Uses and Gratifications of Television Home Shopping

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to understand television shopping through examining media use motives. Based on the uses-and-gratifications (U&G) perspective, we examined how social/psychological antecedents (i.e., parasocial interaction and compulsive buying) and buying outcomes (i.e., buying frequency and impulse buying) relate to television-shopping viewing motives. Findings suggest that viewers watch television shopping because they want a convenient, time- and cost-effective way to shop and learn about products and want to be entertained. Factor analysis revealed two motive factors: TV Viewing Motives are associated with traditional U&G motive statements similar to those found in past studies, and Shopping Motives are those that reference motives associated with shopping. The host appeal dimension of parasocial interaction predicted both factors. Compulsive buying was a significant predictor of only the TV Viewing Motives factor. Those who purchased more items were motivated to watch by the shopping aspects of the medium. Compulsive buying was the only significant predictor of impulse buying. Those who made more planned purchases, however, watched because of the shopping aspects of the medium but not because of an interpersonal connection to the hosts.

Notes

¹Before answering RQ1 and RQ2, we examined preliminary relationships between the personal characteristics and television shopping viewing motives. Compulsive buying had a significant moderate correlation (r = .41) with the TV Viewing Motive factor and a significant but more modest correlation (r = .23) with the Shopping Motive factor. The comfort/likeability dimension of PSI had fairly strong, significant correlations with both the TV Viewing Motive (r = .61) and Shopping Motive (r = .62) factors. Similarly, the interpersonal connection dimension of PSI had more moderate, significant correlations with both the TV Viewing Motive (r = .56) and Shopping Motive (r = .50) factors.

*p < .05.

**p < .01.

***p < .001.

²We first computed Pearson correlations to examine the relationships among television shopping motive factors and buying behavior variables before assessing RQ3, RQ4, and RQ5. Buying frequency had significant moderate correlations with compulsive buying (r = .29), Shopping Motives (r = .57) TV Viewing Motives (r = .43), and both dimensions of parasocial interaction (comfort/likeability, r = .47; interpersonal connection, r = .43). The pure impulse buying dimension of impulse buying had significant correlations with compulsive buying (r = .53), both viewing motive factors (TV Viewing Motive, r = .36; Shopping Motive, r = .35), and both dimensions of PSI (comfort/likeability, r = .31; interpersonal connection, r = .37). The planned buying dimension of impulse buying had a significant correlation with the Shopping Motive factor (r = .31).