Investigating the Link between Appearance-Related Self-Discrepancies and Retail Therapy Shopping Behavior

Prior literature has examined the role of self-discrepancies on consumer behaviors broadly; however, almost no studies have attempted to examine how self-discrepancies in the domain of physical appearance affects RT shopping behavior. Therefore, this study attempts to fill the aforementioned gap by examining a conceptual framework linking appearance-related self-discrepancies to RT shopping behavior through motivations and coping mechanisms. This study integrates the conceptual framework based on the regulatory focus theory and compensatory consumption behavior model to identify consumers’ strategic efforts to reduce appearance-related discrepancies through RT shopping behavior. The empirical findings of the present study for linking appearance self-discrepancies to RT shopping behavior through motivational and coping strategy routes contributed to the existing consumer behavior literature by elaborating the psychological and behavioral mechanisms underlying RT shopping behavior. Findings provide practical implications for retailers, marketers, and consumer welfare to develop more fine-tuned strategies to help different types of shoppers achieve their RT shopping goals in the other domains.