Inside the Modern Consumer's Mind: Investigating Perceived Scarcity in E-Commerce
(2024) BUSN39 20241Department of Business Administration
- Abstract
- Purpose: The objective is to understand the impact of external cues and internal cognitive heuristics
on fast-commerce websites and whether it affects consumers' perceived scarcity and purchase
intentions. Specifically, this study aims to provide a deeper comprehension of the modern online
consumer landscape, ever-evolving e-commerce websites, and persuasion tactics.
Methodology: This study is based on data collection and follows a deductive approach to conducting
quantitative research. Existing theories derived from the literature in the field of consumer behavior
support the study's stated hypotheses. An experimental research design was applied, where 169
responses were gathered through an online survey using non-probability... (More) - Purpose: The objective is to understand the impact of external cues and internal cognitive heuristics
on fast-commerce websites and whether it affects consumers' perceived scarcity and purchase
intentions. Specifically, this study aims to provide a deeper comprehension of the modern online
consumer landscape, ever-evolving e-commerce websites, and persuasion tactics.
Methodology: This study is based on data collection and follows a deductive approach to conducting
quantitative research. Existing theories derived from the literature in the field of consumer behavior
support the study's stated hypotheses. An experimental research design was applied, where 169
responses were gathered through an online survey using non-probability sampling. Hypotheses were
tested using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) using the software
SmartPLS.
Theoretical Perspectives: This study primarily used the Theory of Planned Behavior. It combined
previous literature on modern consumption, purchase intention, and cognitive heuristics. This
approach aimed to develop a deeper understanding of the connection between consumers' perceived
scarcity and fast-commerce websites' usage of external cues and consumers' internal cognitive
heuristics.
Findings: External factors, namely the presence of scarcity and social proof cues, do not influence
consumers' perceived scarcity. Several internal factors play an important role in affecting consumers'
perceptions of scarcity. Attitude, social proof, and perceived persuasion knowledge all positively
influence perceived scarcity among consumers. The positive relationship between consumers'
perceived scarcity and purchase intention still exists in the fast-commerce environment.
Implications: This study fills a research gap and adds to the literature on consumer behavior and
modern e-commerce, offering valuable information about what factors drive the perception of scarcity
and which individual feelings and emotions most significantly impact this relationship. Contrary to
previous literature emphasizing the effectiveness of external cues, this research highlights the
importance of internal consumer perceptions. The study suggests a potential wear-out effect for
traditional persuasive cues, prompting a reevaluation of persuasion tactics on fast-commerce websites.
The findings reaffirm the relevance of the Theory of Planned Behavior, underscoring its importance in
understanding consumer behavior, but also indicate its potential weaknesses in the modern
environment. This study also adds to the understanding of the relationship between perceived scarcity
and purchase intentions among consumers on fast-commerce websites. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9169016
- author
- Sjöberg, Marcus LU and Kokko, Alexander LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- BUSN39 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- Fast-commerce, Cognitive Heuristics, Scarcity, Social Proof, Persuasion Knowledge, Theory of Planned Behavior
- language
- English
- id
- 9169016
- date added to LUP
- 2024-06-28 11:46:15
- date last changed
- 2024-06-28 11:46:15
@misc{9169016,
abstract = {{Purpose: The objective is to understand the impact of external cues and internal cognitive heuristics
on fast-commerce websites and whether it affects consumers' perceived scarcity and purchase
intentions. Specifically, this study aims to provide a deeper comprehension of the modern online
consumer landscape, ever-evolving e-commerce websites, and persuasion tactics.
Methodology: This study is based on data collection and follows a deductive approach to conducting
quantitative research. Existing theories derived from the literature in the field of consumer behavior
support the study's stated hypotheses. An experimental research design was applied, where 169
responses were gathered through an online survey using non-probability sampling. Hypotheses were
tested using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) using the software
SmartPLS.
Theoretical Perspectives: This study primarily used the Theory of Planned Behavior. It combined
previous literature on modern consumption, purchase intention, and cognitive heuristics. This
approach aimed to develop a deeper understanding of the connection between consumers' perceived
scarcity and fast-commerce websites' usage of external cues and consumers' internal cognitive
heuristics.
Findings: External factors, namely the presence of scarcity and social proof cues, do not influence
consumers' perceived scarcity. Several internal factors play an important role in affecting consumers'
perceptions of scarcity. Attitude, social proof, and perceived persuasion knowledge all positively
influence perceived scarcity among consumers. The positive relationship between consumers'
perceived scarcity and purchase intention still exists in the fast-commerce environment.
Implications: This study fills a research gap and adds to the literature on consumer behavior and
modern e-commerce, offering valuable information about what factors drive the perception of scarcity
and which individual feelings and emotions most significantly impact this relationship. Contrary to
previous literature emphasizing the effectiveness of external cues, this research highlights the
importance of internal consumer perceptions. The study suggests a potential wear-out effect for
traditional persuasive cues, prompting a reevaluation of persuasion tactics on fast-commerce websites.
The findings reaffirm the relevance of the Theory of Planned Behavior, underscoring its importance in
understanding consumer behavior, but also indicate its potential weaknesses in the modern
environment. This study also adds to the understanding of the relationship between perceived scarcity
and purchase intentions among consumers on fast-commerce websites.}},
author = {{Sjöberg, Marcus and Kokko, Alexander}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Inside the Modern Consumer's Mind: Investigating Perceived Scarcity in E-Commerce}},
year = {{2024}},
}