From Feelings to Purchases: Investigating the Influence of Emotional Engagement, FOMO, and Perceived Value on Consumer Buying Behavior

The emotional, visual, psychological, and value factors shaping consumer shopping behavior (CBB) in a digital marketing environment are investigated in detail in this study. The relationship between emotional engagement, visual arousal, fear of missing out (FOMO), and perceived value on CBB is analyzed through the theory of the stimulus-oriented response (S-O-R) model and the communication probability model (ELM). Accordingly, Consumer Cognitive Processing (CCP) is identified as a moderating variable that plays a mediating role. Data was collected through a questionnaire from 412 Vietnamese consumers who shopped online; the data utilized a 5-point Likert scale. The results of the regression indicate that emotional engagement has here proved to be the strongest factor influencing CBB (β = 0.51), followed by perceived value (β = 0.44), visual stimulus (β = 0.42), and FOMO (β = 0.38). More thoughtful consumers were more likely to respond to visual elements as the association between visual stimulus and CBB (β = 0.33) significantly strengthened. This study theoretically enhances our understanding of how emotional, cognitive, and psychological mechanisms interact to shape consumer behavior. According to the findings, marketers should employ value-based pricing, emotive storytelling, eye-catching imagery, and urgent messages that are specific to the cognitive traits of each consumer group. The development of personalized marketing campaigns should be guided by the depth of customer psychology. Future research should focus on tracking behavioral changes over time and evaluating applicability in other cultures through longitudinal or experimental research methods.