Drunk Shopping Online: A Conceptual Framework of Impaired Consumer Decision-Making and Implications for Ethical Marketing

Abstract “Drunk shopping,” or shopping online under the influence of alcohol, is a rapidly growing but largely overlooked consumption phenomenon with significant ethical and managerial implications. Intoxicated consumers generate billions of dollars in annual revenue, yet the cognitive and affective impairments of alcohol use raise concerns about consumer vulnerability and online retailers’ responsibility. Employing the theoretical lens of alcohol myopia theory and further drawing from literature in psychology, neuroscience, and alcohol misuse, this conceptual research aims to provide an understanding of this phenomenon and to facilitate development of future research within the ethical marketing literature. We develop an integrative framework that explains the antecedents, mechanisms, and outcomes of drunk shopping in an online environment. We further identify the consequences for consumer well-being and outline the ethical tensions for firms that may profit from, ignore, or even encourage this behavior. We conclude by proposing future research directions and seven propositions to advance ethical marketing scholarship on vulnerable consumers, impaired decision-making, and digital responsibility and call for critical attention on drunk shopping from scholars, practitioners, and policy makers alike.