Effects of Planned versus Unplanned Purchase on Chinese Tourists' Emotions and Attitudes toward Fashion Products - Focused on the Mediating Role of Shopping Emotion -

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Korea has rapidly increased over the last decade. It is important to understand Chinese consumption patterns and shopping behavior because they have become major custo- mers in the Korean fashion market. This study focuses on how Chinese tourists feel while shopping in Korea and how emotions influence their attitude towards purchased products. We examine how planned purchase and unplanned purchase impact shopping emotions and product usage satisfaction. A survey was conducted on 550 women between 20 and 60 years of age who have visited Seoul more than once with an online panel from an international survey firm. Data are analyzed using structural equation modeling by AMOS 20.0. Respondents were asked to recall most impressive fashion product that they bought in Korea during their recent visit and to answer if it was a planned or unplanned purchase. This study also measures emotions during product purchases and usage satisfaction. The respondents are categorized into heavy and light buy- ers according to purchasing power to determine the moderating effects of purchase amount. The results in- dicate that planned purchases tend to deliver positive emotions that enhance product usage satisfaction. In the case of unplanned purchases, without the mediating role of positive shopping emotions, it has a negative impact on product attitude and shows the importance of positive emotions during shopping. The influence of unplanned purchases on shopping emotions or product attitude in light buyers is not significant for the moderating effect of purchasing power. Only planned purchases trigger product usage satisfaction when it is mediated by positive emotions.