The Social Influence–Compulsive Buying Link

A Mediated-Moderated Model of Social Comparison and Consumer Resilience

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16699597

Abstract

Abstract Views: 601

With the popularity of social media, consumer behaviour has undergone a significant transformation, particularly in the fashion apparel industry. This study examines the impact of susceptibility to social influence on compulsive buying behaviour (CBB), focusing on SNS-mediated social comparison as a mediator and consumer resilience as a moderator. Utilising social comparison theory, the study posits that individuals engaging in social comparisons through SNSs develop increased desires for material possessions, fuelling compulsive buying tendencies. A quantitative approach, based on survey responses from Pakistani consumers aged 18–40, was utilised to test the hypothesis using PLS-SEM. The results reveal that while normative and informational social influences do not directly affect CBB, their effects are fully mediated by SNS-mediated social comparison. Contrary to expectations, consumer resilience does not significantly moderate the association between SNS-mediated social comparison and CBB. These findings add to the understanding of consumer behaviour of SNS users, offering theoretical and practical implications for marketers, policymakers, and mental health professionals aiming to eliminate the adverse impact of SNS-mediated social comparison on consumers' CBB.

Keywords:

Compulsive buying behaviour, Consumer resilience, Fashion apparel consumption, SNS-mediated social comparison, Susceptibility to social influence

Author Biographies

Anita Laila,

She is a Research Scholar at the Management Studies Department, Bahria University in Karachi – Pakistan. She completed her Masters in Management Science from SZABIST in Karachi – Pakistan.

Rao Muhammad Rashid (Ph.D),

He is an Associate Professor at the Management Studies Department, Bahria University in Karachi – Pakistan. He obtained his Doctorate in Marketing Management from Hefei University of Technology in Hefei, Anhui – China.

References

Alda, M. (2023). Apparel - pakistan: Statista market forecast. Statista. https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/apparel/pakistan

Aljukhadar, M., & Senecal, S. (2011). Segmenting the online consumer market. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 29(4), 421–435. https://doi.org/10.1108/02634501111138572

Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411–423. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.103.3.411

Ball, J., & Lamberton, C. (2015). Rising every time they fall: The importance and determinants of consumer resilience. ACR North American Advances.

Bearden, W. O., Netemeyer, R. G., & Teel, J. E. (1989). Measurement of consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence. Journal of consumer research, 15(4), 473-481. https://doi.org/10.1086/209186

Biolcati, R. (2017). The role of self-esteem and fear of negative evaluation in compulsive buying. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 8, 74. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00074

Black, D. W. (2007). A review of compulsive buying disorder. World Psychiatry, 6(1), 14–18. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17342214/

Brand, F. S., & Jax, K. (2007). Focusing the meaning(s) of resilience: Resilience as a descriptive concept and a boundary object. Ecology and Society, 12(1). https://www.jstor.org/stable/26267855

Budak, J., Rajh, E., Slijepčević, S., & Škrinjarić, B. (2021). Conceptual research framework of consumer resilience to privacy violation online. Sustainability, 13(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031238

Chae, J. (2018). Explaining females’ envy toward social media influencers. Media Psychology, 21(2), 246–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2017.1328312

Chan, K. (2008). Social comparison of material possessions among adolescents. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 11(3), 316–330. https://doi.org/10.1108/13522750810879039

Charoensukmongkol, P., & Suthatorn, P. (2018). Salespeople's trait mindfulness and emotional exhaustion: the mediating roles of optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy. International Journal of Services, Economics and Management, 9(2), 125-142. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJSEM.2018.096075

Cheng, S., King, D. D., & Oswald, F. (2020). Understanding how resilience is measured in the organizational sciences. Human Performance, 33(2–3), 130–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959285.2020.1744151

Chin, W. W. (1998). The partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling. Modern Methods for Business Research, 295(2), 295-336.

Chin, W. W., & Newsted, P. R. (1999). Structural equation modeling analysis with small samples using partial least squares. Statistical strategies for small sample research, 1(1), 307-341.

Cohen, J. (2013). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Routledge.

Coyne, S. M., McDaniel, B. T., & Stockdale, L. A. (2017). “Do you dare to compare?” Associations between maternal social comparisons on social networking sites and parenting, mental health, and romantic relationship outcomes. Computers in Human Behavior, 70, 335-340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.12.081

Darrat, A. A., Darrat, M. A., & Amyx, D. (2016). How impulse buying influences compulsive buying: The central role of consumer anxiety and escapism. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 31, 103–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2016.03.009

Dávila, J. F., & Casabayó, M. (2024). Instagram paths to materialism in young people: Social comparison and identification with influencers. Behaviour & Information Technology, 0(0), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2024.2326560

Dittmar, H. (2005). A new look at “compulsive buying”: Self–discrepancies and materialistic values as predictors of compulsive buying tendency. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 24(6), 832-859. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2005.24.6.832

