Factors that trigger impulse buying in social media commerce

Social media has transformed not only communication and content consumption but also online consumer shopping behavior. Social commerce combines social interaction and real-time purchasing and stands as a key driver of online shopping behavior (Zhang et al., 2022). Social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram offer in-app shopping services such as shoppable posts and checkouts, thus encouraging quick and easy purchases. This environment favors impulse buying—spontaneous purchases driven by situational and emotional stimuli (Rook et al., 1987; Verhagen & van Dolen, 2011). Although once common in offline stores, impulse buying is now a common phenomenon in social media due to targeted advertisements, limited-time offers, celebrity influences, and engaging visuals (Lim et al., 2020). These conditions minimize cognitive reasoning and enhance emotional responses, resulting in unplanned consumption (Xiao et al., 2019). Psychological factors like FOMO, enjoyment, and social proof also enhance this effect (Casaló et al., 2020; Pradhan et al., 2018). Impulse buying on social media is driven by a mix of psychological, social, and platform-level stimuli.