Impulse Buying Among Generation Z on Shopee: The Effects of FoMO, PayLater, Social Media, and Scarcity Marketing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29407/5gr9nz91Abstract
Research aim: The purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the determinants of impulsive purchasing behavior among Generation Z users on the Shopee app.
Design/Method/Approach: This research employs a correlational design within a quantitative framework. The study population consists of Generation Z users who have previously used the Shopee app for shopping. These samples comprised 50 participants, and were selected using a purposive sampling technique. All data were collected through an online survey using a Likert-scale questionnaire via Google Forms. To test the simultaneous and partial effects of each variable, multiple linear regression analysis was applied using IBM SPSS version 27.
Research Finding: The findings indicate that, partially, FoMO, PayLater usage, and social media engagement don't have a substantial effect on impulsive buying. In contrast, scarcity marketing emerges as the primary driver of this behavior. Simultaneously, however, these three variables collectively have a significant impact on Generation Z's impulsive buying decisions on Shopee.
Theoretical contribution/Originality: This study contributes to the existing body of research on impulsive buying behavior by examining the influence of psychological factors, digital payment methods, and marketing stimuli on Generation Z consumers in Indonesia. The analysis is carried out within the Stimulus Organism Response (SOR) framework, which serves as its theoretical foundation.
Practitionel/Policy implication: These findings provide valuable insights for e-commerce platforms and digital marketers to design more effective, targeted, and accountable promotional strategies, particularly in leveraging scarcity-based marketing without encouraging excessive impulse buying. Additionally, the results offer implications for regulators in developing PayLater policies and reinforcing consumer protections for young consumers in the digital marketplace.
Research limitation: This study is limited to Generation Z consumers on a single e-commerce platform (Shopee), with a relatively small sample size, and relies on self-reported questionnaire data, which may not fully reflect actual consumer behavior.
Keywords:
Impulse Buying, Fear of Missing Out, Paylater, Social Media Engagement, Scarcity MarketingDownloads
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