Key determinants of online impulse buying behavior: A study from TikTok Shop users in Vietnam.

Abstract

This study focused on TikTok Shop to examine how factors such as time pressure, quantity pressure, economic benefit, social influence, entertainment experience, and information usefulness influence online impulse buying behavior, both directly and through emotional factors like arousal. Financial capacity was tested as a moderating variable in the relationship between emotional factors and impulsive buying behavior, while demographic variables such as age, gender, and income were included as controls. A total of 440 valid responses were collected from TikTok Shop users in Vietnam using a convenience sampling method. Data analysis and hypothesis testing were performed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS version 4.0. The results showed that, except for the direct effects of information usefulness and quantity pressure, which were not statistically significant, all hypothesized relationships were supported. Additionally, the findings confirmed the moderating effect of financial capacity and the relevance of demographic controls in explaining impulsive buying behavior. The study offers insights for marketers and policymakers and provides recommendations for future research. This study also advances the theoretical understanding of consumer behavior in e-commerce by affirming psychological theories that link heightened emotional arousal to diminished self-control, thereby fostering impulsive purchasing.