SavedAdd your journal

Journals / Pazarlama ve Pazarlama Araştırmaları Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 19 Sayı: 1

UNDERSTANDING STOCKPILING BEHAVIOR: THE ROLE OF PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CONSUMPTION MOTIVATIONS IN THE POST-COVID-19

STOKLAMA DAVRANIŞINI ANLAMAK: COVID 19 SONRASI DÖNEMDE KİŞİLİK ÖZELLİKLERİNİN VE TÜKETİM MOTİVASYONLARININ ROLÜ

Yasemin Kuş(İstanbul Ticaret Üniversitesi)0000-0003-3288-0367
Ayşe Bayhan0009-0000-6695-0875
Derya Deniz(İSTANBUL TİCARET ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0003-3839-1193
Pages
48–70
Publication Date
2026-01-27
DOI
—
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Overall, these results deepen the understanding of the psychological factors behind stockpiling behavior and emphasize the importance of motivational pathways.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This study investigates post-COVID-19 stockpiling behavior by analyzing how personality traits and consumption motivations relate, as well as the mediating role of hedonic and utilitarian consumption.
📊
Key Findings & Data:Data were collected online from 198 participants (79% female; aged 18–66) using the HEXACO personality inventory (emotionality and conscientiousness subscales), a scale for hedonic and utilitarian consumption, and a scale for stockpiling.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:Overall, these results deepen the understanding of the psychological factors behind stockpiling behavior and emphasize the importance of motivational pathways.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Stoklama davranışı · Kişilik özelliği · Hedonik tüketim

Abstract

This study investigates post-COVID-19 stockpiling behavior by analyzing how personality traits and consumption motivations relate, as well as the mediating role of hedonic and utilitarian consumption. Although previous research has connected stockpiling with personality, the underlying motivational mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Data were collected online from 198 participants (79% female; aged 18–66) using the HEXACO personality inventory (emotionality and conscientiousness subscales), a scale for hedonic and utilitarian consumption, and a scale for stockpiling. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses evaluated construct validity, and correlation analysis examined relationships among constructs. Mediation analyses using the PROCESS macro showed that utilitarian consumption significantly mediated the link between conscientiousness and stockpiling, suggesting that highly conscientious individuals stockpile for practical, goal-driven reasons. Furthermore, hedonic consumption mediated the relationship between emotionality and stockpiling, with higher hedonic tendencies related to lower stockpiling, indicating a preference for immediate emotional satisfaction over long-term preparedness. Overall, these results deepen the understanding of the psychological factors behind stockpiling behavior and emphasize the importance of motivational pathways. The findings also provide practical insights for policymakers and retailers to better manage demand fluctuations through more targeted, psychologically informed communication strategies.

Özet

Bu çalışma, kişilik özellikleri ile tüketim motivasyonlarının nasıl ilişkili olduğunu ve hedonik ve faydacı tüketimin aracılık rolünü analiz ederek COVID-19 sonrası stoklama davranışını araştırmaktadır. Önceki araştırmalar stoklamayı kişilikle ilişkilendirmiş olsa da bunun altında yatan motivasyon mekanizmaları büyük ölçüde araştırılmamıştır. Veriler, 198 katılımcıdan (%79 kadın; 18-66 yaş arası) HEXACO kişilik envanteri (duygusallık ve ihtiyatlı olmak alt ölçekleri), hedonik ve faydacı tüketim ölçeği ve stoklama ölçeği kullanılarak çevrimiçi olarak toplanmıştır. Açımlayıcı ve doğrulayıcı faktör analizleri ile yapı geçerliliği değerlendirilmiş, korelasyon analizi ile yapılar arasındaki ilişkiler incelenmiştir. PROCESS makrosu ile yapılan aracılık analizleri, faydacı tüketimin ihtiyatlı olmak ve stoklama arasındaki ilişkide aracılık ettiğini göstermiştir. Bu sonuç, ihtiyatlılık düzeyi yüksek bireylerin pratik ve hedef odaklı nedenlerle stoklama yaptığını düşündürmektedir. Ayrıca, hedonik tüketim, duygusallık ve stoklama arasındaki ilişkiye aracılık etmiştir; daha yüksek hedonik eğilimler daha düşük stoklama ile ilişkilidir; bu da uzun vadeli hazırlıktan ziyade anlık duygusal tatmini tercih ettiğini göstermektedir. Genel olarak, bu sonuçlar stoklama davranışının arkasındaki psikolojik faktörlerin anlaşılmasını derinleştiriyor ve motivasyonel yolların önemini vurguluyor. Bulgular ayrıca, politika yapıcılar ve perakendeciler için, daha hedefli, psikolojik olarak bilgilendirilmiş iletişim stratejileriyle talep dalgalanmalarını daha iyi yönetmek için pratik içgörüler sağlamaktadır.

