14.240 0.000 

ME3 <- ME 0.916 0.913 0.032 28.842 0.000 

ME5 <- ME 0.921 0.920 0.024 38.095 0.000 

ME6 <- ME 0.917 0.917 0.023 40.760 0.000 

 
Based on the results of validity test, 

there are some questionnaire items that are 
dropped because the loading factors are 

below 0.4 which means the item is not 
valid. Table 1 showed that the 
questionnaire items passed the validity test. 

 
Table 2. Reliability 
 

 

Original 
Sample (O) 

Sample 
Mean (M) 

Standard Deviation 
(STDEV) 

T Statistics 
(|O/STDEV|) 

P Value 

H 0.712 0.705 0.089 8.018 0.000 

IB 0.889 0.887 0.029 30.764 0.000 

ISP 0.860 0.859 0.042 20.261 0.000 

KP 0.760 0.736 0.101 7.517 0.000 

MA 0.780 0.779 0.064 12.230 0.000 

ME 0.922 0.921 0.018 51.028 0.000 

Moderating Effect 1 1.000 1.000 
   

 

Table 2 is the output of reliability test. 
The results indicate that the overall 
Cronbach Alpha score of the above variable 
is 0.6. Thus, the observed variables of this 
study pass the reliability test. 

 

Data Analysis 
This study used SEM-PLS analysis refers 
to the complexity of the relationship 
between the variables tested. The results of 
SEM-PLS analysis are presented in Table 3 
and Figure 1. 

 



 
 
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51 

Table 3. Output Path Coefficients 

 

 

Original 
Sample 

(O) 

Sample 
Mean 
(M) 

Standard 
Deviation 
(STDEV) 

T Statistics 
(|O/STDEV|) 

P 
Values 

H -> IB 0.069 0.101 0.148 0.468 0.640 

ISP -> IB 0.294 0.291 0.121 2.431 0.015 

KP -> IB -0.032 -0.002 0.141 0.230 0.818 

MA -> IB 0.208 0.205 0.141 1.472 0.142 

ME -> IB 0.359 0.321 0.150 2.398 0.017 

Moderating Effect 1 -> IB -0.012 -0.007 0.095 0.128 0.898 

 
Table 3 explains that product quality 

variable does not affect impulse buying 
because statistically the value of t count 
(0.230) is below t table (1.96, confidence 
level of 95%). The same results appear in 
the relationship between price and impulse 
buying, which means price variable does 
not affect impulse buying, because the 
value of t count (0.468) is below t table 
(1.96). 

Different things appear in the analysis of 
the relationship between in-store promotion 
and impulse buying. In-store promotion has 

an effect on impulse buying, with value of t 
count (2,431) above t table (1.96). While, 
the relationship between merchandise and 
impulse buying shows that merchandise 
variable has an effect on impulse buying (t 
count of 2,398). While, relating to the 
testing of the moderating effect of money 
available variable, the PLS results indicate 
that money available variable is not a 
variable that reinforces or weakens the 
effect of in-store promotion on impulse 
buying.

 
Figure 1. Research Model 

 

 
 

Figure 1 is the model output of this 
study. These results are not different from 
Table 3. Product and price quality does not 
affect impulse buying, while merchandise 
and in-store promotion variable are 
variables that influence impulse buying. 

DISCUSSION 
This study shows that impulse buying is a 
shopping activity influenced by internal 
variables, namely merchandise and in-store 
promotion. The more complete the product 
offered the higher the impulse buying. 



 
 
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52 

Similarly for in-store promotion, the more 
special price offering then the higher 
impulse buying. This study indicates that 
the lure of price below market price is really 
effective in influencing consumers to shop 
more and or buy something that is not really 
a priority or not a real need. 

While for merchandise, this variable 
affects impulse buying because the more 
attractive choices the more consumers are 
tempted to buy. Related to this 
merchandise variable, then the retail should 
really be able to display interesting not just 
enough diverse. Completeness of products 
sold must be accessible well by consumers 
to form impulse buying. 

On the other hand, this study shows that 
impulse buying is not influenced by product 
quality and price. This result implies that 
situational factor has a strong role in 
stimulating impulse buying. In addition, the 
ability to present and provide a wide variety 
of product choices becomes an important 
variable in creating impulse buying. 

Related to money available variable that 
is not moderating variable, indicate that the 
habit of bringing in extra budget is plural. 
This is reinforced by pre-research results 
indicating that nearly 100% of consumers 
have done impulse buying. In summary, 
few consumers make good shopping plans. 
As a result, this variable does not 
strengthen in-store promotion relationship 
with impulse buying. 

CONCLUSION 
Impulse buying behavior is a behavior that 
is more influenced by situational factor. 
Situational can be internal of personal, can 
also external of personal. This study shows 
that the role of external situational variable 
impacting the formation of impulse buying is 
merchandise and in-store promotion. 
Money available variable has no significant 
impact. 

The results of this study still require 
continuation by basing various retails, not 
just one retail as research object. 
Therefore, further studies are needed to 
generalize the results of this study. 

 

REFERENCES 
 
Foroughi, A., Buang, N. A., Senik, Z. C., & 

Hajmisadeghi, R. S. (2013). Impulse 
buying behaviour and moderating role of 
gender among Iranian shoppers. Journal 
of Basic and Applied Scientific Research, 
3(4), 760-769. 

Nancarrow, G. B. C. (1998). Impulse purchasing: 
a qualitative exploration of the 
phenomenon. Qualitative Market 
Research: An International Journal, 1(2). 

Park, E. J., Kim, E. Y., & Forney, J. C. (2006). A 
structural model of fashion-oriented 
impulse buying behavior. Journal of 
Fashion Marketing and Management, 
10(4).