Dittmar, H., Long, K., & Bond, R. (2007). When a better self is only a button click away: Associations between materialistic values, emotional and identity-related buying motives, and compulsive buying tendency online. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 26(3), 334–361. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2007.26.3.334

Etikan, I. (2016). Comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20160501.11

Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872675400700202

Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104

Hair Jr, J. F., Babin, B. J., & Krey, N. (2017). Covariance-based structural equation modeling in the Journal of Advertising: Review and recommendations. Journal of Advertising, 46(1), 163-177. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2017.1281777

Hair, J. F., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2011). PLS-SEM: Indeed a silver bullet. Journal of Marketing theory and Practice, 19(2), 139-152. https://doi.org/10.2753/MTP1069-6679190202

Hajli, N. (2015). Social commerce constructs and consumer’s intention to buy. International Journal of Information Management, 35(2), 183–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2014.12.005

Harman, H. H. (1976). Modern Factor Analysis. University of Chicago Press.

Hegner, S., Schaumann, J. M., Francioni, B., & Curina, I. (2024). Brand addiction and compulsive buying in female consumers’ relationships with food brands. British Food Journal, 126(3), 1183–1201. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-05-2023-0355

Huang, Y., Wang, L., & Shi, J. (2012). How attachment affects the strength of peer influence on adolescent consumer behavior. Psychology & Marketing, 29(8), 558-567. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.20543

Hussain, Z., & Griffiths, M. D. (2018). Problematic social networking site use and comorbid psychiatric disorders: A systematic review of recent large-scale studies. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00686

Islam, T., Sheikh, Z., Hameed, Z., Khan, I. U., & Azam, R. I. (2018). Social comparison, materialism, and compulsive buying based on stimulus-response-model: A comparative study among adolescents and young adults. Young Consumers, 19(1), 19–37. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-07-2017-00713

Japutra, A., & Song, Z. (2020). Mindsets, shopping motivations and compulsive buying: Insights from China. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 19(5), 423–437. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1821

Jin, S. V., & Ryu, E. (2020). “I’ll buy what she’s #wearing”: The roles of envy toward and parasocial interaction with influencers in Instagram celebrity-based brand endorsement and social commerce. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 55, 102121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102121

Kemp, S. (2023, February 13). Digital 2023: Pakistan - DataReportal – global digital insights. DataReportal. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2023-pakistan

Khare, A., Mishra, A., Parveen, C., & Srivastava, R. (2011). Influence of consumers’ susceptibility to interpersonal influence, collective self-esteem and age on fashion clothing involvement: A study on Indian consumers. Journal of Targeting, Measurement and Analysis for Marketing, 19, 227-242. https://doi.org/10.1057/jt.2011.22

Kshatriya, K., & Shah, P. S. (2023). A study of the prevalence of impulsive and compulsive buying among consumers in the apparel and accessories market. Vilakshan-XIMB Journal of Management, 20(1), 2-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/XJM-12-2020-0252

Kuan, K. K. Y., Zhong, Y., & Chau, P. Y. K. (2014). Informational and normative social influence in group-buying: Evidence from self-reported and EEG Data. Journal of Management Information Systems, 30(4), 151–178. https://doi.org/10.2753/MIS0742-1222300406

Ling, Y., Gao, B., Jiang, B., Fu, C., & Zhang, J. (2023). Materialism and envy as mediators between upward social comparison on social network sites and online compulsive buying among college students. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1085344

Liu, Q.-Q., Zhou, Z.-K., Yang, X.-J., Niu, G.-F., Tian, Y., & Fan, C.-Y. (2017). Upward social comparison on social network sites and depressive symptoms: A moderated mediation model of self-esteem and optimism. Personality and Individual Differences, 113, 223–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.03.037

Lou, C., & Yuan, S. (2019). Influencer marketing: How message value and credibility affect consumer trust of branded content on social media. Journal of interactive advertising, 19(1), 58-73. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2018.1533501

Malik, M. U., Hali, S. M., & Malik, M. A. (2021). Mapping compulsive buying behavior of m-commerce consumers in Pakistan. International Review of Management and Business Research, 10(1), 119–134.

Malik, O. F., Shahzad, A., & Raziq, M. M. (2020). Work engagement in the face of terrorism: The moderating role of trait resilience. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 29(4), 461–478. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2019.1581863

Maraz, A., Griffiths, M. D., & Demetrovics, Z. (2016). The prevalence of compulsive buying: a meta‐analysis. Addiction, 111(3), 408-419. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13223

Moke, K. K. F., Chang, C. K. W., Prihadi, K., & Goh, C. L. (2018). Mediation effect of resilience on the relationship between self-efficacy and competitiveness among university students. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE), 7(4), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v7i4.15725

Moon, M. A., & Attiq, S. (2018). Compulsive buying behavior: Antecedents, consequences and prevalence in shopping mall consumers of an emerging economy. Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences (PJCSS), 12(2), 548-570. https://hdl.handle.net/10419/188357

Moon, M. A., Farooq, A., & Kiran, M. (2017). Social shopping motivations of impulsive and compulsive buying behaviors. UW Journal of Management Sciences, 1(1), 15-27.