🔖

Cite This Article

Kuş, Y., Bayhan, A., Deniz, D. (2026). UNDERSTANDING STOCKPILING BEHAVIOR: THE ROLE OF PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CONSUMPTION MOTIVATIONS IN THE POST-COVID-19. Pazarlama ve Pazarlama Araştırmaları Dergisi, Cilt: 19 Sayı: 1, 48–70. https://ajindex.com/articles/1301028

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (61)

  1. Andrade, E. B., & Cohen, J. B. (2007). On the consumption of negative feelings. Journal of Consumer Research, 34(3), 283–300. https://doi.org/10.1086/519498
  2. Arafat, S. M. Y., Kar, S. K., Marthoenis, M., Sharma, P., Hoque Apu, E., & Kabir, R. (2020). Psychological underpinning of panic buying during pandemic (COVID-19). Psychiatry Research, 289, 113061. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113061
  3. Aschwanden, D., Strickhouser, J. E., Sesker, A. A., Lee, J. H., Luchetti, M., Stephan, Y., … Terracciano, A. (2020). Psychological and behavioral responses to coronavirus disease 2019: The role of personality. European Journal of Personality, 35(1) https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2281
  4. Ashton, M. C., Lee, K., Perugini, M., Szarota, P., de Vries, R. R., Di Blas, L.,.De Raad, B. (2004). A six-factor structure of personality-descriptive adjectives: Solutions from psychological studies in seven languages. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(2), 356–366. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.86.2.356.
  5. Ashton, M. C., & Lee, K. (2007). Empirical, theoretical, and practical advantages of the HEXACO model of personality structure. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 11(2), 150–166. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868306294907
  6. Ashton, M., & Lee, K. (2009). The HEXACO-60: A short measure of the major dimensions of personality. Journal of Personality Assessment, 91(4), 340–345. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223890902935878
  7. Bacon, A. M., Krupić, D., Caki, N., & Corr, P. J. (2021). Emotional and behavioural responses to COVID–19. European Psychologist, 26(4), 334–347. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000461
  8. Bengül, S. (2023). Examining the relationship between customers’ characteristics and hedonic consumption behavior with canonic correlation analysis, an application on women academicians. The Journal of International Scientific Researches, 8(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.23834/isrjournal.1186953
  9. Bentall, R. P., Lloyd, A., Bennett, K., McKay, R., Mason, L., Murphy, J., McBride, O., Hartman, T. K., Gibson-Miller, J., Levita, L., Martinez, A. P., Stocks, T. V. A., Butter, S., Vallières, F., Hyland, P., Karatzzias, T., & Shevlin, M. (2021). Pandemic buying: Testing a psychological model of over-purchasing and panic buying using data from the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland during the early phase of the COVID–19 pandemic. PLOS ONE, 16(1), e0246339. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0246339
  10. Carpenter, J. M., Moore, M., & Fairhurst, A. E. (2005). Consumer shopping value for retail brands. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 9(1), 43-53. https://doi.org/10.1108/13612020510586398
  11. Carver, C. S. (2005). Impulse and constraint: Perspectives from personality psychology, convergence with theory in other areas, and potential for integration. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 9(4), 312–333. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327957pspr0904_2
  12. Carver, C. S., & Connor-Smith, J. (2010). Personality and coping. Annual review of psychology, 61(1), 679-704. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100352
  13. Childers, T. L., Carr, C. L., Peck, J., & Carson, S. (2001). Hedonic and utilitarian motivations for online retail shopping behavior. Journal of Retailing, 77(4), 511–535. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-4359(01)00056-2
  14. Columbus, S. (2021). Honesty-humility, beliefs, and prosocial behavior: A test on stockpiling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Collabra: Psychology, 7(1), Article 19028. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.19028
  15. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
  16. Coskun, T., & Marangoz, M. (2019). Hedonik ve Faydacı Tüketim Davranışları Ölçeğinin Geliştirilmesi: Güvenirlik ve Geçerlik Çalışması. Business and Economics Research Journal, 10(2), 517–539. https://doi.org/10.20409/berj.2019.183
  17. Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1992). Four ways five factors are basic. Personality and Individual Differences, 13(6), 653–665. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(92)90236-i
