Social Commerce and Generation Z Impulsive Buying Decisions: The Impact of Live Streaming Shopping and FOMO Mediated by Consumer Trust

Abstract

The rapid proliferation of social commerce, particularly through live streaming shopping features on platforms like TikTok Shop and Shopee Live, has dramatically reshaped the consumption habits of Generation Z. This real-time interactive shopping format frequently triggers impulsive buying behaviors fueled by time-limited promotional cues and the psychological urge of Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). This study examines the effects of live streaming shopping interactivity and FOMO tendencies on Gen Z impulsive buying decisions, with consumer trust serving as a mediating mechanism. An explanatory quantitative survey was administered to 240 Generation Z consumers across North Sulawesi who actively watch and transact on social commerce live streams. The data were evaluated using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4.0. The empirical results demonstrate that live streaming shopping interactivity exerts a strong positive effect on consumer trust (β = 0.462, p < 0.001). Furthermore, FOMO (β = 0.345, p < 0.001), consumer trust (β = 0.388, p < 0.001), and live streaming shopping directly (β = 0.192, p = 0.003) significantly elevate impulsive buying decisions. In addition, consumer trust significantly mediates the link between live streaming shopping and impulsive purchases (β = 0.179, p < 0.001). The model accounts for 42.8% of the variance in consumer trust (R² = 0.428) and 57.3% in impulsive buying decisions (R² = 0.573). The findings offer pragmatic insights for MSMEs to craft authentic and engaging broadcasts that build trust among youth demographics.