The Impact of Scarcity Promotion on Consumers’ Impulsive Buying in Online Shopping Platforms : The Moderating Role of Information Framing

This study investigates the impact of scarcity promotions on consumers’ impulsive purchasing behavior on online shopping platforms, focusing on the consumer perspective and the moderating role of information framing. The research hypotheses were tested through a survey targeting individuals with prior experience using Chinese online shopping platforms. To enhance experimental validity, jeans and shoes were selected as sample products using the Evai experiment method, and these were utilized in a formal experimental setting. Furthermore, the Nintarao survey technique was employed to immerse participants in realistic shopping scenarios. The results demonstrate that scarcity promotions have a significantly positive effect on consumers’ impulsive buying behavior. Among different types of scarcity promotions, small-scale restrictive promotions were found to be more effective in triggering impulsive purchases than interactive promotions. In addition, the study verified that emotional anxiety mediates the relationship between scarcity promotions and impulsive purchases. The information framing was shown to play a significant moderating role in this relationship, with small-scale restrictive promotions being more likely to induce consumer anxiety. Based on these findings, e-commerce platforms can enhance user experience and boost sales performance by gaining a deeper understanding of consumer psychology and implementing more effective promotional strategies. Moreover, this study offers valuable reference material for future research and contributes to the advancement of related academic fields.