  18. Costa, P. T., Jr., & McCrae, R. R. (1998). Trait theories of personality. In D. F. Barone, M. Hersen, & V. B. Van Hasselt (Eds.), Advanced personality (pp. 103–121). Plenum Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8580-4_5
  19. Dammeyer, J. (2020). An explorative study of the individual differences associated with consumer stockpiling during the early stages of the 2020 Coronavirus outbreak in Europe. Personality and Individual Differences, 167, 110263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110263
  20. Dittmar, H., Beattie, J., & Friese, S. (1995). Gender identity and material symbols: Objects and decision considerations in impulse purchases. Journal of Economic Psychology, 16(3), 491–511. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-4870(95)00023-H
  21. Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Lang, A. G., & Buchner, A. (2007). G* Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behavior Research Methods, 39(2), 175-191.
  22. Frost, R. O., Steketee, G., & Tolin, D. F. (2011). Comorbidity in hoarding disorder. Depression and Anxiety, 28(10), 876-884. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.20861
  23. Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
  24. Fischer, M., Twardawski, M., Steindorf, L., & Thielmann, I. (2021). Stockpiling during the COVID-19 pandemic as a real-life social dilemma: A person-situation perspective. Journal of Research in Personality, 91, Article 104075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2021.104075
  25. Garbe, L., Rau, R., & Toppe, T. (2020). Influence of perceived threat of COVID-19 and HEXACO personality traits on toilet paper stockpiling. PLOS ONE, 15(6), e0234232. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234232
  26. Güneysu, İ., Aslan, E. A., Batmaz, S., & Güneysu, S. (2025). An evaluation of metacognitive functions in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Arch Neuropsychiatry, 62:62−68. https://doi.org/10.29399/npa.28707
  27. Hayes, A. F. (2018). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. Guilford Publications: New York.
  28. Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
  29. Hirschman, E. C., & Holbrook, M. B. (1982). Hedonic Consumption: Emerging Concepts, Methods, and Propositions. Journal of Marketing, 46(3), 92–101. https://doi.org/10.2307/1251707
  30. Islam T., Pitafi H., Wang Y., Aryaa V., Mubarik S., Akhater N., et al.(2021). Panic Buying in the COVID-19 Pandemic:A Multi-Country Examination. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.102357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102357
  31. Koch, J., Frommeyer, B., & Schewe, G. (2020). Online shopping motives during the COVID-19 pandemic—Lessons from the crisis. Sustainability, 12(24), 10247. https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410247
  32. Kim, H. Y. (2013). Statistical notes for clinical researchers: assessing normal distribution (2) using skewness and kurtosis. Restorative Dentistry & Endodontics, 38(1), 52–54.
  33. Krupić, D., Žuro, B., & Krupić, D. (2021). Big Five traits, approach-avoidance motivation, concerns, and adherence with COVID–19 prevention guidelines during the peak of the pandemic in Croatia. Personality and Individual Differences, 179, 110913. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.110913
  34. Kurnaz, A. (2022). The Big Five personality traits as antecedents of panic buying. Marketing and Management Innovations, 3, 21–33. https://doi.org/10.21272/mmi.2022.3-02
  35. Lee, E., Moschis, G. P., & Mathur, A. (2001). A study of life events and changes in patronage preferences. Journal of Business Research, 54(1), 25–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0148-2963(00)00116-8
  36. Lehberger, M., Kleih, A.-K., & Sparke, K. (2021). Panic buying in times of coronavirus (COVID-19): Extending the theory of planned behavior to understand the stockpiling of non-perishable food in Germany. Appetite, 161, 105118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2021.105118
  37. Loewenstein, G., Weber, E. U., Hsee, C. K., & Welch, N. (2001). Risk as feelings. Psychological Bulletin, 127(2), 267–286. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.127.2.267
  38. Magnus Roos, J. (2024). Personality traits and stockpiling in the United Kingdom during the COVID–19 pandemic. European Journal of Psychology Open, 83(3). https://doi.org/10.1024/2673-8627/a000060
  39. Malhotra, N. K., & Dash, S. (2011). Marketing research: An applied orientation (6th ed.). Pearson Publishing.
  40. McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1991). The NEO Personality Inventory: Using the Five-Factor Model in Counseling. Journal of Counseling & Development, 69(4), 367–372. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1991.tb01524.x
  41. Micalizzi, L., Zambrotta, N. S., & Bernstein, M. H. (2020). Stockpiling in the time of COVID‐19. British Journal of Health Psychology, 26(2), 535–543. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12480
