The effectiveness of FoMO and scarcity marketing on impulsive buying tendencies

Abstract

Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and scarcity are psychological tools that influence consumer behaviour, mainly in current digital contexts, where urgency-driven marketing strategies are prevalent. This study explores the interplay between FoMO, scarcity, impulsive buying tendencies (IBT) and purchase likelihood, analysing IBT as a behavioural consequence of these emotional triggers. Using a sample of 143 participants, this research assesses how these factors influence decision-making processes. Four distinct stimuli with varying levels of FoMO and scarcity were developed to assess their impact on anxiety, urgency perceptions and impulsive behaviour. The findings indicate that while FoMO and scarcity increase anxiety and urgency, they do not directly increase the tendency for impulsive buying. Furthermore, these factors presented no significant direct effects on consumer impulsive behaviour, suggesting that their effect is context-dependent and depends on individual characteristics. These study challenged assumptions about the universal effects of FoMO and scarcity on impulsive purchases (Aggarwal et al., 2011; Good & Hyman, 2020). For businesses, these results highlight the importance of carefully implementing these cues, as excessive use may lead to customer reactance. Based on this study´s limitations, it is recommended for future research to explore cultural and psychological moderators in the relationship between FoMO, scarcity and consumer decision making.

Date of Award	5 May 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	João Niza Braga (Supervisor)