Reducing impulse buying: a review and research agenda

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer a systematic literature review on reducing impulse buying (IB). Design/methodology/approach For the review, this paper adopted the SPAR-4-SLR (Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Literature Reviews) approach, searched for papers in the Scopus and Web of Science databases (1970–2023), and identified 114 papers in total. The papers were sourced from English-language journals with impact factors >1. Findings The paper identifies four broad types of strategies to reduce IB: consumer-based IB reduction strategies, personality-based IB reduction strategies, situation-based IB reduction strategies and policymaker-related IB reduction strategies. Research limitations/implications Based on extant research, it suggests other strategies to reduce IB and offers propositions to reduce IB in the areas of vicarious observation of self-control, construal effects and volitional participation in IB reduction programs. Social implications IB, if left unchecked, leads to negative consequences such as overspending, indebtedness and compulsiveness. Therefore, policymakers need to act on reducing IB. This paper offers ways of doing this. Originality/value This is the first paper, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to offer a review on reducing IB; it benefits society and enhances consumer welfare.