Self-Escapism Motivated Online Shopping Engagement: A Determinant of Users’ Online Shopping Cart Use and Buying Behavior

Abstract Online shopping is a well-recognized business and user activity. Moved by utilitarian and hedonic motives, millions of users visit online stores daily. Literature indicates users’ self-escapism as a crucial hedonic motivation of online shopping engagement. Yet, its influence has rarely been studied on users’ online shopping cart use and buying behavior. The current study assesses the dimensionality of users’ self-escapism motivation of online shopping engagement and its direct and mediated influence on their online shopping cart use and buying behavior. The data were gathered from 308 users of daraz.com and aliexpress.com in Pakistan using an offline survey. The findings indicate users’ self-escapism motivation of online shopping engagement as a two-dimensional construct consisting of self-suppression and self-expansion factors. Users’ self-escapism motivation of online shopping engagement directly but partially influences their online shopping cart use. The flow state and affective attitude toward online shopping play a significant mediating role during users’ online shopping engagement. In addition, users’ self-escapism motivated online shopping cart use influences their online buying behavior. The current study provides important insights about those users who engage in online shopping to regulate the self. Retailers can apply these insights to make the online stores desired spaces for such users and influence them to buy online.