From scroll to cart: How social media marketing activities drive consumer online impulse buying intentions in fashion retail brands

Abstract

The rise of technological and marketing innovations has transformed how impulse buying occurs, as it has moved beyond traditional retail settings into online channels. As a result, there is a need for more research that investigates impulse buying behavior explicitly in the online environment. Therefore, this study’s objectives are to examine the effects of social media marketing activities on consumer online impulse buying intentions via brand resonance (i.e., brand engagement, brand attachment, brand judgment) and emotional responses (i.e. arousal and pleasure) while incorporating the moderating effects of consumer social network proneness toward fashion retail brands. This study recruited 441 netizens (who were using fashion retail brands) to obtain their responses through an online survey, and structural equation modeling was performed to analyze the responses. The findings revealed that social media marketing activities significantly affect brand resonance and emotional responses, increasing online impulse buying intentions. Similarly, brand resonance and emotional responses were positively associated with consumer online impulse buying intentions and acted as positive mediators between social media marketing activities and consumer online impulse buying intentions. Finally, consumer social network proneness directly and as a moderator boosted consumer online impulse buying intentions. This study contributes to the stimulus-organism-response theory and provides several managerial guidelines to increase the retail fashion business.