From scarcity to purchase: psychological mechanisms influencing Gen z impulsive buying

Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractIn the digital economy, scarcity marketing has emerged as a powerful strategy that strongly shapes consumer decisions, particularly among Generation Z. However, while widely adopted, the psychological mechanisms through which scarcity influences impulsive buying remain insufficiently clarified, especially in emerging markets. This study aims to examine how scarcity-based marketing affects impulsive purchase behavior through psychological drivers, and to explore the moderating role of self-control. A mixed-method approach was employed. The qualitative stage included focus group discussions and expert interviews to validate constructs and refine measurement items. The quantitative stage involved an online survey conducted in January 2025 with 420 Gen Z consumers in Vietnam, analyzed using structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and descriptive statistics. The findings indicate that product scarcity activates important psychological responses such as competitive arousal and fear of missing out (FOMO), which subsequently encourage herding tendencies and lead to impulsive purchases. Self-control moderates these relationships by weakening the influence of competitive arousal while enhancing the impact of herding behavior. This study concludes that scarcity marketing influences Gen Z’s impulsive buying primarily through social and psychological pathways. The results extend the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework by highlighting both direct and moderated effects of consumer psychology in a scarcity context. From a managerial perspective, the findings offer practical implications for designing scarcity-driven campaigns more responsibly, balancing short-term effectiveness with the need to foster sustainable and ethical consumer engagement.