⚠ Official Notice: www.ijisrt.com is the official website of the International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (IJISRT) Journal for research paper submission and publication. Please beware of fake or duplicate websites using the IJISRT name.



Social Media Advertising and Impulse Buying Behaviour Among Young Consumers


Authors : Pratik Jagtap; Anand Kunjir

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 6 - June


Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/4ptah7t3

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/3y2kcbk2

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26jun1015

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.


Abstract : This research aims to examine the potential of the social media ads on impulse buying behavior among the consumers of Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) and Millennial (born between 1981 and 1996) consumer segments of India. In recent years, algorithmic personalization has grown to be a key force in what ads people are seeing and understanding these psychological/behavioural processes is essential for both marketing companies and consumer welfare research. The questionnaire was used to gather data from 247 college students and young professionals. These constructs were assessed for the first time using validated Likert-like scale questionnaires in this survey: ad frequency, personalized advertising, emotional appeal, and impulse purchase behaviour. Results indicate that both the personalisation of ads and their emotional content are most strongly linked to impulse purchasing: with moderate positive relationships for ad frequency. Not only was gender a significant moderator, but the type of social media platform also significantly moderated responses. Finally, the paper draws conclusions for the use of those in-management and policy positions as well as opportunities for further research.

Keywords : Social Media Advertising, Impulse Buying, Gen Z, Millennials, Consumer Behaviour.

References :

  1. Aguirre, E., Mahr, D., Grewal, D., de Ruyter, K., & Wetzels, M. (2015). Unraveling the personalization paradox: The effect of information collection and trust-building strategies on online advertisement effectiveness. Journal of Retailing, 91(1), 34–49.
  2. Baudrillard, J. (1998). The Consumer Society: Myths and Structures. Sage Publications.
  3. Berger, J., & Milkman, K. L. (2012). What makes online content viral? Journal of Marketing Research, 49(2), 192–205.
  4. Boerman, S. C., Kruikemeier, S., & Zuiderveen Borgesius, F. J. (2017). Online behavioral advertising: A literature review and research agenda. Journal of Advertising, 46(3), 363–376.
  5. Brehm, J. W. (1966). A Theory of Psychological Reactance. Academic Press.
  6. DataReportal. (2025). Digital 2025: Global Overview Report. Retrieved from https://datareportal.com
  7. Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319–340.
  8. Dawson, S., & Kim, M. (2009). External and internal trigger cues of impulse buying online. Direct Marketing: An International Journal, 3(1), 20–34.
  9. Dehghani, M., & Tumer, M. (2015). A research on effectiveness of Facebook advertising on enhancing purchase intention of consumers. Computers in Human Behavior, 49, 597–600.
  10. Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117–140.
  11. Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50.
  12. Goldstein, D. G., Suri, S., McAfee, R. P., Ekstrand-Abueg, M., & Diaz, F. (2014). The economic and cognitive costs of annoying display advertisements. Journal of Marketing Research, 51(6), 742–752.
  13. Heath, R., Brandt, D., & Nairn, A. (2009). Brand relationships: Strengthened by emotion, weakened by attention. Journal of Advertising Research, 46(4), 410–419.
  14. Knutson, B., Rick, S., Wimmer, G. E., Prelec, D., & Loewenstein, G. (2007). Neural predictors of purchases. Neuron, 53(1), 147–156.
  15. Krugman, H. E. (1972). Why three exposures may be enough. Journal of Advertising Research, 12(6), 11–14.
  16. Lou, C., & Yuan, S. (2019). Influencer marketing: How message value and credibility affect consumer trust of branded content on social media. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 19(1), 58–73.
  17. Mehrabian, A., & Russell, J. A. (1974). An Approach to Environmental Psychology. MIT Press.
  18. Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric Theory (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
  19. Pechmann, C., & Stewart, D. W. (1988). Advertising repetition: A critical review of wearin and wearout. Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 11(1–2), 285–329.
  20. Piron, F. (1991). Defining impulse purchasing. Advances in Consumer Research, 18(1), 509–514.
  21. Priporas, C. V., Stylos, N., & Fotiadis, A. K. (2017). Generation Z consumers' expectations of interactions in smart retailing: A future agenda. Computers in Human Behavior, 77, 374–381.
  22. Rook, D. W. (1987). The buying impulse. Journal of Consumer Research, 14(2), 189–199.
  23. Rook, D. W., & Fisher, R. J. (1995). Normative influences on impulsive buying behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 22(3), 305–313.
  24. Statista. (2024). Social media advertising spending worldwide 2019–2028. Statista Research Department.
  25. Stern, H. (1962). The significance of impulse buying today. Journal of Marketing, 26(2), 59–62.
  26. Zhu, Y. Q., & Chang, J. H. (2016). The key role of relevance in personalized advertisement: Examining its impact on perceptions of privacy invasion, self-awareness, and continuous use intention. Computers in Human Behavior, 65, 442–447.

This research aims to examine the potential of the social media ads on impulse buying behavior among the consumers of Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) and Millennial (born between 1981 and 1996) consumer segments of India. In recent years, algorithmic personalization has grown to be a key force in what ads people are seeing and understanding these psychological/behavioural processes is essential for both marketing companies and consumer welfare research. The questionnaire was used to gather data from 247 college students and young professionals. These constructs were assessed for the first time using validated Likert-like scale questionnaires in this survey: ad frequency, personalized advertising, emotional appeal, and impulse purchase behaviour. Results indicate that both the personalisation of ads and their emotional content are most strongly linked to impulse purchasing: with moderate positive relationships for ad frequency. Not only was gender a significant moderator, but the type of social media platform also significantly moderated responses. Finally, the paper draws conclusions for the use of those in-management and policy positions as well as opportunities for further research.

Keywords : Social Media Advertising, Impulse Buying, Gen Z, Millennials, Consumer Behaviour.

Paper Submission Last Date
31 - July - 2026

SUBMIT YOUR PAPER CALL FOR PAPERS
Video Explanation for Published paper

Never miss an update from Papermashup

Get notified about the latest tutorials and downloads.

Subscribe by Email

Get alerts directly into your inbox after each post and stay updated.
Subscribe
OR

Subscribe by RSS

Add our RSS to your feedreader to get regular updates from us.
Subscribe