Impact of Discount Framing on Consumer Impulse Buying Behaviour

Ms Prakruti Bhalavat, Fashion Management Scholar, Department of Fashion Management Studies, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Ministry of Textiles, Govt of India, Daman Campus

Abstract

The main objective of this research is to analyze the impact that different approaches to discounting have on the consumer's tip of the iceberg buying behavior, and this will be done using the Theory of Planned Behavior as a theoretical base. The authors of the study base their findings on the qualitative literature review which brings to the forefront of the mind the most significant attitudinal drivers perceived value, price fairness, promotion attractiveness, and savings satisfaction that are at the core of making the instant purchase decisions. One of the main conclusions reached is that discounts that are well-framed, clear, and attractive to the customer promote positive attitudes and reduce the mental barrier to buying but, more so, they increase impulse buying—which especially happens in the Indian retail and e-commerce context. This research not only enlightens the marketers about how they can develop their promotional strategies but also confirms that TPB is a strong model for understanding consumer behavior during discounts.

Keywords: Discount framing, impulse buying, Theory of Planned Behavior, consumer attitudes, Indian retail, promotion strategies

Introduction

In an increasingly competitive and promotion-driven marketplace, discounting has become a dominant marketing strategy used by retailers to attract consumers and stimulate sales. However, discounts are not merely economic incentives; they are psychological tools whose effectiveness largely depends on how they are framed. Discount framing refers to the manner in which price reductions are presented to consumers, such as through percentage discounts, absolute price reductions, limited-time offers, or promotional visuals. These framing techniques play a significant role in shaping consumer perceptions and can strongly influence impulse buying behaviour, which is characterized by spontaneous, unplanned, and emotionally driven purchasing decisions.

Impulse buying has gained substantial attention in consumer behaviour research due to its considerable impact on retail performance, particularly in sectors such as textile and fashion management where promotional pricing is frequent and highly visible. The framing of discounts can alter consumers’ cognitive evaluations and emotional responses by enhancing perceived value, reducing the perceived cost of purchase, and increasing the attractiveness of promotional offers. As a result, consumers may develop favourable attitudes toward discounted purchases, which lower resistance to unplanned buying.

The Theory of Planned Behavior offers a comprehensive framework to understand this phenomenon by emphasizing the role of attitude toward the behaviour as a key determinant of actual consumer actions. Within this framework, attitudes shaped by beliefs such as perceived value, price fairness, promotion attractiveness, and savings satisfaction influence consumers’ willingness to engage in impulse buying. These attitudinal factors are especially relevant in the Indian context, where consumers are highly price-sensitive and responsive to promotional cues.

Given the growing prominence of discounts in both offline and online retail environments, particularly in India’s expanding fashion and retail sectors, it is essential to examine how discount framing influences consumer impulse buying through attitudinal mechanisms. This study adopts a theoretical qualitative approach based on an extensive review of scholarly literature to analyse these relationships and provide insights for future research and managerial practice.

Objectives

• To review literature related to the impact of discount framing on consumer impulse buying behaviour
• To theoretically analyse the reviews for identifying relevant variables in Consumer behaviour 
• To suggest an appropriate plan of action based on the variables extracted from the study

Research Methodology

This research adopts a theoretical qualitative approach and through the literature review encompassing papers in the related field presents its findings, which are main, through the analysis of the primary categories of the peer-reviewed journals and scholarly articles. The publication of such data was made through thematic analysis which determined the patterns, gaps, and implications for future studies in textile and fashion management. The review covers sources from the latest publications which support the review's argument about the industry's trends and its contemporary relevance. The process of selecting the sources has been influenced by the ethical considerations with a focus on the open-access and trustworthy publication.

Literature Review

In the Theory of Planned Behavior, attitude toward the behavior is one of the most important concepts and it is described as a person's complete positive or negative judgment about carrying out a certain act (Ajzen, 1991). When it comes to discounted purchases, this attitude mirrors the consumers' evaluation on buying items available at lower prices. Previous research points to the fact that positive attitudes towards discount purchases can considerably raise the chance of consumers getting involved in unplanned and impulsive buying, since discounts are frequently linked with enjoyment, gains, and smart shopping (Rook & Fisher, 1995).

The studies on consumer behavior in India are even better drawn to support this relationship. Kaur and Singh (2020) showed that Indian customers with a favourable opinion on discounts would have more chances to purchase on impulse, especially in the case of organized retail and e-commerce. Simultaneously, Bansal and Gupta (2021) found that the willingness to buy discount products of Indian urban consumers was a factor that influenced their decision to buy spontaneously thus confirming the TPB's claim that attitude towards the behavior is a powerful predictor of actual behavior.

Perceived value is the consumer's overall assessment of the benefits they have received vis-à-vis the costs they have incurred, and it has been mapped as the central belief behind the development of attitude in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Zeithaml, 1988). Discount framing elevates perceived value by amplifying the perceived benefits while keeping the product's intrinsic attributes the same. Perceived value that is higher than usual has been a predictor of good attitude toward purchasing and has been associated with the rise of impulsive buying behavior (Dodds et al., 1991).

