THE DYNAMICS OF FOMO, SALES PROMOTION, AND PAYMENT METHODS FOR PERSONAL ATTITUDE AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR IMPULSIVE BUYING AMONG SMARTPHONE USERS

Abstract

This research explores the dynamics of Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), sales promotion, and payment methods on impulsive buying behavior among iPhone customers in Bandung, with personal attitude serving as a mediating factor. The study addresses the urban and digitally savvy population where iPhone is considered both a communication tool and a status symbol, accentuating the importance of psychological and transactional influences on spontaneous purchasing behavior. The primary objectives are to analyze the direct effects of FoMO, sales promotion, and payment methods on impulsive buying, and to investigate the mediating role of personal attitude in these relationships among iPhone users in Bandung. This aims to deepen understanding of how emotional and social factors combined with payment convenience stimulate impulse purchases of premium smartphones. A quantitative causal research design with a cross-sectional approach was implemented, involving 300 purposively sampled respondents domiciled in Bandung who had used an iPhone in the past year. Data were gathered using a Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) using Smart-PLS 4 software, ensuring robust measurement and structural modeling of the latent constructs and their interrelationships. Findings revealed that FoMO, sales promotion, and payment methods each significantly and positively influence impulsive buying, with payment methods exerting the strongest direct impact. Personal attitude was found to significantly mediate these relationships, confirming its role as a psychological filter that shapes how external stimuli translate into purchasing actions. The integrated model accounted for 95.9% of the variance in impulsive buying behavior. This study offers practical implications for marketers, highlighting the need to optimize payment infrastructures and strategically leverage FoMO-triggered promotions to effectively stimulate impulsive purchases on digital platforms. Academically, it enriches consumer behavior literature by elucidating the mediating role of personal attitude in the impulse buying process within a premium technology product context.