EMOTIONAL DYNAMICS AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOR IN THE ERA OF DIGITAL COMMERCE

Abstract

Digital transformation has revolutionized consumer behavior, particularly through experiential e- commerce, where live streaming and flash sale strategies have become dominant marketing tools. Previous studies have shown that live streaming enhances consumer engagement through real-time interaction, while flash sale promotions induce urgency that triggers spontaneous purchasing behavior. However, existing research has not yet explained how these marketing strategies influence impulse buying through consumers’ emotional mechanisms. The limited exploration of positive emotion as a mediating variable in the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework forms the main rationale of this study, which aims to empirically examine how live streaming and flash sale stimulate positive emotion that leads to impulse buying in digital commerce environments.

Purpose:

This study aims to analyze the causal relationship between live streaming shopping and flash sale toward impulse buying, with positive emotion as a mediating variable. The research specifically seeks to verify how these digital marketing stimuli trigger emotional responses that influence spontaneous purchasing behavior. To achieve this objective, the study employs a quantitative explanatory approach using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM–PLS) based on data collected from active students in Bogor who have experience with live streaming and flash sale features on e- commerce platforms.

Methodology:
This research applies a quantitative explanatory design to examine the causal relationships among live streaming shopping, flash sale, positive emotion, and impulse buying. The study involved 200 university students in Bogor who have shopped through live streaming and flash sale features on e- commerce platforms such as Shopee Live and TikTok Shop. Data were collected using an online questionnaire based on validated measurement indicators for each variable. The analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM–PLS) to test both direct and mediating effects, as well as to assess model fit, reliability, and validity.

Finding

The research findings indicate that both live streaming shopping and flash sale have a significant positive effect on impulse buying, either directly or indirectly through positive emotion. Live streaming shopping has a strong positive impact on consumers’ emotional states, enhancing feelings of enjoyment, excitement, and satisfaction during interactive shopping sessions. Flash sale, on the other hand, successfully triggers emotional arousal through time pressure and product scarcity, leading to spontaneous purchasing behavior.

Positive emotion shows a significant mediating effect, confirming its role as the psychological bridge between digital marketing stimuli and consumer response. The analysis results show that live streaming shopping (t = 18.19) and flash sale (t = 17.21) significantly influence positive emotion, while positive emotion itself strongly predicts impulse buying (t = 20.67). Moreover, the mediation effects of positive emotion on the relationship between live streaming shopping (t = 2.75) and flash sale (t = 2.70) toward impulse buying are also significant.

Overall, the model exhibits an excellent fit (RMSEA = 0.014; CFI = 1.00; NFI = 1.00; GFI = 0.98), supporting the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) framework. These findings imply that emotional engagement is a crucial determinant of impulsive behavior in digital commerce. Therefore, marketers should design interactive live sessions and limited-time offers that elicit positive emotions to enhance impulse buying and strengthen consumer engagement.

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Limitation

This research was conducted only among university students in Bogor who have experience with live streaming and flash sale features on e-commerce platforms such as Shopee Live and TikTok Shop. Therefore, the results cannot be generalized to all online consumer segments or to different demographic and cultural groups. Moreover, the study focused only on the emotional mechanisms involved in impulse buying and did not include other potential influencing factors such as trust, brand loyalty, or platform usability. Future research is suggested to include broader samples and integrate additional psychological or behavioral variables to provide a more comprehensive understanding of digital consumer behavior.

Originality

Previous studies have mostly examined live streaming and flash sale as separate marketing strategies without integrating the emotional mechanisms that connect them to impulse buying behavior. This research offers originality by empirically testing the simultaneous influence of live streaming shopping and flash sale within one cohesive model, with positive emotion as the mediating variable. The study extends the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) framework by demonstrating how emotional processes function as a psychological bridge between digital marketing stimuli and consumer impulsive responses. This integrated approach provides both theoretical advancement and practical insight for developing emotionally driven digital marketing strategies in the e-commerce context.