Examining the impact of social media and credit cards on online impulse buying and post-purchase dissonance among Indian consumers
Jyoti Tandon, Rajan Yadav, Saurabh AgrawalPurpose
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the interrelatedness between online impulse buying behavior and post-purchase dissonance, while examining the impact of social media and credit cards using the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework.
Design/methodology/approach
A primary survey was conducted among 413 online shoppers to analyze how the use of social media and credit cards serves as external stimuli and leads to impulsive buying while also capturing their purchase patterns, modes of payment, impulse-shopping tendencies and post-purchase sentiments. The analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM), considering impulse purchase and cognitive dissonance as latent variables and credit card usage and social media impact as external stimuli.
Findings
Based on the analysis, it was found that there is a positive association between impulse purchases and post-purchase regret. Similarly, a positive association was found between impulse purchases and social media. It was also found that impulse buying behavior increases when payments are made through credit cards. The study also finds that the purchase of meals and cosmetics/perfumes through credit cards has a positive and significant relationship with impulsive purchases.
Research limitations/implications
Buyers and merchants can benefit from the outcomes of this study, which outlines social media strategies that are most prominent in sparking impulse buying behavior among online shoppers.
Originality/value
Prior studies on impulsive buying and cognitive dissonance have emphasized the use of social media and credit cards. However, there are limited studies on online impulse buying using the S-O-R framework in the Indian context.