The more envious the consumer, the more impulsive? The moderating role of self-monitoring and product type

Purpose This paper aimed to explore the influence of envy on impulsive consumption from aspects of the internal psychological mechanism and boundary conditions. Design/methodology/approach Based on social comparison theory, four studies were conducted in this research: The first study explored the effect of envy on impulsive consumption; the second study explored the moderating effect of self-monitoring and the mediating effect of materialism; the third study explored the moderating effect of product type and the fourth study explored the effectiveness of social comparison contexts on the arousal of envy. Findings Study 1 showed that envy could significantly trigger consumers' impulsive consumption. Study 2 indicated that participants experiencing self-monitoring had a higher level of materialism and a stronger propensity to consume impulsively once the emotion of envy emerged. Study 3 suggested that when participants were more envious, their levels of materialism increased with more impulsivity to buy material products. Study 4 revealed that upward comparisons led to a higher level of envy and re-validated the mediating role of materialism between envy and impulsive consumption. Research limitations/implications This study provides evidence for the association between envy and consumer behaviour and clarifies the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between envy and impulsive consumption. Practical implications Marketers could take advantage of consumers' envy after social comparisons without damaging brand image. Originality/value First, this study extended the effects of envy on consumer decisions, suggesting that envy stimulates impulsive consumption by increasing consumers' materialism. Second, this study revealed the boundary condition of product type, namely, material and experiential.