The Impact of Social Media on Hedonic and Impulsive Purchases in the Romanian Clothing Industry

The purpose of this research is to measure the level of social media platform’s impact on hedonic and impulsive purchases when it comes to the Romanian clothing industry. The study analyzes different purchasing factors, in the context where social media platforms have a major impact on consumers. Price reduction seems to be as important as using credit cards when it comes to hedonic targeted purchases, while the impact of social media increases alongside the desire to buy. The sources of information (such as comments, reviews, influencers, or even shares) amplify the impact on consumers’ future purchases. The paper researches purchasing factors, such as hedonic and impulsive buying, and social media platforms’ impact on them. The two approached perspectives are: hedonic motivation, which means the desire to increase the positive experiences; and decrease the negative ones, and impulsive behavior which is characterized as the tendency to act without thinking. The results show that social media’s impact on hedonic and impulsive purchases is accelerated as long as personalized recommendations and discount campaigns exist. This study provides insights for Romanian brand to optimize their digital marketing strategies and reveals the psychological triggers behind hedonic and impulsive behavior.