SMARTPHONE ADDICTION IS DRIVING VARIABLE IN IMPULSIVE BUYING BEHAVIOUR

Abstract

The research study delves into the underlying reasons that trigger impulsive buying behaviour among the younger generation. The study has identified several factors that lead to impulsive buying. These factors include smartphone addiction, virtual reality, availability of credit facilities, seeking irrational happiness, materialistic values, consumer mood, social media influencers, panic buying, electronic word of mouth and promotion tactics. To understand the complex interrelationships that exist between the different variables, the research used the Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) technique combined with the SmartISM software. The study has found that mobile addiction is the independent variable in the model, which plays a pivotal role in driving the other variables. The concept of virtual reality plays a crucial role in the model as it acts as a linkage variable. It helps in establishing a relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variables. In other words, virtual reality serves as a mediator in the model, which facilitates the understanding of how the independent variables impact the dependent variables. Moreover, virtual reality also provides a simulated environment that allows researchers to manipulate and measure different variables in a controlled setting, which can be beneficial for conducting experiments or studies related to human behavior or cognition. The study indicates that mobile addiction has emerged as a major cause of impulsive buying among consumers in the current market scenario. The research findings offer a greater understanding of the complex phenomenon of impulsive buying and offer significant insights into the root causes and mechanisms that spur such behavior among the younger demographic.