Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part G (2025)

The present study investigates the complex interplay between emotional, cognitive, and self-regulatory mechanisms in shaping impulsive buying behaviour among urban consumers. Drawing upon theories of affective motivation, cognitive appraisal, and self-control, this research develops a comprehensive structural model that integrates hedonic motivation, positive affect, attitude, materialism, self-control, and situational triggers to explain impulsive buying tendencies and behaviour. Data were collected from 412 urban respondents through a structured questionnaire comprising newly developed and validated scales. The proposed framework was tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4, ensuring rigorous assessment of reliability and validity through Confirmatory and Exploratory Factor Analyses.
The findings reveal that emotional constructs-hedonic motivation and positive affect-exert the strongest positive effects on impulsive buying behaviour, followed by cognitive variables such as attitude and materialism. Self-control displays a significant negative relationship with impulsive buying, highlighting its restraining function, whereas situational triggers moderate this effect by weakening consumers’ self-regulatory capacities in stimulating retail environments. Impulse buying tendency mediates the relationship between both emotional and cognitive predictors and actual impulsive behaviour, underscoring the psychological pathway through which internal states translate into consumption actions. The model explains 68.4% of the variance in impulsive buying behaviour, demonstrating strong explanatory power.
The study contributes theoretically by extending the dual-system perspective of consumer decision-making, wherein emotions and cognitions operate alongside self-regulatory processes to influence behaviour. Managerially, it offers strategic insights for retailers and digital marketers to design emotionally engaging yet ethically responsible environments that evoke positive affect without exploiting consumer impulsivity. Future research may explore cross-cultural variations and employ longitudinal designs to capture temporal dynamics in impulsive consumption.