  42. Ntontis, E., Vestergren, S., Saavedra, P., Neville, F., Jurstakova, K., Cocking, C., … & Jørstad, K. (2022). Is it really "panic buying"? Public perceptions and experiences of extra buying at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. PLOS ONE, 17(2), e0264618. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264618
  43. Palan, K. M. (2001). Gender identity in consumer behavior research: A literature review and research agenda. Academy of Marketing Science Review, 2001(10), 1–31.
  44. Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
  45. Sadus, K., Göttmann, J., & Schubert, A. L. (2023). Predictors of stockpiling behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Journal of Public Health, 31(10), 1717-1733. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-022-01727-x
  46. Schmidt, S., Benke, C., & Pané-Farre, C. A. (2021). Purchasing under threat: Changes in shopping patterns during the COVID–19 pandemic. PloS One, 16(6), e0253231. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253231
  47. Schumacher, A., & Rettore Micheli, L. (2024). Anticipated scarcity and stockpiling during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of perceived threat, childhood SES and materialism. Plos One,19(3). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0294497
  48. Sheth, J. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on consumer behavior: Will the old habits return or die? Journal of Business Research, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.05.059
  49. Smith, W. G. (2008). Does gender influence online survey participation? A record-linkage analysis of university faculty online survey response behavior. ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 501717.
  50. Smith, N., & Thomas, J. (2022). Doomsday prepping during the COVID–19 pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 659925. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.659925
  51. Strahilevitz, M., & Myers, J. G. (1998). Donations to charity as purchase incentives: How well they work may depend on what you are trying to sell. Journal of Consumer Research, 24(4), 434 446. https://doi.org/10.1086/209519
  52. Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6th ed.). Pearson: Boston, MA.
  53. Voss, K. E., Spangenberg, E. R., & Grohmann, B. (2003). Measuring the hedonic and utilitarian dimensions of consumer attitude. Journal of Marketing Research, 40(3), 310–320. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30038861
  54. Wang, X., Li, L., & Su, Q. (2022). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumer behavior— Evidence from China's stock market. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 865470. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.865470
  55. Watson, D., & Clark, L. A. (1984). Negative affectivity: The disposition to experience aversive emotional states. Psychological Bulletin, 96(3), 465–490.
  56. Yoshino, S., Shimotsukasa, T., Hashimoto, Y., & Oshio, A. (2021). The association between personality traits and hoarding behavior during the COVID–19 pandemic in Japan. Personality and Individual Differences, 179, 110927. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.110927
  57. Young, M., Soza‐Parra, J., & Circella, G. (2022). The increase in online shopping during COVID‐19: Who is responsible, will it last, and what does it mean for cities? Regional Science Policy and Practice, 14(S1), 162–178. https://doi.org/10.1111/rsp3.12514
  58. Yuen, K. F., Wang, X., Ma, F., & Li, K. X. (2020). The psychological causes of panic buying following a health crisis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17, 3513. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103513
  59. Yuen K.F., Leong J.Z., Wong Y.D., Wang X. (2021). Panic buying during COVID-19: Survival psychology and needs perspectives in deprived environments. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 62:102421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102421 PMID: 36568695
  60. Zettler, I., Schild, C., Lilleholt, L., Kroencke, L., Utesch, T., Moshagen, M., … Geukes, K. (2021). The role of personality in COVID-19-related perceptions, evaluations, and behaviors: Findings across five samples, nine traits, and 17 criteria. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 12(8), 194855062110016. https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506211001680
  61. Ashton, M. C., Lee, K., Perugini, M., Szarota, P., de Vries, R. R., Di Blas, L.,.De Raad, B. (2004). A six-factor structure of personality-descriptive adjectives: Solutions from psychological studies in seven languages. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(2), 356–366. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.86.2.356.