Decoding Fear of Missing Out in Social Commerce: A Novel Integration of TAM and TRA for Online Purchasing Behavior

This study investigated the determinants of online purchasing intention under the psychological influence of Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) by integrating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA).The research aimed to address gaps in existing frameworks by replacing TRA's Subjective Norms with Imitating Others (IMO) to better capture mimicry behaviors prevalent in social commerce.Data were collected from 327 Generation Z consumers using a structured questionnaire, and the proposed model was tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).The findings revealed that Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEU) significantly influenced Attitude (ATP), which, in turn, impacted Online Purchasing Intention (OPI).FoMO was shown to have a strong influence on Imitating Others, which also mediated the relationship between FoMO and OPI.The results confirmed the validity of the integrated TAM-TRA framework in explaining online purchasing behaviors under FoMO pressure.This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of social commerce and provides actionable insights for marketers to design FoMO-induced strategies that enhance consumer engagement.