The impact of ai recommendation systems on impulsive buying behaviour in electronic marketplaces: The mediating moderating role of fear of missing out

Abstract

Artificial intelligence has spread rapidly across e-commerce, and in doing so it has reshaped how consumers reach purchase decisions. Scholarship to date concentrates mainly on what shoppers gain from algorithmic recommenders, whereas far fewer studies ask whether such systems also push buyers toward unplanned spending. The present work therefore tests how perceived attributes of AI recommendation engines relate to impulsive buying, treating fear of missing out (FOMO) simultaneously as an intervening variable and as a boundary condition. Survey evidence was gathered from 823 Vietnamese shoppers who regularly transact on AI-enabled marketplaces. Results show impulsive purchasing rising together with perceived AI authority, perceived task complexity, and with perceived personalization. FOMO carries a significant portion of each effect and, at the same time, amplifies its magnitude. These outcomes ground several managerial recommendations for platforms seeking to reconcile recommender deployment with responsible consumer conduct.