Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Sep 11:11:e3113.
doi: 10.7717/peerj-cs.3113. eCollection 2025.

Applying the S-O-R model to explore impulsive buying behavior driven by influencers on social commerce websites

Tanaporn Hongsuchon  1 , Shih-Chih Chen  2 , Asif Khan  3
Affiliations

Applying the S-O-R model to explore impulsive buying behavior driven by influencers on social commerce websites

Tanaporn Hongsuchon et al. PeerJ Comput Sci. .

Abstract

In recent years, influencer marketing has gained increasing popularity, with many influencers embedding product information into their content (e.g., videos and articles). When fans encounter these messages, they may make unplanned purchases, resulting in impulse buying behavior, a long-standing issue in marketing research. This study aims to explore the factors that lead to such behavior. Using the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model as a framework, the study investigates how interactions between individuals and influencer content (Stimuli) trigger psychological changes in consumers, namely positive affect, flow state, and emotional attachment (Organism), which in turn lead to impulse buying behavior (Response). The study surveyed fans who had previously purchased products recommended by influencers, collecting 404 valid responses. The findings reveal that: (1) Consumers' psychological changes (positive affect, flow state, and emotional attachment) significantly and positively influence impulse buying behavior. (2) Scarcity, discounted price, review quality, and observational learning also have significant positive effects on impulse buying. (3) Social presence and sense of belonging significantly enhance flow state. (4) Entertainment and informativeness significantly enhance emotional attachment.

Keywords: Emotional attachment; Impulse buying behavior; Influencer marketing; S-O-R model; Social commerce.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Research model.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Research results.
*p < 0.05, ***p < 0.001.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abdelsalam S, Salim N, Alias RA, Husain O. Understanding online impulse buying behavior in social commerce: a systematic literature review. IEEE Access. 2020;8:89041–89058. doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2993671. - DOI
    1. Abolghasemi M, Hurley J, Eshragh A, Fahimnia B. Demand forecasting in the presence of systematic events: cases in capturing sales promotions. International Journal of Production Economics. 2020;230:107892. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2020.107892. - DOI
    1. Akbar MIUD, Ahmad B, Asif MH, Siddiqui SA. Linking emotional brand attachment and sales promotion to post-purchase cognitive dissonance: the mediating role of impulse buying behavior. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business. 2020;7(11):367–379. doi: 10.13106/jafeb.2020.vol7.no11.367. - DOI
    1. Al-Shehri M. Choosing the best social media influencer: the role of gender, age, and product type in influencer marketing. International Journal of Marketing Strategies. 2021;4(1):1–26. doi: 10.47672/ijms.878. - DOI
    1. Anderson JC, Gerbing DW. Structural equation modeling in practice: a review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin. 1988;103(3):411. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.103.3.411. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources