How Gamification Impacts Impulse Buying via Fear of Missing out in Livestream E-Commerce: Examining a Moderated Mediation Model

Abstract

The proliferation of livestream e-commerce has positioned gamification as a powerful factor of impulse buying. Extant studies have paid much attention to the positive affective reactions that are associated with gamification, yet whether and how gamification can impact impulse buying through negative affective states, such as fear of missing out (FoMO), has not been fully explored. Guided by the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework, this study develops a moderated mediation model to examine the conditional mediating effect of FoMO under two moderators, that is, perceived self-congruity and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Using a valid sample of 796 respondents in Indonesia, empirical results reveal that gamification significantly and positively affects impulse buying, with FoMO partially mediating this effect. Importantly, both perceived self-congruity and eWOM can significantly attenuate the link between gamification and FoMO. The indirect effect of gamification on impulse buying via FoMO becomes weaker when perceived self-congruity or eWOM levels are high. These findings contribute to existing literature by uncovering a negative affective pathway to impulse buying, and by identifying perceived self-congruity and eWOM as critical buffers that mitigate the effect of gamification on FoMO. The validated moderated mediation model offers a more granular understanding of when gamified tactics are less effective, helping practitioners advance the design of gamified strategies.