Does excessive buying for self relate to spending on pets
Using two studies, this article explores how a tendency to buy excessively for self relates to spending on one's pet. Existing research on excessive buying reports that these buyers spend money primarily on themselves. Excessive buying is the tendency to be preoccupied with buying and, consequently, to buy relatively more and more often than others. The first study, using a qualitative research approach, provides insights into the relationship of excessive buying for self and for pets. This study reveals that excessive buyers consider their pets as full family members and extensions of themselves. The second study, a national survey conducted via the Internet, provides a quantitative test of the relationship between excessive buying for self and spending on pets. Respondents who score high on an excessive buying index also tend to spend more on their pets for toys, food treats, clothing, accessories, and grooming products.
Price comparison sites (shopbots) are supposed to create price transparent markets. Nevertheless, online prices are still very dispersed, making the question when and how customers are influenced by price transparency the key for understanding electronic channels. This study is the first empirical investigation of this question using transaction data from the largest online retailer Amazon and a large price comparison site. Based on a unique dataset of 29,667 price and sales figures for 291 products in three product categories, the impact of competitors’ prices on sales is analyzed. We find support for our hypothesis that price comparison is generally more important for the low price products within a product group and less important for the average priced product. Results vary for the highest priced products. The results are translated into practical guidelines for firms trying to optimize their competitive pricing strategy.