Compulsive Buying: Literature Review and Suggestions for Future Research

Compulsive buying is a serious, but under researched, aspect of consumer buying behaviour. Setting the review in a historical context, the review begins by addressing the earliest works on the subject and seminal papers by leading researchers in the field of compulsive buying. The review addresses the fact that Emil Kraepelin first identified compulsive buying in his 1915 textbook, before the subject faced an almost complete hiatus in terms of research until the late 1980s where the issue was addressed by a number of leading consumer behaviour researchers. The review will then proceed chronologically and thematically, addressing each issue and theme that has emerged from the literature. Previous directions of the research will be discussed, whilst guiding readers towards the current landscape of the research, and a suggestion of the next logical direction of the research.