Compulsive buying in China: Measurement, prevalence, and online drivers

This research establishes the validity and reliability of the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale in the Chinese consumer market. Using two different Chinese samples, the scale is able to identify compulsive buyers in China. The prevalence of compulsive buyers in China is found to be 10.4% in a student sample and 29.1% in a general population. In addition to identifying compulsive buyers, six compulsive buyers' motivations to buy online are identified: immediate positive feelings, avoiding social interaction, buying anytime/anywhere, daydreaming, observed buying, and emotional response to receiving online purchases. The Chinese concept of face consciousness (mianzi) can be used to explain the high prevalence of compulsive buying among online buyers in China.