Glued to your phone? Generation Z's smartphone addiction and online compulsive buying

Recent studies found that smartphone usage has become an addiction nowadays, especially among young consumers. The abuse of these digital devices affects individuals' social life and well-being. Of particular interest in this regard is the study of compulsive buying, as it has been noted a possible co-occurrence of this disorder with smartphone abusive tendencies. With a model theoretically anchored in the stimulus-organism-response framework, the current study investigates the novel connection between smartphone addiction and online compulsive buying in a sample of 275 Generation Z consumers. The proposed model integrates mood regulatory behaviours and flow experiences associated with smartphone addiction to affect online compulsive buying behaviours. The current research contributes to the literature on compulsive buying behaviours and smartphone addiction by offering empirical evidence that (1) smartphone addiction and online compulsive buying are related; and (2) mood regulatory behaviours and flow experience act as strengthening factors in this relationship. This article advances knowledge in terms of theory and practice on Generation Z consumers’ smartphone addiction and online compulsive buying.