Understanding Impulse Buying in Online Shopping: A Systematic Review of Behavioral Drivers and Consumer Decision Mechanisms
Abstract
Background. The rapid expansion of digital commerce ecosystems has significantly transformed consumer purchasing behavior and intensified the prevalence of impulse buying in online shopping environments. Existing studies have examined various antecedents of online impulse buying behavior, including emotional arousal, shopping enjoyment, trust, social influence, hedonic value, and cognitive factors. However, the current literature remains theoretically fragmented and predominantly variable-centered, resulting in limited integrative understanding regarding how behavioral and psychological drivers collectively shape consumer decision mechanisms in digitally mediated shopping contexts. Aims. Accordingly, this study aims to develop a more integrative understanding of online impulse buying behavior through a systematic literature review approach. Methods. This study employed a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method following a PRISMA-oriented procedure. Literature retrieval was conducted in Scopus via Publish or Perish using the search keywords (“impulse buying” OR “impulsive buying”) AND (“online shopping” OR “e-commerce” OR “digital commerce”). The initial search identified 200 articles; 135 met the inclusion and eligibility criteria and were included in the final review. The selected studies were analyzed using a thematic synthesis approach to identify dominant theoretical perspectives, behavioral drivers, consumer decision-making mechanisms, and emerging research gaps in…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
Read the paper
Related studies
- The neurocircuitry of addiction: an overview
- Gender Differences in Human Brain: A Review
- Stratified medicine for mental disorders
- The neurobiology of drug addiction: cross-species insights into the dysfunction and recovery of the prefrontal cortex
- Annual Research Review: DNA methylation as a mediator in the association between risk exposure and child and adolescent psychopathology
- Schizophrenia: The new etiological synthesis
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.