Mundel, J., Wan, A., & Yang, J. (2024). Processes underlying social comparison with influencers and subsequent impulsive buying: The roles of social anxiety and social media addiction. Journal of Marketing Communications, 30(7), 834–851. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2023.2183426

Pahlevan Sharif, S., She, L., Yeoh, K. K., & Naghavi, N. (2022). Heavy social networking and online compulsive buying: The mediating role of financial social comparison and materialism. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 30(2), 213–225. https://doi.org/10.1080/10696679.2021.1909425

Phua, J., Jin, S. V., & Kim, J. J. (2017). Gratifications of using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat to follow brands: The moderating effect of social comparison, trust, tie strength, and network homophily on brand identification, brand engagement, brand commitment, and membership intention. Telematics and Informatics, 34(1), 412-424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2016.06.004

Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879.

Pradhan, D., Israel, D., & Jena, A. K. (2018). Materialism and compulsive buying behaviour: The role of consumer credit card use and impulse buying. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 30(5), 1239–1258. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-08-2017-0164

Renko, M., Bullough, A., & Saeed, S. (2020). How do resilience and self-efficacy relate to entrepreneurial intentions in countries with varying degrees of fragility? A six-country study: International Small Business Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266242620960456

Ridgway, N. M., Kukar-Kinney, M., & Monroe, K. B. (2008). An expanded conceptualization and a new measure of compulsive buying. Journal of Consumer Research, 35(4), 622–639. https://doi.org/10.1086/591108

Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., & Straub, D. W. (2012). Editor's comments: A critical look at the use of PLS-SEM in" MIS Quarterly". MIS quarterly, iii-xiv. https://doi.org/10.2307/41410402

Ruan, C., Lu, Z., Li, H., Lin, W., Li, D., & Yuan, J. (2023). More friends on SNS, more materialism? The moderating roles of self-esteem and social comparison orientation. PLOS ONE, 18(5), e0283723. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283723

Russell, D. W., Russell, C. A., Chen, H. Y., Cacioppo, S., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2021). To what extent is psychological resilience protective or ameliorative: Exploring the effects of deployment on the mental health of combat medics. Psychological Services, 18(1), 51–63. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000343

She, L., Rasiah, R., Waheed, H., & Pahlevan Sharif, S. (2021). Excessive use of social networking sites and financial well-being among young adults: The mediating role of online compulsive buying. Young Consumers, 22(2), 272–289. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-11-2020-1252

Sun, Y., & Bao, Z. (2023). Live streaming commerce: A compulsive buying perspective. Management Decision, 61(11), 3278–3294. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-10-2022-1461

Tansey, T. N., Bezyak, J., Kaya, C., Ditchman, N., & Catalano, D. (2017). Resilience and quality of life: An investigation of Kumpfer’s resilience model with persons with spinal cord injuries. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 60(3), 163-174. https://doi.org/10.1177/0034355216655146

Tarka, P., Kukar-Kinney, M., & Harnish, R. J. (2022). Consumers’ personality and compulsive buying behavior: The role of hedonistic shopping experiences and gender in mediating-moderating relationships. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 64, 102802. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102802

Tokgoz, E. (2020). Impact of materialistic values on impulsive and compulsive consumption via status consumption: A research on young consumers. Business and Economics Research Journal, 11(1), 261-278. https://doi.org/10.20409/berj.2020.249

Triandis, H. C. (2018). Individualism and collectivism. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429499845

Verduyn, P., Gugushvili, N., Massar, K., Täht, K., & Kross, E. (2020). Social comparison on social networking sites. Current Opinion in Psychology, 36, 32–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2020.04.002

Wang, C., & Lee, M. (2020). Why we cannot resist our smartphones: Investigating compulsive use of mobile SNS from a stimulus-response-reinforcement perspective. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.17705/1jais.00596

Xu, Y. (2008). The influence of public self‐consciousness and materialism on young consumers’ compulsive buying. Young Consumers, 9(1), 37–48. https://doi.org/10.1108/17473610810857309

Zheng, Y., Yang, X., Zhou, R., Niu, G., Liu, Q., & Zhou, Z. (2020). Upward social comparison and state anxiety as mediators between passive social network site usage and online compulsive buying among women. Addictive Behaviors, 111, 106569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106569

International Journal of Trends and Innovations in Business & Social Sciences

Downloads

Published

2025-06-30

How to Cite

Laila, A., & Rashid, R. M. (2025). The Social Influence–Compulsive Buying Link: A Mediated-Moderated Model of Social Comparison and Consumer Resilience. International Journal of Trends and Innovations in Business & Social Sciences, 3(2), 115–130. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16699597

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2025)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 International Journal of Trends and Innovations in Business & Social Sciences

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.