Impulse Buying in E-Commerce: A Comprehensive Literature Review and Research Prospects

In the context of contemporary e-commerce, a notable proportion of sales can be ascribed to consumers’ impulsive purchasing behavior, with scholars positing that approximately 20% of online retail sales are a direct consequence of such impulsive tendencies. These statistics underscore the burgeoning importance of impulse buying within the global retail landscape. As a result, scholarly attention has been directed towards this phenomenon, with researchers adopting diverse perspectives and employing various conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches in their investigations. Notwithstanding the numerous studies that have probed into impulsive buying behavior, a discernible lack of consensus and cohesion persists in the research findings concerning the factors that influence this behavior. This fragmentation and inconclusiveness hinder a comprehensive grasp of the subject matter. Thus, there arises a pressing need to consolidate the extant body of literature pertaining to impulsive buying in the online retail domain to chart a course for future research endeavors. This study endeavors to conduct an exhaustive review of prior seminal research works addressing this subject. Our systematic examination encompasses a total of 183 academic publications featured in 70 scholarly journals, spanning the period from 1950 to 2021. Through this methodical survey, we dissect the content of these research endeavors to delineate the domain and thematic underpinnings of these studies. In doing so, the present investigation elucidates potential avenues for a more comprehensive comprehension of impulsive buying, thereby offering invaluable insights for both academics and practitioners in charting the course for future research initiatives in the field of impulse purchasing.