Shopping-Life Balance: Towards a Unifying Framework

Based on a review of the literature we introduce a conceptualization of shopping-life balance, defined as a state of balanced satisfaction between shopping life and other life domains. The new construct involves two dimensions: engagement in shopping life and minimal conflict between social roles in shopping life and roles in other life domains. We argue that engagement in shopping life contributes to satisfaction in shopping life, which in turn contributes to subjective well-being through a bottom-up process. However, engagement in shopping life can lead to role conflict, which causes dissatisfaction in other life domains (e.g., family life, social life, financial life), and in turn detracts from subjective well-being through a bottom-up process. Role conflict may also detract from shopping engagement, thereby reducing satisfaction in shopping life. In the context of this unifying framework we explain much of the research conducted in relation to both shopping engagement and role conflict—predictors or antecedents of shopping engagement and role conflict, namely personal, situational, institutional, and cultural factors involved in shopping-life balance. Research and policy implications are also discussed.