Consumers watching live shopping sessions are significantly more likely to make unplanned purchases than those influenced only by discounts or celebrity endorsements, according to new research by Nanto Purnomo and Sri Puji Wahyuni from Universitas Islam Lamongan (UNISLA), Indonesia. Published in 2026 in the International Journal of Integrative Sciences (IJIS), the study identifies live streaming as the strongest driver of impulse buying among Shopee users, highlighting how interactive digital marketing is reshaping consumer behavior in Indonesia's rapidly expanding e-commerce sector.
The findings arrive as online marketplaces continue competing through increasingly sophisticated promotional strategies. Live commerce, flash sales, and influencer marketing have become standard features on major e-commerce platforms, yet businesses have lacked clear evidence regarding which strategy has the greatest impact on spontaneous purchasing decisions. The study provides practical insights for marketers while helping consumers better understand the psychological mechanisms behind online shopping behavior.
Indonesia is one of Southeast Asia's largest digital commerce markets. Millions of consumers use platforms such as Shopee every day, where they are continuously exposed to live product demonstrations, limited-time discounts, and celebrity promotions. These marketing tools are designed to attract attention, increase trust, and encourage immediate purchasing decisions.
Unlike traditional online shopping, live streaming combines entertainment, real-time communication, and product demonstrations in one experience. Consumers can interact directly with sellers, ask questions, receive instant responses, and observe other shoppers' reactions. This creates a more engaging shopping environment that often reduces hesitation and encourages immediate purchases.
Flash sales operate differently by creating urgency. Limited-time discounts and restricted product availability generate a fear of missing out (FOMO), prompting consumers to buy quickly before promotions expire. Celebrity endorsements add another layer by leveraging the credibility, popularity, and attractiveness of public figures to strengthen consumer confidence in products.
To examine how these three marketing strategies influence purchasing behavior, Nanto Purnomo and Sri Puji Wahyuni conducted a quantitative study involving 137 active Shopee users who were members of the Tapak Suci martial arts community in Sugio District, Lamongan Regency. Participants, aged 15 to 26 years, completed structured questionnaires measuring their experiences with live streaming, flash sales, celebrity endorsements, and impulse buying. The responses were analyzed using statistical methods to determine both the individual and combined influence of each marketing strategy.
The results revealed a consistent pattern: all three digital marketing strategies significantly increased consumers' tendency to make unplanned purchases.
Key Findings
- Live streaming was the strongest predictor of impulse buying, with the highest regression coefficient (0.333).
- Celebrity endorsement ranked second, with a coefficient of 0.275.
- Flash sale promotions also significantly influenced spontaneous purchasing decisions, with a coefficient of 0.174.
- Together, the three variables explained 57.4% of consumers' impulse buying behavior.
- Statistical testing confirmed that each factor had a significant individual effect while also producing a strong combined influence on purchasing decisions.
The dominance of live streaming suggests that real-time interaction provides benefits beyond simple product promotion. Consumers receive immediate product demonstrations, ask questions directly, observe testimonials from other buyers, and experience a stronger sense of trust during the shopping process. These emotional and social interactions make spontaneous purchasing more likely than traditional online product listings.
According to Nanto Purnomo and Sri Puji Wahyuni of Universitas Islam Lamongan, the research demonstrates that interactive communication is becoming one of the most influential elements in modern digital marketing. Rather than relying solely on discounts, successful e-commerce campaigns increasingly combine information, entertainment, social engagement, and trust-building to encourage purchasing decisions.
The researchers also found that combining live streaming, flash sales, and celebrity endorsements produces a stronger psychological effect than using any single strategy alone. Consumers simultaneously experience time pressure, social influence, and increased confidence in the promoted products, making impulse buying more likely.
These findings have important implications for businesses operating in digital commerce. E-commerce platforms, online retailers, and brands may benefit from investing more heavily in live commerce by training engaging hosts, providing authentic product demonstrations, and encouraging real-time interaction with potential buyers. While flash sales and celebrity endorsements remain valuable promotional tools, they appear to be most effective when integrated into a broader live shopping experience.
For consumers, the research offers valuable awareness about how modern digital marketing influences purchasing decisions. Recognizing the effects of urgency, social proof, and influencer credibility may help shoppers make more deliberate purchasing choices and reduce unnecessary impulse spending.
The study also contributes to academic knowledge by confirming that impulse buying in digital environments is influenced not only by price incentives but also by emotional engagement and interactive communication. As online commerce continues evolving, understanding these behavioral drivers becomes increasingly important for businesses, policymakers, and consumer education initiatives.
The authors acknowledge several limitations. The respondents represented a specific community of young Shopee users in Lamongan Regency, meaning the findings may not fully represent Indonesia's broader online consumer population. Future studies could include more diverse participants and examine additional variables such as electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM), trust, fear of missing out (FOMO), or hedonic shopping motivation to provide a more comprehensive understanding of digital purchasing behavior.
Author Profile
Nanto Purnomo is a researcher and academic at Universitas Islam Lamongan (UNISLA), Indonesia, specializing in marketing management, consumer behavior, and digital marketing.
Sri Puji Wahyuni is an academic at Universitas Islam Lamongan (UNISLA), Indonesia, whose expertise includes business management, marketing strategy, and digital commerce.
Source
Journal: International Journal of Integrative Sciences (IJIS)
Publication Year: 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/ijis.v5i6.36
URL: https://journalijis.my.id/index.php/ijis/index
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