Decoding impulse buying in convenience stores: Testing the S–O–R model with deal proneness as a psychological driver in Indonesia

Abstract

Impulse buying behavior in Indonesian convenience stores can be studied using the S–O–R framework. Environmental stimuli such as in-store promotion, employee friendliness, and store layout are represented as stimuli; positive emotion as the organism; and impulse buying as the behavioral response. Deal proneness, a psychological factor expected to strengthen the emotional pathway, is also incorporated. A survey involving 260 minimarket shoppers was conducted and analyzed using PLS-SEM with a higher-order construct approach. Results indicated that in-store promotion and well-organized store layout significantly enhanced positive emotion, while employee friendliness did not. However, positive emotion did not influence impulse buying nor mediate the relationship between store stimuli and purchasing behavior. Deal proneness did not moderate the effect of positive emotion but exerted a strong direct impact on impulse buying. These findings suggest that impulse buying in convenience-store settings may not be fully explained by emotional mechanisms within the S–O–R model, and that deal proneness plays a more dominant role as a psychological tendency. This study provides new empirical evidence on how internal consumer traits interact with store stimuli in shaping impulsive purchase decisions in emerging markets.