Tapping into Impulse: Exploring the Influence of Promotional Push Notifications of Mobile Shopping Apps on Impulsive Buying Behavior with Special Reference to the Western Province, Sri Lanka: Examining the Moderating Effect of Money Availability

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of promotional push notifications in mobile shopping applications on impulsive buying behavior within Sri Lanka’s E-Commerce industry, focusing on mobile shopping app users in the Western Province. Consumers frequently receive push notifications designed to capture attention and drive purchases. However, despite the rise of digital transformation efforts and industry data, daily transaction volumes remain significantly low, particularly in the Western Province, a key hub for online shopping. This study addresses this gap by examining the characteristics of promotional push notifications, specifically Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), as derived from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and their impact on impulsive buying behavior. The study further explores the moderating role of Money Availability, offering a data-driven foundation for its findings. Following a positivist research philosophy, this study adopts a deductive approach to test pre-determined hypotheses based on existing theories. A structured survey was used to collect quantitative data from 397 mobile shopping app users, selected through convenience sampling. After eliminating 50 incomplete responses, the final sample consisted of 347 valid responses. Descriptive analysis was conducted to assess the demographic profile and consumer behavior of mobile shopping app users, while regression analysis was performed using IBM SPSS to test the hypotheses. The findings reveal a significant positive impact of promotional push notifications on impulsive buying behavior. Additionally, Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) emerged as a strong predictor, indicating that users are more likely to engage in impulsive purchases when mobile shopping apps are easy to navigate. However, Perceived Usefulness (PU) was found to have an insignificant effect, suggesting that consumers' perceptions of practical benefits do not directly drive impulsive buying. Furthermore, Money Availability was identified as a significant moderator, strengthening the relationship between push notifications and impulsive buying behavior. Despite its contributions, the study has several limitations. The sample size was reduced due to incomplete responses, limiting the study’s generalizability. The research was also geographically restricted to Sri Lanka’s Western Province, preventing broader applicability to other regions or culturally diverse markets. Additionally, the study focused solely on mobile shopping applications, excluding other digital marketing channels such as websites, social media platforms, emails, and SMS notifications. These constraints highlight the need for future research to adopt broader sampling methods and examine other digital marketing channels to provide a more comprehensive understanding of impulsive buying behavior. From a practical perspective, the study holds valuable insights for marketers, emphasizing the need for engaging push notification strategies. Findings suggest that notifications containing incentives such as discounts, free shipping, or cashback offers are particularly effective in stimulating impulsive buying behavior. Given the significance of money availability as a moderate factor, targeting users with higher disposable income may yield better conversion rates. Future research should expand the scope of variables by incorporating emotional triggers, social influence, product categories, and alternative theoretical frameworks to provide a more holistic understanding of impulsive buying behavior in digital commerce.