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Abstract
In a study regarding unplanned purchasing behavior, it is proposed that a shopper's mental representation of the task is a significant factor influencing this behavior. The study uses a controlled 2 X 2 factorial experiment, in which subjects are randomly assigned to 4 treatment conditions: 1. time-pressure-absent, 2. time-pressure-present, 3. low knowledge of store environment, and 4. high knowledge of store environment. Participants are chosen from a consumer panel affiliated with a large university in the Northeast. Conformity of the actual purchasing sequence with the encoded purchasing sequence is a function of the shopper's knowledge of the store environment. Unplanned purchasing behavior is related to knowledge of the store environment and time pressure. It is proposed that exposure to in-store cues mediates this relationship by triggering need recognition. Analyses with backtracking, information search, and reason for unplanned purchases support that proposition. In addition, unplanned purchases are over and above routine purchases, which are fulfilled invariably.