Sinha and Verma (2018) demonstrated that perceived value plays a mediating role between promotional offers and impulse buying behaviour in Indian retail settings. Their findings indicate that discounts framed effectively elevate value perceptions, which in turn generate positive purchase attitudes and impulsive decisions. Choudhary and Dutta (2022) further confirmed that perceived value significantly influences attitude toward discounted purchases among Indian online shoppers.

Price fairness attitude denotes the customers' judgment on the price or discount as to whether it is reasonable, open, and justifiable (Xia et al., 2004). According to TPB, a price fairness belief functions as an influencing factor for one's behavior attitude. If discounts are judged to be fair, consumers get positive attitudes, which in turn lessen the mental struggle and facilitate impulse purchases.

Mishra and Prasad (2019) established that Indian customers are extremely reactive to price fairness signals, mainly in the case of discount promotions. Their investigation indicated that customers who perceive discounts as unfair or misleading not only develop negative feelings but also stop buying on impulse. In a similar manner, Jain and Sharma (2021) stated that the framing of discounts as fair allows trust to be built and consumers' attitudes toward the giving of arms for the purpose of buying in retail settings in India to be strengthened.

The consumers' overall assessment of promotional stimuli, including the visual, emotional, and informational appeals of discounts, is reflected in the attitude towards promotion attractiveness. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) postulates that positive evaluations of such stimuli lead to positive attitudes towards the behaviour and, as a result, bring about buying actions (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). Attractive promotional frames draw attention, awaken feelings, and even stimulate impulse buying by making people less deliberate in their thinking. 

Dhar and Varshney (2017) discovered that promotions that are visually appealing and clearly framed result in significantly higher promotion attractiveness attitudes among Indian consumers. Their research indicated a strong connection between the allure of the promotion and impulse buying in shopping centres. In more recent times, Patel and Mehta (2022) noted that online discount displays that are attractive, positively influence consumer attitudes, and additionally, induce impulsive purchases on Indian e-commerce sites.

Savings satisfaction attitude refers to the emotional gratification consumers derive from perceived monetary savings due to discounts. This construct aligns with TPB’s belief–evaluation mechanism, where positive outcome evaluations strengthen attitudes toward the behaviour. Prior research suggests that the pleasure of saving money contributes significantly to impulse buying, as consumers justify spontaneous purchases based on perceived financial gains (Chandon et al., 2000).

Roy and Mukherjee (2018) found that savings satisfaction significantly influences Indian consumers’ impulsive purchase decisions, particularly during festive sales. Similarly, Nair and Shukla (2021) reported that emotional satisfaction derived from savings enhances favourable attitudes toward discounted purchases, thereby increasing impulse buying behaviour in Indian online retail environments.

Insights from Literature Review

In fact, the literature provides a unified view that discount framing mainly affects impulsivity in buying through the attitude-related pathways proposed in the Theory of Planned Behavior. Attitude factors consisting of perceived value, price fairness, promotion attractiveness, and savings satisfaction mold consumers’ attitude towards buying on discount, leading to influence on impulse buying behavior. The Indian market is a case where these relationships are very evident because of the high price sensitivity and high responsiveness to promotion, which together emphasize the role of attitude as a prime explanatory construct.

Findings

The findings of the research instantly show that applying the discount concept leads to a change in consumer impulse buying behaviour. The Theory of Planned Behaviour suggests that this change occurs through attitude-based mechanisms. Therefore, the consumers' attitudes towards the discounted purchases turned out to be the most significant driving force behind the impulse buying behaviour. The results of the study confirm that; indeed, the consumers who have a positive attitude towards discounted buying are the ones who are more likely to buy impulsively. The concept of value perception was found to be the greatest influencing factor through which well-framed discounts brought about the whole process of getting favourable purchasing attitudes. Price fairness perception was recognized as the main factor for impulsive buying behaviour, especially in India where the consumers are very sensitive to fraudulent or overstated discounts. Trust was boosted and cognitive resistance was lowered when fair and clear discount framing was used. Moreover, promotion attractiveness played a big role in turning the consumers’ emotions towards purchasing by bringing their attention and lessening their thinking, and so their purchasing decisions became faster. The consumers' savings satisfaction, in addition, was the emotional reason for impulse buying since they would view unplanned purchases as being financially advantageous. All in all, the results endorse the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a suitable explanation for discount-induced impulse buying and place attitude at the heart of the mechanism that prompts consumers to respond to discount framing strategies.

Conclusion

The role of discount framing in influencing consumer impulse buying behavior through attitude-based mechanisms as per the Theory of Planned Behavior, is at the core of this study's conclusion. The review of literature unambiguously shows that consumers' attitude towards discounted products is highly determined by the factors of value perception, price fairness, promotion attractiveness, and savings satisfaction. If discounts are presented in a manner that is clear, attractive, and fair, they will not only improve the consumers' evaluations and emotional reactions but also reduce cognitive resistance and thus facilitate the making of the purchase decision within the moment. The context of Indian retail only amplifies the results of the study since shoppers are very aware of prices and the promotions easily attract them, more so in the case of organized retail and e-commerce. The research also points out that perceived value and price fairness are the two main factors in establishing trust and maintaining the buying desire that was triggered by the discounts. To sum up, the study results show that TPB can be a very helpful theory in understanding discount-related impulse buying and that attitude is the main motive behind consumer reaction to such discount framing strategies.

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