Comorbidity of compulsive buying and brand addiction

Abstract

While compulsive buying and brand addiction are both addictive consumption, little is known about how they jointly impact on consumers. This research demonstrates that compulsive buying and brand addiction are distinct phenomena and may co-occur. Data from this research demonstrates that while compulsive buying has negative impacts, brand addiction does not result in debt and has positive impacts on self-esteem and life happiness. Compulsive buying is positively related to brand addiction, and brand addiction positively mediates the relationships between compulsive buying and debt avoidance, self-esteem and life happiness. This research introduces a new perspective on theorizing comorbid addiction of compulsive buying and brand addiction by providing evidence that brand addiction may not be pathological, and compulsive buying's negative effects may be weakened or eliminated in the presence of brand addiction. It opens avenues for further research to create broader and more parsimonious theoretical models for responsive marketing approaches to addictive consumption.