The Effect of Materialism on Compulsive Buying Behavior: An Empirical Study of Paylater Users in E-Commerce

Abstract

The development of information and communication technology in e-commerce has given rise to online credit payment (paylater) as an alternative online payment method. The presence of paylater in the online business world enables consumers to access and purchase products non-cash, which undoubtedly impacts consumer purchasing power. This study analyzes the effect of materialism on paylater, impulsive buying behavior, and compulsive buying behavior. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire using a cross-sectional survey research design, employing the purposive sampling method. The criteria for the sample recruited in this study were young adult customers who had used the paylater application more than once during the last six months. The sample consisted of 276 respondents, and the data was processed using the PLS-SEM program. The study results show that materialism positively affects paylater, impulsive buying, and compulsive buying. Meanwhile, paylater has a positive impact on impulsive buying behavior and compulsive buying behavior. Furthermore, the study findings indicate that impulsive buying behavior positively affects compulsive buying behavior.