Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Consumer Buying Practices

Corporate Social Responsibility and Consumer Buying Practices

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on consumer buying practices, with a specific focus on impulse buying behavior across three CSR dimensions — environmental, social, and economic responsibility within Pakistan's Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector. As ethical awareness grows among consumers, CSR has emerged as a strategic tool for shaping brand perception and influencing purchasing behavior. While prior research has largely concentrated on planned buying intentions, this study extends the inquiry to the relatively under-researched relationship between CSR and impulsive purchasing. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 50 consumers through a structured questionnaire adapted from validated CSR and consumer behavior scales. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS, encompassing reliability testing, factor analysis, and regression analysis. The findings indicate a positive but statistically insignificant relationship between impulse buying and overall CSR dimensions. However, environmental and economic responsibility demonstrated relatively stronger associations with impulse buying compared to social responsibility. This suggests that consumers may emotionally justify spontaneous purchases when brands are perceived as environmentally friendly or economically fair, whereas social initiatives alone may not strongly trigger unplanned purchases. The study contributes to CSR and consumer behavior literature by extending CSR's influence into the domain of impulsive decision-making within an emerging market context. For practitioners, the findings highlight the importance of integrating visible environmental and economic CSR cues into marketing strategies to influence emotionally driven purchases. The research objectives and questions are aligned with the data analysis outcomes, confirming which CSR dimensions are most salient in impulsive purchase contexts. Despite limitations related to sample size and cross-sectional design, this study provides a foundation for future research examining psychological and contextual factors shaping CSR-driven impulse buying behavior.