The HSMS is the most comprehensive validated measure of hedonic shopping motivations — the non-instrumental, experiential, and affective reasons consumers engage in shopping beyond the utilitarian purpose of acquiring specific products. Arnold and Reynolds (2003) developed the HSMS to operationalise six distinct hedonic motivations identified through qualitative research with shoppers. Adventure Shopping captures the motivation to shop for stimulation, excitement, novelty, and the feeling of being in a different world. Social Shopping captures the motivation to shop with friends and family for bonding, socialising, and sharing the shopping experience. Gratification Shopping captures the motivation to shop as a form of self-reward, stress relief, and mood improvement — treating oneself through shopping. Idea Shopping captures the motivation to shop to stay current with new products, trends, and fashions without necessarily purchasing. Role Shopping captures the motivation to shop for others — the pleasure derived from finding the perfect gift or shopping in a caretaking role. Value Shopping captures the motivation to shop for bargains — the thrill and excitement of finding a deal and the sense of accomplishment from smart shopping. The six hedonic dimensions are theoretically and empirically distinct and predict different retail behaviour outcomes: Adventure motivations predict time spent in-store; Social motivations predict shopping with companions; Gratification motivations predict impulsive purchasing; Idea motivations predict browsing and information seeking; Role motivations predict gift-giving expenditures; Value motivations predict coupon use and deal seeking.
5-point Likert (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree); six subscales scored separately; subscales averaged; higher scores = stronger hedonic motivation for each dimension
Adventure Shopping — ADV (5 items): motivation to shop for stimulation, excitement, and the feeling of being in a different world. 5-point Likert (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree). Items averaged.
Social Shopping — SOC (5 items): motivation to shop for socialising, bonding, and shared experience with others. 5-point Likert. Items averaged.
Gratification Shopping — GRT (4 items): motivation to shop as self-reward, stress relief, and mood management. 5-point Likert. Items averaged.
Idea Shopping — IDEA (5 items): motivation to shop to keep up with trends and new products without necessarily buying. 5-point Likert. Items averaged.
Role Shopping — ROLE (5 items): motivation to shop as a caretaking activity — finding the right product for someone else. 5-point Likert. Items averaged.
Value Shopping — VAL (5 items): motivation to shop for bargains, deals, and the thrill of smart purchasing. 5-point Likert. Items averaged.
Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.
The six HSMS subscales should be reported separately; they predict distinct retail behaviours and should not be aggregated into a single hedonic shopping motivation total. The HSMS measures hedonic motivations only — for a complete picture of shopping motivation, pair with utilitarian shopping motivation measures. The scale was validated in a US retail context; cross-cultural validation recommended before applying in markedly different retail environments (e.g., market bazaars, online shopping). Gratification Shopping is the subscale most strongly associated with impulsive buying and mood repair purchasing; Adventure Shopping is most strongly linked to store exploration time. Value Shopping has some conceptual overlap with deal proneness and price sensitivity measures.
Arnold, M.J., & Reynolds, K.E. (2003). Hedonic shopping motivations. Journal of Retailing, 79(2), 77–95.
Free access to 2455+ psychometric scales at PsychScales